Newby question

[Bobbyspit]

Hello, I am Rob from Manchester.

I have used Mig for many years and have restored a Triumph Spitfire using only mig. However I have saved my coppers and finally have my new toy.

Its a TIG161 from R Tech, a great looking bit of kit and what I have now found to be a massive learning curve.

I have a few questions and hope some may be able to assist.

I have bought the new welder as I want to weld Alloy, however I know it is going to take me some time if not months before I even think about welding alloy, so starting with mild steel and lots of practice until I am proficient at steel before practicing with Alloy.

Although I have welding to do on my car I will be using MIG until I am happy with my Tig efforts.

Starting today I set my new TIG up sharpened the electrode and set the Argon to the correct flow, Clean steel and earth clamp in place I then attempt to get a puddle, is it me being sh**e or is this the hardest way to weld? I am going through electrodes like welding wire, having to constantly sharpen them, and I have never used so much gas ever!!

My mig uses one bottle in 12 months, this machine has used half a bottle today.

Do I need to sharpen after every attempt?

Struggling to form a puddle and have only managed to melt a filler rod to the steel once.


I have pics of the electrodes and mig settings I am using if required.

Thanks Rob

 

[Seano]

Hi Rob and welcome, ok the name of this game is can I keep my hand steady...... its also a game of practice..........Practice..........and PRACTICE......even lots more, there is an excellent tutorial on here about starting to tig, also go to HERE there is more info about tig welding that you will know what to do with, also HERE its a tough learning curve Rob, but the only way to do it is to keep your Ar$e glued to that seat, just get the hang of striking up and running a bead without dipping your tip in it.... it will come, believe me, approx 1/4" stickout on your tip,(what type of tungsten's are you using ?) 8Lpm argon at the flowmeter, (I guess your using a dispo bottle at present ? if so bite the bullet and get a proper sized one) torch @ roughly an angle of 25% from the vertical and rod approx 15% from the horizontal, ALWAYS keep your rod within the gas shield to prevent contamination, it aint easy buddy but when it clicks its one of the greatest feelings in the world, well to me it was anyway.......but then I'm sad....so git to puddlin buddy...

Oh, and its not really good for welding cars. IMHO

 

[ChrisJohnsSculpture]

It's well worth getting a proper 'peashooter' type flowmeter for TIG, the dial type ones you get with standard regulators tend not to be that accurate and being able to set the gas flow accurately will save a lot of gas. The flowrate should be something like 4 to 8 lpm.

Probably the single most important thing in TIG welding is getting yourself set up in a comfortable position. Adapt your grip of the torch so that your hand is well supported and you can move along the intended line of your weld freely and easily. If you have to strain to maintain your position there is now way you will do a decent weld.

The best way to learn TIG is by practising autogenous welds (ie no filler rod). This will allow you to get the hang of controlling torch angle and arc length without having to worry about manipulating the filler rod. You want an arc length of just a few mm.

If you're used to mig welding then you will need to unlearn the tendency to touch the electrode onto the work.

If the arc length is too long the the energy of teh arc will be dissipated and you won;t get enough heat to form a stable puddle. If you touch the work with the electrode it will become contaminated and will need to be reground.

 

[Bobbyspit]

Thanks for the replies, I am happy I am not touching the work with the electrode, my real problem is the electrode itself burns and goes into a blob in about 10 seconds.
I will take a look at the flow meter issue.
I have tried practice runs today but the tungsten issue is the main problem atm.

ROb

 

[ChrisJohnsSculpture]

Thanks for the replies, I am happy I am not touching the work with the electrode, my real problem is the electrode itself burns and goes into a blob in about 10 seconds.
I will take a look at the flow meter issue.
I have tried practice runs today but the tungsten issue is the main problem atm.

ROb

What gas are you using ?

 

[gordon stephenson]

Is your tig AC/DC or just DC, If it does do both you may have it set on A/C which could burn your tungsten if not set correctly.

 

[justmental]

also do you have the leads connected up correctly to the inverter ie torch to the neg not positive.

