Highpower
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- Thread starter Highpower
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Shox Dr
Chief Engineer to Carlos Fandango
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Not used one but have seen them advertised, and at 35quid I won't be in a hurry to buy one either.
The best bit of advise I can give you regarding feeding rod is you can do it anytime anywhere, so long as you have a piece of rod with you.
Sitting in front of the TV is best. It will soon become second nature, grasshopper, wipe on, wipe off n'all that stuff
The best bit of advise I can give you regarding feeding rod is you can do it anytime anywhere, so long as you have a piece of rod with you.
Sitting in front of the TV is best. It will soon become second nature, grasshopper, wipe on, wipe off n'all that stuff
Freshfabrications
www.freshfabrications.com
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Shox Dr is spot on here regarding good old practice.
I'd say that the pen offers economy with filler and nothing more, tryed one and I can hand feed faster for ally than the pen permits, perhaps for thick steel it could come in to its own at saving the fingertips as the filler addition pace would be slower?!
Don't deppend on it too much because doing things propperly rules
My tip is dont just learn to feed rod with your normal rod hand, I even to this very day sit sime times and feed with my left hand then when I've fed all the rod I swap hands and feed it back, you never know when you might just get that tricky job where you have to go and switch hands!!
I'd say that the pen offers economy with filler and nothing more, tryed one and I can hand feed faster for ally than the pen permits, perhaps for thick steel it could come in to its own at saving the fingertips as the filler addition pace would be slower?!
Don't deppend on it too much because doing things propperly rules
My tip is dont just learn to feed rod with your normal rod hand, I even to this very day sit sime times and feed with my left hand then when I've fed all the rod I swap hands and feed it back, you never know when you might just get that tricky job where you have to go and switch hands!!
Freshfabrications
www.freshfabrications.com
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Pretty good Shox Dr, I'm getting pretty "blaazeey" 
about my fingers now too, think my best stub length on 2.4 5356 today was about 20 or 30 mm, but was only at about 180 amps so thats retty cool
but then I am just showing off here lol
To be totally honest, when I was braze welding bromptons I allways tacked the brass together with the flame, not very possible with tig though, when your on a production job it really does save $£$£$£, for amature/hobbey I'd say the costs are neglegable V's having any nerve endings left in your finger tips.
I think its easyer to use steel to shorter lengths than ally due to the heat thing though.
As a final note I'd like to say that when tig welding its some times good to actually be able to FEEL the way the rod is going into the puddle and the reson I dont use a tig pen is that it took away the ability to feel the preasure I applied when feeding.
It would be interesting to know your comparisons of using and not using the tig pen Highpower!
about my fingers now too, think my best stub length on 2.4 5356 today was about 20 or 30 mm, but was only at about 180 amps so thats retty cool but then I am just showing off here lolTo be totally honest, when I was braze welding bromptons I allways tacked the brass together with the flame, not very possible with tig though, when your on a production job it really does save $£$£$£, for amature/hobbey I'd say the costs are neglegable V's having any nerve endings left in your finger tips.
I think its easyer to use steel to shorter lengths than ally due to the heat thing though.
As a final note I'd like to say that when tig welding its some times good to actually be able to FEEL the way the rod is going into the puddle and the reson I dont use a tig pen is that it took away the ability to feel the preasure I applied when feeding.
It would be interesting to know your comparisons of using and not using the tig pen Highpower!
Shox Dr
Chief Engineer to Carlos Fandango
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- 18,010
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- East Yorkshire
Highpower
New Member
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I will have to get a lot more practice in before I would be able to make any meaningful comparisons. One of my biggest problems right now is trying to remember to keep the end of the rod under the cup and not pulling it out too far. I ball up the filler rod all too often.
Working the feed wheel back and forth on the pen seems to help me limit me to the gas coverage area for now. I'm sure it will improve with time and practice just using my fingers, but I'm just considering the pen my "training wheels" for now. I did not expect many experienced welders to have used one but I was curious to see others opinions about them.
langy
langys rodshop
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pedrobedro
Man at Matalan
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One of my biggest problems right now is trying to remember to keep the end of the rod under the cup and not pulling it out too far. I ball up the filler rod all too often.
It sounds like you are trying to melt the rod with the arc instead of the weld pool. Stop travelling with the torch while you add rod to the front edge of the weld pool. It's only a momentary thing and soon looks like you are moving continuously. I've not done any all winter and will need to learn again
. Good fitting gloves make the difference as well and using the right rod diameter.Freshfabrications
www.freshfabrications.com
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As per Pedrobedro's sugestion, step pause step pause, positive rod insertion and rapid withdrawal.......GAFFFAAAW.......sorry.
Melt the two peices of parent material untill they fuse or are ready for filler, PAUSE whilst adding enough filler directly into the puddle and then with draw filler from puddle, STEP forward along the seam a suitable distance and melt the parent material ready for filler,PAUSE......... step pause repeat untill your finished.
If your filler is balling it can also bee that your filler rod is not flat enough to the plain of the material your welding, 5 to 15 degrees off the deck, filler rod should be snuk in under the heat of the arc, also if you hold your torch to far away from 80 degreed from the material you'll just be aiming the arc across the metal, losing penetration and over heating the end of your rod.
Go here so see a great animation of all this:-
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tech_tips/TIG_tips/index.html
Good luck
...sorry.Melt the two peices of parent material untill they fuse or are ready for filler, PAUSE whilst adding enough filler directly into the puddle and then with draw filler from puddle, STEP forward along the seam a suitable distance and melt the parent material ready for filler,PAUSE......... step pause repeat untill your finished.
If your filler is balling it can also bee that your filler rod is not flat enough to the plain of the material your welding, 5 to 15 degrees off the deck, filler rod should be snuk in under the heat of the arc, also if you hold your torch to far away from 80 degreed from the material you'll just be aiming the arc across the metal, losing penetration and over heating the end of your rod.
Go here so see a great animation of all this:-
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tech_tips/TIG_tips/index.html
Good luck
Highpower
New Member
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Thanks for all the tips gents. I started out making ALL the typical mistakes that newbies do I suppose, but I'm catching on a bit at a time. Yes the tool is overpriced, but it is made surprising well and works very smoothly - which surprised me.
I am subscribed to Jody's email tips and videos and that has been the major source of my study materials. He recently sent out an email discussing the possibility of making a DVD with all of his welding video's from 2010. I hope to make use of that as well. I do love his "tig finger" though. Certainly helps to even out my weld beads as it allows me much smoother torch travel.
Finding the time and scrap material to sit down and run some practice beads is my biggest hurtle at the moment, but I will get there. Never enough time in a day...
I am subscribed to Jody's email tips and videos and that has been the major source of my study materials. He recently sent out an email discussing the possibility of making a DVD with all of his welding video's from 2010. I hope to make use of that as well. I do love his "tig finger" though. Certainly helps to even out my weld beads as it allows me much smoother torch travel.
Finding the time and scrap material to sit down and run some practice beads is my biggest hurtle at the moment, but I will get there. Never enough time in a day...
