As Hitch and TIG Paul have said fit up is King. Outside Corners in SS in is easiest, one to master. A lap joint needs to be tight up or the SS will warp and then you have no chance.
Thank you Shox Dr, nice job done there, Good to see how clean and neat the welds are when properly done
Can you post a pic of a used tungsten (preferably in focus!). Are you sure you've got PURE argon and no leaks in the system? The 'soot' around the welds is fairly typical of a contaminated tungsten, the amount of it typical with an argon/CO2 mix. Simple test would be to do a spot weld on a piece of stainless (not too thin or back it up by clamping it to a chunk of ally or something if no choice)- form a puddle, shut off the arc and pause over the weld for 4 or 5 secs for the post flow. The spot weld should be totally free of colour i.e. like a spot of freshly polished stainless
When welding is it virtually silent or is the pool spitting and hissing? Welding with DC TIG should be silent save background noise (welders fan/watercooler/stereo etc)
As said (of the common metals) only stainless is really suitable for autogenous welding, many aluminium alloys will crack and carbon steel often suffers with porosity unless filler is used
Hi All!
Interesting thread!
Lots of thoughts on this subject! but am going to bite my tongue, so to speak!
Regards
When I start I have a nice clean sharpened tungsten, when I finish its blue and blackish with bits burned away, sometimes the ceramic is glowing dull red when I stop, not enough post flow gas?
Yes when welding its almost silent, no spits or crackle, dullish 'hush' that would remind me of a gas lamp with a mantle on burning.