Llyr Lumen
New Member
- Messages
- 10
- Location
- London UK
Hi people! I've been lurking and reading posts here as well as other forums, YouTube vids, PDFs etc as I started learning how to TIG two weeks ago. My first go was pretty good...I mean, technique wise...my welds looked awful!
My second go at it (5 hours straight today) was the complete opposite and has prompted me to post (cry) for help. It might be a little long to read but I figured since I forgot to take pics of the welds (I was so angry by that point) before I left, a little info on what I was doing and what the weld looked like might help?
Machine: invertig pro digital
Torch: rtig isystem (comes with machine)
Tungsten: pointed, 2.4 thoriated (I think, has red paint on end)
Gas: 100% argon, 5CFH
Cup: Ceramic
Material: 2mm Steel plate
Filler rod: 1.6mm and the size up from that too (forgotten the code on it but it had 70s in it and was copper coloured)
Run #1 - outside corner joint
I clamped the two pieces edge two edge over an angle block and started welding. Amps were set to 65, pre gas 1.5 secs, post gas 5secs. Tungsten stick out at 4 or 5mm, 2mm gap. I traveled quite slow adding filler every 2/3mm and making sure to stop moving when I did...2cm cratered weld with zero definition and half the corners near the end blow off into a red hot smoking mess. Lots of pock marks.
Run #2
Same as above except I traveled faster and added filler faster...Same exact result.
Run #3 T Joint
Same set up but amps set to 80. Tried tacking each edge (the plates were held by magnets) and all I got was a black mark. Turned the Amps up to 90 and literally held the torch in the corner for 4 seconds and got a black mark...That quickly turned into a hole. Went for the run anyway, going slowly and adding filler to, what I thought was the pool. When I finished at the end...There was only little blobs of filler about 1cm away from the joint...Absolutely no base metal had melted at all.
Run #4 butt joint
80amps, blew front off to red hot oblivion. 40amps, couldn't get a puddle, 65amps...Got small puddle and cratered weld.
Run #5 overlapping joint
Couldn't get anything to melt at all at 80amps, had tungsten pointed right in to corner where edge touched base.
Run #6 running beads
All of the above problems and my filler metal kept sticking to the base metal no matter what. I never had that issue on my first go. I was aiming for the front edge of the puddle and really dipping it lightly and quickly but it was still sticking 70% of the time. I got the crackling sound so I know I was hitting the spot (I got more sticking with the bigger rod). My welds were very flat and cratered again, if I went anywhere near 80amps the weld would burn through by the time I got a puddle (which would be excessively large the minute I added filler)
I dialled it down to 70 and realised that the puddle was not moving as fast as my tungsten even when I was going slowly. Leading me to stop moving for it to catch up...Blowing a hole/crater in it. Turned it back up to 80 and got a bigger puddle and went a lot faster not to blow holes through it...Flat undefined and cratered welds with filler sticking intermittently.
Went down to 65amps, took FOREVER to get a puddle...Then I had to get 8 million dabs of filler in there to get it bigger. By this time I thought **** it and went for a weave. Moved very slowly, stopping for the puddle to catch up so I could add filler. Got several weaves but they all looked flat and horrible. Interesting to note, when I shot it back up to 80amps...Even though I was weaving and adding filler exactly like before...All I got was a hot mess of molten metal and no weave, no matter what speed.
Any tips or suggestions on what I'm doing wrong? I'm not expecting to be amazing my second time but I'm really really bummed out that I did so much worse my second time having spent a lot of time reading and watching videos. Thanks in advance!
*Further info*
Torch angle was 10-20 degrees always, filler rod perpendicular.
Changed tungsten and stick out to 3mm during running beads.
Tried pulsing...Didn't make a difference.
Cleaned steel with wire brush but still noticed that a lot of orange and black stuff was in the puddle a lot of the time, at one point it started crackling and spitting.
Have not dipped tungsten once
The torch that came with the machine is horrible. It's ludicrously big and the cable is too heavy. The switch is far too far away from the torch head rendering my TIG finger useless. No matter what I did I could feel the cable twisting the torch as I moved and the strain on my wrist fighting to maintain my angle became very painful...How can I rectify this?
