[entity-unknown]

Honestly I'm loving aluminum so much more than steel. To do multiple beads and welds it seems whether you like it or not you'll be cleaning a lot in between runs. With aluminum you only really need to clean (assuming you cleaned everything to begin with) if you dip/stab your tungsten. Otherwise I can go all day (after I wait till it cools to a reasonable temp again). It's also worth saying that 90% of my future welding projects will involve aluminum so it's hard to say I shouldn't be practicing with it.

Aluminum is also interesting with filler rod since it requires so much more and vs. steel it'll suck up as much as you'll give it. I've found with aluminum you can feed to your hearts content with rod, it's just not a good thing. Finding that balance involves watching the bead profile but even then you might be fooled because if your backside doesn't have a backing, then it'll horror movie style drip on the backside. Kinda like Frighteners or Nightmare on Elm Street. It's a false thirst that you have to learn to manage.

I've found that whether I like it or not I'm sticking with the 120A on aluminum, I just have to really learn the balance and control of the puddle more. If I do it right I can still get a shiny bead now, but yeah, aluminum is like that "expert" level in a game. Brutal on the ego but well worth it!

Things are definitely clicking and the most important lesson I've learned now is patience, patience, patience. TIG is art so take your time. Suck it up and deal with the cost of the gas lost (which isn't that bad).

As for a 300 degree boiler with 140 degree ambient.... UGH. I'd survive but would hate my day. I've done plenty of 120+ days and plenty of outside work on those days which isn't too bad as long as it's a dry heat. Any humidity and I'm hatin my life.

I finally decided to see what an arc feels like on bare skin! So far I got about 10 minutes under the hood with no shirt. I'm not hating life yet but I think I'm starting to feel some burn. We'll see but bein in AZ, I've got some tough skin. I know horrible idea, but like everything else in TIG, I just had to know If I get a wicked sunburn I'll post some pix so help deter the rest of the idiots like me

As for Michigan! I did live there for a year and won't ever go back I don't miss the perma grey sky and I wasn't fond of the cold. I prefer the heat by far. I like my blood to work for me and as for layers, I'm in my birthday suit most of the day anyways especially since I've worked from home the last 1.5 years. Did St. Louis for another year and 1 summer too and that was the most miserable experience I ever had. Missouri is simply French for Misery

[maker of things]

I'm not an expert on skin care, nor have I played one on TV and I haven't stayed in any hotels lately, but throw some sun screen on. It makes a big difference.

[entity-unknown]

The idea was to see what'd happen if I didn't have anything covering me at all. Yes I know totally dumb idea but in the name of science and trying out some dumb things so I know what to expect if it does happen was part of this whole journey. You can kind of think of it as taking one for the team too since I'm sure at least one person here has said "well maybe I can just get away with it for a few minutes"

So I had about 5-10 minutes of arc time without a shirt on and there's definitely some color added to my skin. I've got what's often called olive skin so not Irish white, but definitely not from Africa. It's "white skin" with a more tanish tone to it. Not to get racist here but my normal skin is kinda like a Mexican that's never seen the sun if that makes any sense. The point I'm going for is I tan very well but it takes quite some time in the sun to get any color. I live in AZ after all so I'm in the sun all the time.

The verdict? You can NOT get away with just a few minutes of bare skin being exposed to the direct arc light. Now can and I do all the time, get away with exposed skin that is not in the direct arc light. UV is a directional, not omni-directional light and for a simple proof point, just go look at anything that's been faded by the sun that was half in the shade, or go take a black shirt and put it so it'd be half in the sun, half in the shade for a couple days and you'll see the exposed area will wash out while the unexposed area will remain black.

[MinnesotaDave]

Wondered what happens if not wearing a shirt.

I'm starting to think you're an idiot.

[exnailpounder]

I Tig in a speedo so I can work on my tan. Better than the sun I must say.