 

[hotrodder]

As said check the gas cylinder. NEEDS to be pure argon, if it says something like argoshield or has CO2 written on it anywhere then it'll oxidise the tungsten immediately (grey manky mess, spitting). Contaminating the tungsten will also have kinda similar results and if you're positive you're not touching the weldpool it'll be from sticking the filler wire into the arc instead of weldpool and/or bumping the tungsten with it

If the tungsten is melting back cleanly (balling up while staying shiney) then it's either set in AC or you've plugged the torch into the +ve socket.

Less likely but also far from uncommon (as owners manuals are for girls) is assembling the torch back to front which results in an air leak which oxidises the tungsten.

As far as gas usage goes it's come up multiple times on the forum and it appears that Rtech regulators over read a LOT. Most dual gauge regs are less than stellar with regards to accuracy hence the 'peashooter' flowmeter suggestion. Rarely need more than 7l/min with TIG but it's a slower process and there's post flow too... learning = lots of stop/starts, travelling slowly etc so you'll get through gas quickly compared to MIG for a while

Put the kettle on/crack open a beer and read through the forum TIG tutorial/FAQ followed by a trawl through the TIG forum. Loads of threads asking for similar advice/tips etc from people that've already been where you are [/blunt] Oh, and steel is an alloy as are most metals. Aluminium is one of the few that's also used in it's pure state [/pedantic]

 

[Bobbyspit]

Its AC and DC, I have it set for steel, I must say I did at first have it in Alloy mode. I must have it set too high. Ill keep going, I knew this was going to be hard but this is a serious skill.

Edit, oh forgot to mention, I am using 100 percent argon

 

[ChrisJohnsSculpture]

If the electrode is burning then that sounds like there is an issue with the gas shielding. Are you using pure argon ?

 

[justmental]

watch these videos from here
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/tig-welding.html

 

[Bobbyspit]

If the electrode is burning then that sounds like there is an issue with the gas shielding. Are you using pure argon ?

Sorry mate just edited my last message, yep full argon

 

[Bobbyspit]

according to the help pages, if balls form on the end of my rod, I am doing somthing wrong,
Too long an arc…• Too much torch angle• Not enough amperage for the rod size• Bad filler rod angle• Or some combination of all of these things.

Ill take another look and see where I am going wrong, Ill also try a different seat and look at my torch angle, this may be some of the many things I am doing wrong.

Thanks for the advice and links.

ROb

 

[ChrisJohnsSculpture]

Is it just forming a ball or is it actually burning ?

 

[Rrunnach]

Rob,

If you have a local college nearby, sign up for an evening class, if poss?

Saves a lot on tungstens and, nowhere near as frustrating for you!!

Cheers......

 

[Bobbyspit]

Is it just forming a ball or is it actually burning ?

ball, from reading the tips page on this forum it seems I am way to far away from the piece of work.

Rob,

If you have a local college nearby, sign up for an evening class, if poss?

Saves a lot on tungstens and, nowhere near as frustrating for you!!

Cheers......

I am looking into it, I work crap shifts and getting time off to accomodate a college course may be a little difficult, I will take a look, thanks.
Rob

 

[hotrodder]

Post a good close up (macro setting) pic of some used tungstens. Also be worth telling us what size tungsten and what your amperage was. Pics of your attempts so far might also be useful

Again, is the torch plugged into the correct socket? If the polarity is wrong the tungstens will melt as around 2/3 of the arcs heat occurs at the +ve electrode, hence TIG being DCEN (electrode negative) for steel, stainless etc

 

[Bobbyspit]

Just checked I have the bloody thing wired up in reverse!!

 

[hotrodder]

Easily done, most of us have been there or places equally daft and at least it doesn't involve a trip to get the right gas

 

[Psymon]

That's exactly what I was doing yesterday on my first time with the same TIG. Ruined the tungsten several times and destroyed a shroud. After swapping it around started to weld pretty OK. Mind you I am really going through gas. If I drop it below 12lpm it seems to start making sparks. I gave up in the end (after using 30-40 bar of gas in an hour). Anyway I have now bought a stainless steel work bench to work on. Maybe then I can keep a steady hand and follow the work easier.