I work at a university in the fabrication department, getting another machine is unlikely and no one can actually TIG weld.
My second go at it (5 hours straight today) was the complete opposite and has prompted me to post (cry) for help. It might be a little long to read but I figured since I forgot to take pics of the welds (I was so angry by that point) before I left, a little info on what I was doing and what the weld looked like might help?
Machine: invertig pro digital
Torch: rtig isystem (comes with machine)
Tungsten: pointed, 2.4 thoriated (I think, has red paint on end)
Gas: 100% argon, 5CFH
Cup: Ceramic
Material: 2mm Steel plate
Filler rod: 1.6mm and the size up from that too (forgotten the code on it but it had 70s in it and was copper coloured)
Run #1 - outside corner joint
I clamped the two pieces edge two edge over an angle block and started welding. Amps were set to 65, pre gas 1.5 secs, post gas 5secs. Tungsten stick out at 4 or 5mm, 2mm gap. I traveled quite slow adding filler every 2/3mm and making sure to stop moving when I did...2cm cratered weld with zero definition and half the corners near the end blow off into a red hot smoking mess. Lots of pock marks.
Run #2
Same as above except I traveled faster and added filler faster...Same exact result.
Run #3 T Joint
Same set up but amps set to 80. Tried tacking each edge (the plates were held by magnets) and all I got was a black mark. Turned the Amps up to 90 and literally held the torch in the corner for 4 seconds and got a black mark...That quickly turned into a hole. Went for the run anyway, going slowly and adding filler to, what I thought was the pool. When I finished at the end...There was only little blobs of filler about 1cm away from the joint...Absolutely no base metal had melted at all.
Run #4 butt joint
80amps, blew front off to red hot oblivion. 40amps, couldn't get a puddle, 65amps...Got small puddle and cratered weld.
Run #5 overlapping joint
Couldn't get anything to melt at all at 80amps, had tungsten pointed right in to corner where edge touched base.
Run #6 running beads
All of the above problems and my filler metal kept sticking to the base metal no matter what. I never had that issue on my first go. I was aiming for the front edge of the puddle and really dipping it lightly and quickly but it was still sticking 70% of the time. I got the crackling sound so I know I was hitting the spot (I got more sticking with the bigger rod). My welds were very flat and cratered again, if I went anywhere near 80amps the weld would burn through by the time I got a puddle (which would be excessively large the minute I added filler)
I dialled it down to 70 and realised that the puddle was not moving as fast as my tungsten even when I was going slowly. Leading me to stop moving for it to catch up...Blowing a hole/crater in it. Turned it back up to 80 and got a bigger puddle and went a lot faster not to blow holes through it...Flat undefined and cratered welds with filler sticking intermittently.
Went down to 65amps, took FOREVER to get a puddle...Then I had to get 8 million dabs of filler in there to get it bigger. By this time I thought **** it and went for a weave. Moved very slowly, stopping for the puddle to catch up so I could add filler. Got several weaves but they all looked flat and horrible. Interesting to note, when I shot it back up to 80amps...Even though I was weaving and adding filler exactly like before...All I got was a hot mess of molten metal and no weave, no matter what speed.
Any tips or suggestions on what I'm doing wrong? I'm not expecting to be amazing my second time but I'm really really bummed out that I did so much worse my second time having spent a lot of time reading and watching videos. Thanks in advance!
*Further info*
Torch angle was 10-20 degrees always, filler rod perpendicular.
Changed tungsten and stick out to 3mm during running beads.
Tried pulsing...Didn't make a difference.
Cleaned steel with wire brush but still noticed that a lot of orange and black stuff was in the puddle a lot of the time, at one point it started crackling and spitting.
Have not dipped tungsten once
The torch that came with the machine is horrible. It's ludicrously big and the cable is too heavy. The switch is far too far away from the torch head rendering my TIG finger useless. No matter what I did I could feel the cable twisting the torch as I moved and the strain on my wrist fighting to maintain my angle became very painful...How can I rectify this?
I work at a university in the fabrication department, getting another machine is unlikely and no one can actually TIG weld.