Hi, and Best way to get to grips with TiG

[Petherwin Boy]

Hi Guys, just joined in the hopes of getting to grips with my Tig kit. Quick background; I did a C&G in Gas welding a very long time ago! I used to have a small garage business and did a fair bit of chassis and bodywork welding, quite successfully (I really enjoyed gas welding). Gave up the business to qualify as an engineer and ended up behind a desk! Fast forward to a few years ago and I found myself with a small fabrication business, a delinquent welder who I sacked and the need to get down and dirty again. Bought a Thermal Arc Mig outfit and after a while mastered it sufficiently well for the work but I never 'clicked' with it like I did with gas. I retired and sold the Thermal Arc kit which funded a second hand Kemmpi Master Tig set (150A). I figured it would be a breeze after gas welding..... but I have to say that so far I've struggled.

Advice please!

 

[Screwdriver]

Go to YouTube, search for Jody - weldingtipsandtricks.

Come back when you've watched them all...

 

[Petherwin Boy]

Will do! Thanks

 

[Screwdriver]

I think you are starting from a good place with your experience of oxy/acetylene, you're just using a very high temperature plasma to do the same thing. But things like torch angle and keeping a tight arc are the key issues most newbies struggle with (like me!).

Then it's a case of practice (nick some of the projects off those videos) and when you run into practical problems, you'll be better placed to ask the exact question you need an answer to. You will find there are some unbelievably skilled professional welders on here, so targeted questions will get targeted answers.

I'm not one of them, I'm in pretty much the same place as you, skilled amateur

 

[Petherwin Boy]

One piece of advice I had from an experience Tig man was that without a foot pedal I'll never win! I'm going to get one.

 

[Instructor_Nige]

Hi, There are similarities between gas and tig, some argue more than others.. Me personally I think TIG is just to different for you past experience to help you much.. That said once you get the hang of TIG you will love it.. seriously you will..

You could either enrol in a beginners TIG course, this will teach you the basics and give you some 1 to 1 tuition but it will cost you, Not thousands but maybe a couple of hundred.. Obviously as a welding instructor myself I would recommend this approach Alternatively there are some great instructional videos on You Tube so you can self teach, you can then show results on this wonderful forum for follow up advice. not quite 1 to 1 but a good and free alternative. search for "weldingtipsandtricks" on youtube and the host Jodi has loads of great videos for beginners right up to advanced.

Nige

 

[Paul.]

The forum tutorial would be as good a place as any to start, click the green button marked TIG at the top of the page or click here, http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/tig-tutorial.htm
And as for pedals I've been TIG welding as well as all the other processes for over 40 years and can't even remember the last time I used a pedal.

 

[Petherwin Boy]

Thanks, that'll save me a few quid! I guess that starting from scratch using the button on the torch, that is what I'll learn to use.

 

[backpurge]

Welcome aboard PB, agree with the points above, especially the comments re similarities between gas and TIG welding and the necessity to have a foot pedal, been in the game 40+ years and have only used one a handful of times

 

[Instructor_Nige]

This might help but if you're more advanced than this please don't be offended.

When I train someone completely new to TIG I give them some scrap steel (cold rolled or bright call it as you wish, or some cheap hot rolled that has be cleaned up) then I get them to just get used to the gun and moving it while maintaining a tight arc by drawing shapes on the scrap metal.. low amps just enough to form a slight pool. when they have done this I ask them to write their own name, if they can do this without contaminating the tugsten tip (the tip is still sharp when they finish) and you can read their name, I let them progress to the next stage..

Next stage is doing similar but now introducing filler wire, when they can do a full run with filler wire, again without contaminating the electrode, then they progress to actual joints, starting with a simple butt joint.

Nige

 

[Petherwin Boy]

I feel some heavy Christmas cards coming on!

 

[Instructor_Nige]

Re foot pedal, not needed for steel or stainless really.. especially as you need to concentrate on what first your torch hand is doing, then what both hands are doing as you start to introduce filler wire, adding a foot pedal is just making life much harder for yourself as you now also have to think about your foot as well, left foot if your like me..
Like Backpurge I don't use one except when welding Ali on AC where a timed up-slope and down-slope don't give the same control as a pedal.. on materials with higher melting points like steel your up-slope and down-slope settings are more than adequate.

Make life easier as you learn, forget the pedal for now.. get the basics right..

Nige

 

[Richard.]

Can’t really add much more than what’s said above.
Read tutorials, pick up torch and play. If results don’t progress after a good bit of practice then look at sorting out some tuition. I do it for members 1-1 sessions on a regular basis (one coming this weekend) but your miles from me so local would be more logical.

 

[Scott_welderbeast]

When I was first taught how to TIG I had a piece of 150 x 150 plate and just filled her up side to side then turned it 90 then the same again. It helped me with my filler control and consistency more than anything but it was a good starting point. Personally I prefer a foot pedal set the power to full amps and control it all with my pedal, keeping my torch hand free to manipulate the torch angle however I need it to be without thinking about having to press a trigger, and I get a better slope in/out. Also practice feeding wire when youre sat about just to get used to feeding and watch the videos on line but youll find our own groove anyway with hands on experience if you've no one local to give you pointers.

 

[FergalFarty]

I'm a TIG newbie as well and agree with most of that above. I'd add that you probably don't need a pedal for steel (although one is pretty essential for aluminium on AC), but a foot switch is handy to replace the torch switch as sometimes it's tricky to manipulate the torch whilst keeping the button pressed. I know most machines have 4T mode where you just toggle the arc on and off with the switch, but I could never get on with that.

If your machine came with a bulky WP26 torch and hose, try changing it for a smaller WP17 or WP9 torch and flexible hose. With the smaller torches it's much easier to get the fine control required as long as you are only welding up to 120A or so.

Other things I've learnt about TIG welding:

• Metal must be clean and shiny on both sides for best results
• Don't try and weld anything galvanised or zinc plated (eg nuts & bolts) without getting the coating off first
• Keep a grinder for sharpening tungstens nearby
• Get comfortable
• TIG welding is fun!

 

[addjunkie]

The other thing often overlooked.....if you cant clearly see what happening at the tip of the tunsten when you dab the rod in the pool your results might not be as good as youd hope.

I was close to dispair.....thought the machine was faulty all sorts. Then a friend came round proved it was me, not the machine, lent me his pound shop reading glasses, it was like being awakend in a new world

 

[Petherwin Boy]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I've watched a few of the YouTube vids by Jody; excellent. I realise that part of my problems have been not keeping a tight arc. I need to sit and practice for a decent length of time rather than the odd few minutes. I've tended to need to weld something for real and inevitably the results have been disappointing. I had pretty much decided to sell the Kemppi and buy another Tig so I could actually get on with jobs, but after hearing from you guys and watching some vids I'm prepared to persevere!

 

[Richard.]

It’s a two handed art form. It requires coordination. It requires you to keep the tip of the tungsten 1-2mm away from the pool and no further or closer. It requires you to keep your filler just under the cup in the gas shield at all times but far enough away from the arc. You then carefully dab filler consistently into the pool while traveling at a consistent speed. There is a lot to manage and it doesn’t happen overnight. Keep going it will click.

 

[Turbo]

Like you I came from a gas welding background but I picked up TIG fairly easily. I was spoiled by using a good Murex set with foot pedal control. I bought a TIG welder last year & I struggled to use it after not having used a TIG for 10 years. This welder had a torch switch which I struggled with but I made my own on/off foot switch which helped me immensely.

If you can try to use the torch switch, it will make you a more versatile welder in the long run - it's very hard to operate a foot switch when you're lying under something doing a positional weld!