New to the forum & Tig

[KingMT]

Hi guys. I'm in the USA. I find this forum has some great useful info.

I just got my new APH 200X & turned it on yesterday. Tig is something I've wanted to learn for the last 20 years but cash & need never came into line. I am good enough to please myself with a stick or flux core welder & I've never had a compliant from a neighbor I've gotten out of a bind. I don't weld anything that is critical when there is anyone else involved.

I haven't really used anything to really prove my skills or the welder yet. I'm just playing on junk with junk until I get comfortable enough to think I can run a decent bread. I'm only trying DC until I think i have a act for it. Playing on some strange junk steel I got from China & using unwanted paper clips & clothes hangers for filter.

I'm having some trouble seeing where my electrode is. I think I'm holding it at the right distance but still doing it often into the pool. When I feel like I'm holding it farther then I've read to it actually leaves a decent bead & I don't dip it near as often. What I've been playing on is probability about 1.5 mm thick. When I run across it with no filler it cracks right in the middle of the weld seem if I use filler & run a bead beside another it cracks on the side of the base material. I assume this is because the steel is junk. I've welded this stuff with flux core before & didn't notice this so I don't know if it's me or the metal. I do see a bunch of impurities flying out of the pool tho & the button of the base is full of slag after I run a bead. When i run a bead on top of another bread things seem to go much better. Another thing I've noticed is two different electrodes seem to be a world apart in how they weld. I have a tungsten that has a gray band that came from a Chicago welder(2.4mm) & my cousin gave me a piece about 35mm long that is unknown but it seems to work much better.

I don't really have a question in there because I don't know enough ask yet but welcome any advice & wanted to say hi.

 

[KingMT]

I didn't figure they were great but wanted to get my hands moving right before I started using anything I had to put a dollar into. I already spent more then I could afford on the welder. After I get the hang of it I'll drop another $60 on filler rod.

I was actually impressed the clothes hanger/Chinese mild steel alloy seems like better steel then I started with. The puddle runs better in it after the clothes hanger is added.

I don't feel as bad throwing it in the scrap pale as my good steel ether. Actually I took it out of my scrap to play on.

 

[Brad93]

Over in the US, look at weldporn own brand filler, plain old ER70-s2 or Blue Demon Weld. Both cheap and as you would expect at the lower end of the quality spectrum which doesn't matter if you're just learning on scrap

 

[Brad93]

Pictires are worth a thousand words, get some proper filler you only need a few lbs of 1/16" to get you started, then practice on some good clean steel sheet. 3mm thick is ideal to start with. Then stick some images up.

1lb of filler is only $10
https://www.weldporn.com/product/er70s-2/

 

[KingMT]

I have half dozen sticks of ER70S3, 8 sticks maybe of 4043, & 4 sticks of 609 the guy at the welding shop gave me as tasters when I bought my bottle. I'll probably buy in minimum of 10 lb containers considering the price difference in 1 lb containers but need to give myself a few weeks to heal from the purchase of the welder & gas bottle. I hope I didn't make a mistake buying the 175 cf tank instead of the 300 cf tank. There wasn't a big difference in the price of the gas when refilling & I thought a 300cf tank would be hard to move when refilling & if I want to move my welder.

I'm just being a little greedy with that tiny bit of filler until I can at least quit dipping my electrode. I never did think that would be the hardest thing for me. I have a couple of cast iron projects, a aluminum project, & a mild steel one that I'm itching to get to depending on how long it takes me to get the feel of it. I stay pretty busy tho so time for practice is limited.

 

[Richard.]

Your off to a bad start. You can't "practice" any form of welding by cutting major corners like that on the filler material and ask why things ain't working out. Tig filler has de oxidising agents in it and coat hangers don't!
I wouldn't practice mma with a 4 inch nail in my stinger. This is pretty much the same thing.
Get some proper consumables and see how your results come on then.

 

[KingMT]

Your off to a bad start. You can't "practice" any form of welding by cutting major corners like that on the filler material and ask why things ain't working out. Tig filler has de oxidising agents in it and coat hangers don't!
I wouldn't practice mma with a 4 inch nail in my stinger. This is pretty much the same thing.
Get some proper consumables and see how your results come on then.

Filler will improve my ability to see my electrode or keep me from dipping it?

 

[KemppiFrog]

Filler will improve my ability to see my electrode or keep me from dipping it?

It might take some of the uncertainty out of the mix. BTW, how is your eyesight? If you are on the edge of needing reading glasses, there are 'cheater' lenses to fit to your mask in assorted diopters. Take it from me, they work. Otherwise, is it the correct shade?

And welcome.

 

[Richard.]

Yes of course it will
Dipping lumps of metal in your pool will contaminate the pool and effect your arc stability. It will also cause impurities to get onto your tungsten effecting your arc stability. An unstable arc which you no doubt have effects lots of things including the ability to see what's going on. Using proper filler will increase your chances of sucsess by miles over lumps of whatever is to hand. As Brad says it's cheap enough (probably cheaper than 2.5kg of coat hangers).

 

[KingMT]

KemppiFrog
I ware corrective lenses which probably need updated & I bought a 2x cheater for my sheild. I have my shield turned down to a 9.

Richard.
I'll switch to filler rod then.

Brad93
Here is a picture of one ran with clothes hanger.

 

[Richard.]

If you were local I'd give you a hand full of plate off cuts and a15 filler so you could see how different it would be .
The mess in pic is 90% down to choice of materials.
Tig is hard to master from the beginning so do every thing you can to increase your chances of nailing it.
When I look past that contaminated wide spread weld from paperclips and rebar I can see you did get a rythem going so it's there mate. Just don't let short cuts spoil it.

 

[KingMT]

Thanks. Cutting the burrs off my new cuts as I type. I'll see what I can do different with them & ER70S3.

 

[Brad93]

Have you come across Jody's videos at welding tips and tricks?

 

[KingMT]

Brad93
Yes I have. I enjoy his videos along with ChuckE2009 & Tig Time.

 

[Brad93]

TIG time is a load of rubbish avoid that guy.

 

[KingMT]

So his suggestions on machine settings & such isn't good knowledge? Or what is it bad about his shows that isn't good?

I have to run a new circuit to my welder before anymore welding. I have moved it under cover & the 125v on the the 15A circuit isn't going to cut it. I'm going to try to get around to pulling that circuit for 220 tomorrow.

 

[Richard.]

He's just a tit.
Any one who chooses to address themselves as a "I'm mr Tig" has lost my interest straight away but then you watch the Pratt talk a load of dribble while laying a 3 inch run down a plate, I won't watch em .
chuckies vids are more for a laugh and he becomes a touch annoying after 3 minutes.
Jody is very good. I like the fact he throws vids together based on his actual jobs at the time. There is a good 3 part one on an Alu manifold he builds.
Mr tig just puts 3 inch runs down plates.

 

[Brad93]

Totally agree with Richard r.e. tig time.

Get yourself some proper rods and good clean steel sheet. Anything else and you're just wasting gas, time and making it frustrating for yourself which is the main reason people give up with TIG.

 

[KingMT]

There used to be a car commercial when I was a kid that was with crash test dummies that always ended with "You can learn a lot from a dummy." That's how I feel about YouTube. Even if someone has no idea what they are doing you can still usually learn something from them.

I have a few charts for machine settings that came from weld.com.

I've been watching & reading everything I can find. Even a few real morons. If nothing else maybe I'll learn the right questions to ask.

 

[KingMT]

Got my wires pulled. Now to get time to run the torch.