[entity-unknown]

Not necessarily Dave but there is some merit to your comment. If you've ever learned anything in life, then you've learned that if you can purposely make a mistake to learn the outcome expectedly, then you won't have to worry about not knowing the unexpected. It's a smart idea to only purposely make mistakes that won't kill or really hurt you either. For instance as curious as I am as to how the Amps feel (working with electronics my whole life has given me my fair share of shocks), I'm not testing that one out. I've had two mild shocks which I assume was from the high freq start and some wetness to my shirt but I'm not entirely sure and have zero intentions of figuring out the cause there. There's a million other bad ideas I'm compelled to try out but won't because someone is really gonna get hurt, or perhaps killed. Usually that'd be me but still, I am all about safety and self preservation. You should see my safety gear getup I use for stick, TIG, and riding on my motorcycle

Thus far I can read you're generally a bitter, cumbersome guy with some piss and vinegar in ya; perhaps a bit snotty too. Your opinions seem short, daft and more off the cuff without much tact. That's ok though, it's an open forum and I almost never take offense to even the offensive

Cheers!

[entity-unknown]

Now see nailer has some sense of humor. Probably full of piss n vinegar too, but it's fermented to more of a bitter sweet wine

[maker of things]

You should see my safety gear getup I use for stick, TIG, and riding on my motorcycle

Wow! you really did get the hang of welding. It's hard enough to do either of those welds, much less while riding a motorcycle!

[entity-unknown]

Did I mention I can do it all while closing my eyes ?

It's also worth mentioning the reason I tried this dumb idea was because it's 110F average temps lately here in AZ and last month it was usually just below and sometimes above 120F. My garage where I'm welding at is near the water heater and at the spot that's most fully exposed to the the sun so it's several degrees hotter in there than it is outside. Any chance I have to be a bit cooler with less layers is usually worth it. As for any arc welding, I'm now confident that whether I like it or not, I will be fully covered up. That 5 or so minutes was equivalent to about 5+ hours out in the sun.

Was it another worthy lesson learned and will I ever wonder again? Yes it was and nope, I'll never question the power of the arc. Did I also confirm that if I get a sun burn that quick that all those hours of uncovered legs in shorts is still not a bad idea since I've never experience a single bit of sunburn on them since UV is directional light? Absolutely!

[Drunken Moose]

Now see nailer has some sense of humor. Probably full of piss n vinegar too, but it's fermented to more of a bitter sweet wine

Off topic and I apologize. But vinegar comes after the wine. Acetobacter converts alcohol to vinegar. Sorry, my distilling background got the best of me. Although I do get pissed when a good corn mash gets infected and turns to vinegar

Just hope you don't decide to see how your eyes feel when you get flashed...may as well dump that vinegar with a handful of sand in them if you wanna know

[MinnesotaDave]

Not necessarily Dave but there is some merit to your comment. If you've ever learned anything in life, then you've learned that if you can purposely make a mistake to learn the outcome expectedly, then you won't have to worry about not knowing the unexpected. It's a smart idea to only purposely make mistakes that won't kill or really hurt you either. For instance as curious as I am as to how the Amps feel (working with electronics my whole life has given me my fair share of shocks), I'm not testing that one out. I've had two mild shocks which I assume was from the high freq start and some wetness to my shirt but I'm not entirely sure and have zero intentions of figuring out the cause there. There's a million other bad ideas I'm compelled to try out but won't because someone is really gonna get hurt, or perhaps killed. Usually that'd be me but still, I am all about safety and self preservation. You should see my safety gear getup I use for stick, TIG, and riding on my motorcycle

Thus far I can read you're generally a bitter, cumbersome guy with some piss and vinegar in ya; perhaps a bit snotty too. Your opinions seem short, daft and more off the cuff without much tact. That's ok though, it's an open forum and I almost never take offense to even the offensive

Cheers!

Foolish behavior requires no tact.

Knowing the arc will burn you, and then checking to see if it does, is foolish.

