Learning to Tig

[Barking Mat]

Hello, I've been learning to tig weld since about a month ago and I'm halfway though my first 4m3 bottle of gas, about 10 or 12 hours I reckon of welding, and I'd like to start off by posing a couple of simple questions as I don't want to pick up bad habits at the beggining.

The tutorials on this site and other welding related websites have been invaluable and I have tried to read around the subject.

When I 'touchdown' or stick the filler rod into the tungsten, I regrind the point 'till its clean and continue, some sites have said to break off the tungsten where its black and then regrind, is this nessescary?

Secondly, I started by resting the cup on the metal starting the arc then lifting to a higher angle...... When I've started the arc do you people work freehand or are you resting the cup on the weld as you go along? I'm not referring to 'walking the cup' just standard technique.

I'm only welding mild steel and stainless using 2.4 red tungstens and stainless rod with 6lph/m? of pure argon, not welding alu yet.

I am frankly in AWE of the whole tig process, autogenous welds, beads and fillets I'm getting on well with (I think), tubing well that's going to take some working on, I need to become more consistent, speed of tavel but above all position!! It's just so positional.

Thanks in advance, Mat

 

[Premiershipman]

I wouldn't say breaking the tungsten tip is necessary - just regrind until clean.

Better to grind several tungstens, so that if you do touch down then you can just put another in straight away, and you don't have to stop to regrind the one you just contaminated.

Some people have the cup touching the workpiece all the time, whilst some leave a gap, personal preference and can be determined by your 'stickout'.

As well as the forum tutorials, I found the miller electric tig tutorials good as well - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FadO0hqTaN0
This one is for aluminium, but will still instill good technique.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I never rest the cup on the work but I do quite often set up a hand rest for critical or pretty welds, normally a block of wood or a cramp at a convenient height to rest the base of my hand on. Quite often I stretch out a finger to provide a consistent distance for the torch from the work, means that finger can get quite hot!

 

[Shox Dr]

You really can only rest the cup on the workpiece when going deep preps, or tee's oh and the inside angle of a coped pipe/tube. By doing so on other types of joint would have the angle of the tungsten too acute.

 

[Barking Mat]

Thanks folks, for regrinding the tungstens, that's what I thought, and I'd kind of suspected it was freehand like a pen or pencil, but even with the cord over my shoulder and the cord wrapped round my arm to a comfortable position I shake. When laying down anything flat, not a problem, but I'll post some photos of my attempts at tubing, some of its ok, and some is shocking, a lot of this is obviously practice, and I can 'hear running before you can walk', but its that trying to find a position on stainless tubing where you're hand won't slip off.... I'll post some photos......

 

[Barking Mat]

Photos, so the first two are s/steel 2mm tubing, about 25mm diameter, a test piece, I then took a lump hammer to it to see if the weld would break, it didnt and the pipe deformed.

3 and 4 are 6mm s/steel fillet welds, just practicing. 5 is a mild steel box with rounded corners, 6 is some early learning beads on s/steel with no cleaning before, just practice...

The wheelbarrow of a welder, tricycle project, and some leather gloves Ive not had a chance to try out yet.

What do you think folks? Thanks in advance. Mat

 

[Shox Dr]

Not bad, relax and slow down a bit

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Keep arc length consistant and the angle right. you'll get there eventually.

 

[Georgie]

nice machine dude, c quoi la marque?

 

[Barking Mat]

Thanks for your comments, all advice appreciated, I will persevere.
It's an old Miller,a Dialarc I'm pretty sure, although not called that when it was marketed in France, and it's not blue it's beigey light green. Works well though.