First go at TIG

[jimbo84]

Decided to use the lockdown period to try and learn some TIG, never having done it before. Got some kit ordered and got it set up. Found the tutorial on here very helpful and useful.

I'm using a thermal arc 175 inverter with lift tig. One question, how do you stop the arc on a lift tig machine? I wanted to leave the torch over the end of the weld for a few seconds to mimic the post-flow you get on the posher machines but the only way I can stop the arc is by lifting the torch right away from the weld.

Using a number 7 ceramic with a gas lens and pure argon at abut 6LPM, 1.6mm red tungsten.

These are without filler rods as I'm still waiting for those!

I find sliding my hand along to keep in the correct position quite difficult but I guess that will come with a bit of practice.

Amps are above the pics and are as displayed on the dial on my machine. I know from arc welding with the machine that indicated amps are a little higher than the are probably are in reality hence starting high.

first one 50 amps


Second one, 50 amps


Decided to listen to the what I'd read in the guide and run some flat straight beads.
Third one, turned it down a bit to 40 amps


Tried a joint still at 40 amps


Any tips/advice appreciated. I'll give it a go with some filler rod when that arrives.

 

[Barking Mat]

Got any mig wire? Twist two bits together, and you can play.

Practice, speed control and not touching down, is the first thing!

 

[jimbo84]

Thanks @barking mat I'll give the mig wire a go

 

[Paul.]

Twist them up in a cordless drill with the other end in the vice, pull very gently as you do it and it will straighten the wire for you.

 

[Barking Mat]

I am totally trolleyed and unable to respond to this....

 

[jimbo84]

The filler rods came this morning so had a go at introducing a filler rod to the weld. Very tricky, not made any easier with my very thick heavy welding gloves.

Spent equally as long regrinding the tungsten as I did welding as I kept touching the tungsten with the filler rod and getting a blobbed end on the tungsten.



Some beads on the flat.


With some of them I was getting a bigger bead on the underside of the sheet, even with the amps turned down to 20a.

Tried a butt joint. The messy hole to the right was me trying to tack it together with no filler rod. The sheet is only 1mm and the welder at 20a


Ran some beads on some thicker 3mm sheet with slightly higher amps and this seemed to hold up better.

Moved onto a fillet but really struggled, couldn't get the weld pool right into the corner, it was only after re-reading the guide on fillet joints I realised the cup size was too big and not enough stick out on the tungsten

Auto genus weld (wrong cup size and stick out).


With some filler rod (wrong cup size and stick out)


Packed away for the day but will try again with a better setup and some better settings next time.

 

[Barking Mat]

Good stuff!

The only way to learn is practice and YouTube videos!

Gloves make one hell of a difference, see if you can get some thin ones, they really help.

Position! How, where and height of sitting and welding table!

Just keep going! But sometimes it's good to stop.

I'm so not a pro, deffo amateur!

 

[mtt.tr]

You are making progress, you need more heat hot and fast the filler removes the heat.

Running beads on plate will help you hugely.


Once it clicks its pretty simple but muscle memory needs to be made first

 

[roblane65]

I'm itching to have a go a bit of tig again but right now I can't splash fifty on a torch and even worse a second
bottle of gas .

 

[Jim2007]

Hello.

looks good so far!

If you are having trouble sliding your hand along to keep in the correct position i recommend a Tig Finger. They give extra protection from heat and have a slippery surface which helps sliding your hand along work piece. A Good Product! you can check em' out at Mod edit: advertising link removed
I believe they ship to UK.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Jim

 

[Munkul]

You need thin gloves. TIG specific gloves ideally, but anything that covers your hands from the welding arc light will be good enough. You need to be able to pick a bit of filler rod off a flat surface with your gloves.

Then practice feeding filler rod through your fingers until it becomes second nature and run a load of stacked beads to get muscle memory going.

Finishing a weld with lift-TIG is always annoying unfortunately, without a button to ramp down and finish the arc, you have to either have a run-off tab (fiddly) or whip it away and put it close again for your post-gas. Neither option is ideal, but you can get away with it a lot more on mild steel, it's more of a hindrance on stainless.

 

[Jim2007]

Hello.

looks good so far!

If you are having trouble sliding your hand along to keep in the correct position i recommend a Tig Finger. They give extra protection from heat and have a slippery surface which helps sliding your hand along work piece. A Good Product! you can check em' out at Mod edit: advertising link removed
I believe they ship to UK.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Jim

BTW i am nothing to do with the people that sell from what was the link above, i just think they are good products and may help someone. but perhaps that still counts as advertising so fair enough mods!