FYI, at high enough amps you will get burned through a cotton t shirt.
At even higher amps, sunburn can occur through jeans,

No idea what bitter or cumbersome refer too, but no offense taken since we don't know each other.

[Drunken Moose]

Had one of my instructors tell me this. He had a friend that tig welded with a button up shirt, but didn't do it all the way up. Skin cancer got him. And cancer is strange...could get you from little or a lot of exposure. Why take the risk?

[entity-unknown]

Hey Dave! I'm glad you don't take offense because you're on point, we don't know each other and it is the net. As for "knowing", no I did not know nor ever saw the end results. I was wondering if it was something I only need to worry about when doing a lot of work, or if 5 minutes would really be a problem. I got my answer and now I know the facts! Honestly if you were ever out here in AZ I'd love to settle any disputes like real men; over a beer I'm pretty sure we could have some fun salty conversations.
Brewin Moose! It was only curiosity and as said I'd never do it again. I just wanted to know if I ever could get away with it because it's so damn hot here sometimes but point proven, no I can't. You can't get skin cancer in 5 minutes like that so I'm not worried and as said I was curious if my legs were really being affected or not and now I know they're just fine since they're under the table and well out of the light path.

Heh never thought that'd stir up such controversy but I can be a controversial kinda guy

So back to the point of this thread, which is for me to recall what I've been doing later and see my progression while poling for some advice. It was suggested I run up to 150A and just use the pedal to control things. So far everything I've done today has worked out pretty well with this. Not having to run the full pedal i.e. not having to push against the full tension of the spring in the pedal helped out and every run I made ended up pretty shiny except for a few on some dirty areas which didn't look so good and if I did mash the pedal getting the full 150A, things went to hell almost immediately and had little chance at recovery. All in all it worked out. I don't have pix of everything which isn't necessary but I did do some weaves and got some decent fish scales.
Still got plenty to learn and I'm far from a welder BUT still having fun and I'm pleased with my progress.
I did another random no-no today just for more curiosity and ran a small bead with some 4043 on some mild steel. It actually looks kinda welded and it did not sit on top. I'm confident this doesn't mean I can weld aluminum to steel but it was an interesting experiment. The cracking it made after I stopped was a bit scary and I immediately flipped the hood back down in case of any violent reaction but all was well.

[exnailpounder]

Now see nailer has some sense of humor. Probably full of piss n vinegar too, but it's fermented to more of a bitter sweet wine

Piss and vinegar and then some. Go to a thread called The Rogues Gallery and you will see me. I fought in the ring until I was 40 years old. Never much of a game-player. Shut up and weld I say!

[entity-unknown]

Well the mentors win! You all got me worried bout the cotton shirt still not bein enough... So I put on my Black Stallion leather cape and bib. I use this for stick and with the full apron and leather elf boot covers it actually wasn't dreadfully hot while outside in 120F degrees with an occasional breeze. The leather does slide across the work table a lot better than the cotton shirt I had too. So hey it's a win! As usual thanks for beating me in the right direction

Hey Nailer! And I found it! Not to do a stereotype but you definitely look like an old school biker and I can definitely believe the uber + years of boxing. I could probably take ya JK seriously! Perhaps not so much a sweet wine now but eh you could just be covering that side up with those chops If you're ever in AZ again I owe you a few beers too!

The 150A and now a much lighter touch on the pedal since the Amps allow it is really working out. Consistent shiny beads and my overall consistency is getting better too. My poor practice plates are about out of open space so now it's fillin, and overlapping till I cut some more plates.

I decided my first project will be to build a portaband saw stand for my Harbor Freight portaband. We'll see how that goes but at least it'll be the one thing I want to build that'll have the least structural concern with plenty of room to screw up on. Plus I finally get to weld something useful (I hope)!

