Tig nightmares .. I quit..

[Noods]

Hi All..
Sorry to be defeatist but I've given tig everthing in the last year and now I'm beaten..

If it's running a little practice bead on a flat piece of steel.. It's fine.. But as soon as I actually want to join anything or so it seems.. It's a horror story... Every time ..

I've spent hours and hours many more hundred trying all the different ways I can try and still the welds are crap!

This time I was trying to weld 2 pieces of 3mm steel to a 6 mm piece of steel which was underneath.. The gap between the two thin bits was, about a mm..

Esab 160 dc tig with red tip electrode ground to a point, the correct way, varied the amps up and down, lowest was 20 highest 100.. Pure argon set at 5 lots and moved up to 8.. 1mm rods tried and. 2.5mm too.. Supplied from elmdale.. Size 9 tig torch.. With ceramic cup tried all sizes again.. Varied electrodes.. Everything pre cleaned in acertate .. Steel all ground to a shiny finish first.. I have a steady hand too.. Stick out varied too from 1mm to 3mm .. Angle of torch at 5 past on a clock face.. Dipping rod in on about a 20 degree angle.. Pushing the puddle forwards.. There always seems to be a heavy crackling sound and popping too along with a rusty coloured burn marks.. Basically no consistency .. And in controllable .. I don't claim to be anything but a novice.. But I'm guessing I've now done a couple of hundred hrs now.. I'm starting to ask why..

Pic shows filler rod 2.5mm burnt electrode good ground electrode.. And at top clean steel before the mess that I've created..

Please note I'm not blaming EASB or Elmdale, indeed Elmdale could not have done more for me.. The team there are truly fantastic, professionals with the support you need.. Thank you Elmdale..

Thanks for listening.. Your a great bunch on here.. I only wish I was improving to pay you guys back for your advice etc.. Unfortunatly.. I'm done..

NOODS X

 

[wyn]

The ground tungsten in your pic looks like it still has a lot of contamination on it

It could be that 1mm filler is too small and 2.5mm is too big.

I would try some 1.6 or, my favourite, 1.2mm filler rod.

 

[Noods]

I appreciate that thank you.. The ground electrode in pic is straight from a new supply.. I grind then in the correct direction and wipe them down with acetate before fitting..

 

[J.B. Welding]

I think this is where some 1-1 tuition is really worth it, you may be making a mistake that a watchful eye would clock onto straight away and set you straight. (are you using pure argon and can you hear it coming through the ceramic?)
Giving up doesn't really improve things, just makes you more likely to give up more thing in the future-your perseverance so far is admirable, there might be someone local to you who can test your set up and give a few tips to get you purring away like a true 'un.

 

[AndersK]

I would say you have a shielding gas issue.

It looks like you are running on a MAG bottle. Even if the bottle says Argon you cold have gotten a bad one.
Or you have a leak somewhere that is pulling in air.
Take out the tungsten and plug the cap. Let the gas flow and start listening. If it is that bad you should hear it leaking.

Do you have anyone else tig welding close to you? Take your setup there and ask them to try it gor you. Then change to their gas and try again.

 

[Wallace]

Is the gas post flow pre-set on your machine? First looks (as above) is a gas problem.

 

[Noods]

Is the gas post flow pre-set on your machine? First looks (as above) is a gas problem.

Gas pre flow? Sorry..

 

[Noods]

I would say you have a shielding gas issue.

It looks like you are running on a MAG bottle. Even if the bottle says Argon you cold have gotten a bad one.
Or you have a leak somewhere that is pulling in air.
Take out the tungsten and plug the cap. Let the gas flow and start listening. If it is that bad you should hear it leaking.

Do you have anyone else tig welding close to you? Take your setup there and ask them to try it gor you. Then change to their gas and try again.

Gas can be heard at ceramic .. Argon supplied by elmdale hadleigh as always..

 

[Leetig]

I agree with gas issue. A crackling sound does imply that.
Put up some clearer pics of some beads.
Don't give up. Tig can be extremely frustrating to learn! I remember when I started having really ugly welds and it was really dis hearting. Chances are it's something silly like above. Does your tungsten retain its point?

 

[cumbriasteve]

Don't give in but also don't continue as you are.

This is certainly a case for a mate to show you how, I would put up a new post asking for anyone near enough to pop along and give you an hours help to get going in return for coffee and sarnies.

It's like when I was determined to dash my garden wall myself, I studied you tube, read all I could and still kept failing, then a guy down the road showed me how..within an hour I was managing some pretty damn good dashing...small scale of course.

 

[Leetig]

Don't give in but also don't continue as you are.

This is certainly a case for a mate to show you how, I would put up a new post asking for anyone near enough to pop along and give you an hours help to get going in return for coffee and sarnies.

It's like when I was determined to dash my garden wall myself, I studied you tube, read all I could and still kept failing, then a guy down the road showed me how..within an hour I was managing some pretty damn good dashing...small scale of course.

That is great advice but if not possible keep posting on here there are a lot of class tig welders who all at one time were going through the same motions.

 

[Wallace]

Gas pre flow? Sorry..

The post flow is once you stop welding the gas continues to flow to cool the Tungsten and the weld to prevent oxides forming. Looking at the sales blurb and manual on your machine there is no specific adjustment control for post flow gas just the slope down control, I would guess that the post flow is linked or timed with the slope down adjustment. Have you tried adjusting the slope down to a higher setting?

 

[Richard.]

Noods I'm not going to guess at what might be your nightmare here because it could be anything. What I will say is I'm just over an hour from you and the offer is there if you want to bring the little buddy over and a pack of 4 to cover my argon usage and I'm more than happy to help you tackle some tiggy problems.

 

[AndersK]

Gas can be heard at ceramic .. Argon supplied by elmdale hadleigh as always..

Sorry if I wasnt clear. Block the gas from escaping thru the cup. Then start listening for leaks somewhere betwen regulator and cup.
Does it hold the pressure a long time after shutting the bottle valve? I it doesnt hold the pressure for days it indicates a leak somewhere between reg and solenoid valve

 

[brianblock]

or try squirting a little soapy water on any gas connections and look for tiny bubbles

also your "good ground electrode" doesnt look the best tbh

 

[Richard.]

I seem to remember a thread about a little Esab heading for the bin. I can see that been resurrected again as "bin men struck lucky"

 

[Gavin_d]

Where are you from?

 

[Richard.]

Me? I like just outside of Cambridge.

 

[brianblock]

The ground electrode in pic is straight from a new supply.. I grind then in the correct direction and wipe them down with acetate before fitting

i would knock the acetate on the head if thats the case and your electrode could be sharper

 

[Richard.]

Acetone, gas, tungsten?? These are all preparation candidates for causing potential problems but certainly not the ultimate cause for the mess (sorry noods) in the pic. If there was a consistent but contaminated weld on show I'd be advising in the same way but general technique is the biggest issue here and it's one that cannot be overcome by reading. I'm with JB welding on this one. 1-1 tuition is the way these problems can be addressed. If you can find someone local that's the best case scenario but if not let me know and I'll fit in a few hours one weekend. Im by no strength a professional instructor but I believe I can help get the basics nailed.