Hi All,
Just joined up, but i've looked around the site a few times over the last few months.
Why am I here? well, i've owned a mig welder for years and done basic welding as a hobby, but not a huge amount recently.
I've wanted to learn tig for a long time but couldn't justify the cost. That is until more recently.
I fly a paramotor, which is basically a fabric paraglider wing and a small engine worn on the back like a ruck sack. I had a failed takeoff earlier in the year and damage the cage surrounding the prop. Getting spares was a nightmare so finally decided to take the plunge and learn to tig weld!
I did some research on machines and ended up buying a Parweld XTT202P.
Knowing full well that I was plunging myself into the deep end as my task was to weld aluminium, thin aluminium, thin and small round tube aluminium! The perfect storm for a beginner tig welder.
Of course I got a load of scrap plate, box, tube etc to actually practice on first.
Well after a reasonable amount of practice, youtube watching, forum surfing etc i'm starting to get the hang of it. I think having experience of mig, but also electronic soldering and plumbing has all helped with the learning process.
I repaired my paramotor cage and while the welds were not all that pretty, they were functional.
I decided as a project to fabricate a complete cage from scratch next. I got it to the point of being assembled and tacked, but after all this work I really wanted my welds to look better and be more consistent, so I contacted a local fabricator that I have dealt with through work. Turns out a moderator here too. So Paul Holland kindly offered to spend some time with me and watch my technique and offer some tuition to help me improve.
That was yesterday and a very well spent couple of hours it was. Paul is a very good tutor and gave me lots of ideas to try and to work on. I was pleased that my technique wasn't a million miles away which was great to hear. But I did struggle with certain aspects, specifically yesterday my tacking was not good at all and I had a habit of occasionally lifting the torch away from the work piece.
We did some plain beads, butt joints and fillets. Then finally had a crack at the thin wall tube i'm using for the paramotor. I was happy to walk away with a joint that looked better than all my previous attempts!
So with a little more practice I will be ready to weld the cage together properly and hopefully not be embarrassed about it when I rock up at the flying field!
Thanks to Paul for help yesterday.
Andy.
Just joined up, but i've looked around the site a few times over the last few months.
Why am I here? well, i've owned a mig welder for years and done basic welding as a hobby, but not a huge amount recently.
I've wanted to learn tig for a long time but couldn't justify the cost. That is until more recently.
I fly a paramotor, which is basically a fabric paraglider wing and a small engine worn on the back like a ruck sack. I had a failed takeoff earlier in the year and damage the cage surrounding the prop. Getting spares was a nightmare so finally decided to take the plunge and learn to tig weld!
I did some research on machines and ended up buying a Parweld XTT202P.
Knowing full well that I was plunging myself into the deep end as my task was to weld aluminium, thin aluminium, thin and small round tube aluminium! The perfect storm for a beginner tig welder.
Of course I got a load of scrap plate, box, tube etc to actually practice on first.
Well after a reasonable amount of practice, youtube watching, forum surfing etc i'm starting to get the hang of it. I think having experience of mig, but also electronic soldering and plumbing has all helped with the learning process.
I repaired my paramotor cage and while the welds were not all that pretty, they were functional.
I decided as a project to fabricate a complete cage from scratch next. I got it to the point of being assembled and tacked, but after all this work I really wanted my welds to look better and be more consistent, so I contacted a local fabricator that I have dealt with through work. Turns out a moderator here too. So Paul Holland kindly offered to spend some time with me and watch my technique and offer some tuition to help me improve.
That was yesterday and a very well spent couple of hours it was. Paul is a very good tutor and gave me lots of ideas to try and to work on. I was pleased that my technique wasn't a million miles away which was great to hear. But I did struggle with certain aspects, specifically yesterday my tacking was not good at all and I had a habit of occasionally lifting the torch away from the work piece.
We did some plain beads, butt joints and fillets. Then finally had a crack at the thin wall tube i'm using for the paramotor. I was happy to walk away with a joint that looked better than all my previous attempts!
So with a little more practice I will be ready to weld the cage together properly and hopefully not be embarrassed about it when I rock up at the flying field!
Thanks to Paul for help yesterday.
Andy.