[dirtmidget33]

From everything I seen you really need to sit down with a larger piece of steel and do the steel drill and pad beads. Things you need to concentrate on is arc length, torch angle , travel speed and consistency. You need to run longer beads to learn muscle memory and hand eye coordination keeping a tight arc length and torch angle consistent. Arc length, torch angle, travel speed will keep you puddle from getting bigger, smaller, bigger. From your short runs and way your beads change shape can tell all your travel is from moving your fingers and not moving hand, so since hand not traveling your torch angle is consistently changing and your arc lengh varies, your torch angle varies and your getting nowhere. At one point your worried about color, color will come when you learn to keep tight arc length, correct torch angle and travel speed. PAD BEADS ON PLATE A LOT OF THEM. get yourself a piece of steel at least 8 inches long by 8 inches by 1/8 thick. Concentrate arc length, torch angle remember arc length, torch angle this will correct your run away puddles and color. Get some serious practice time in.

[motox]

Postby exnailpounder » Sat Aug 20, 2016 1:35 pm

I Tig in a speedo so I can work on my tan. Better than the sun I must say

now thats an image for the rouges gallery ..lol
craig

[dirtmidget33]

Entity here's a video explaining exactly what I was telling you in above post by our forum founder Joey.

TIG Welding Tips - 3 Tips that Matter Most

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UNAAhwieNhU

@motox think of uv rays possibly getting past weave of those speedos, nothing like a welding burnt hotdog.

[exnailpounder]

Postby exnailpounder » Sat Aug 20, 2016 1:35 pm

I Tig in a speedo so I can work on my tan. Better than the sun I must say

now thats an image for the rouges gallery ..lol
craig

I would love to post that up but I can't find anyone to take the picture

[LtBadd]

Postby exnailpounder » Sat Aug 20, 2016 1:35 pm

I Tig in a speedo so I can work on my tan. Better than the sun I must say

now thats an image for the rouges gallery ..lol
craig

I would love to post that up but I can't find anyone to take the picture

Consider that a blessing in disguise...

[exnailpounder]

[entity-unknown]

Something tells me the lack of speedo photography is a blessing even if you don't believe in blessings

Got to experience the hobbyist welder's curse twice now and that's two for two. Ran out of gas on a Sunday again :\

[dirtmidget33]

Got to experience the hobbyist welder's curse twice now and that's two for two. Ran out of gas on a Sunday again :\

Break down and just get 330 or 300 cu ft bottle, even better if you get 2 of them. Refills cheaper to in long run for large bottles. My bottles cost about 75 a piece when taken in for exchange.

[entity-unknown]

Hey Midget! Are you hiding in my cabinets or something? You were spot on for a lot of those beads I ran I was resting my hand or as I'd move I'd get caught up on something. Most of those beads are old and I've got plenty of plates. That's why I'm wanting to cut more so I have something fresh to work with rather than going around all my various tests. I've got 2/3 short beads and 1/3 long beads.
I've mostly gone back to aluminum because it will be 99% of everything I'd ever weld but I'm still doing some steel too. I'm also not posting pix of every piece of everything I'm doing, just relevant mile stones.

As for a larger bottle, I will be getting the 330CF tank next time, just gotta wait till Monday and had to use up all this gas. In time I'll buy a lil bottle for these gasless Sundays but in the mean time the 330CF should hold up pretty well. I did have a bit left yesterday but I think with the final work I did last night, I used almost all of it up and finished the tank with about 4 inches of work. That's hopefully not what she said!

I've started building the portaband saw stand since I really do need that and it'll make cutting up more practice and real pieces a lot better than an eye ball and some cinder blocks between a vice. I can't really screw this up and if I do it won't matter vs. something I will care about which will come later. It's also steel so I'll get some more of that steel practice too

[dirtmidget33]

Hey Midget! Are you hiding in my cabinets or something? You were spot on for a lot of those beads I ran I was resting my hand or as I'd move I'd get caught up on something.

LOL. No, just the length of the runs and look of beads tells us almost everything we need to know. It's like reading a book.