newbie tig welder

[turbotigdan]

hi chaps have bought myself a murex tradestig ac/dc 161i. I am familiar with MIG welding and have been meaning to learn how to tig for a while and came across this site which i have found very useful.

once i have got the hang of this im going to fab up an exhaust system, i believe the piping i will use is 1.5mm wall stainless steel. Could someone recommend the settings to get me started on this? for butt welding the piping together to start.

cheers! - dan

 

[Paul.]

Welcome to the forum Dan,
Have you had a read through the tutorial, and the TIG welding FAQ ?. click the links at near the top left of the page next to Resources: there should be enough in there to get you started, but by all means ask away if you don't understand anything or your questions aren't covered.

 

[turbotigdan]

hi paul thanks mate, yep ive had a good read through, watched the vids etc so will see how i get on, just need to get a new gas bottle and i can get my hands dirty! did give it a go before i came across this site and was going wrong in so many ways lol so i stand a much better chance now ive gone through the tutorials. will update with pics once ive given it a go.

cheers - dan

 

[FranV8]

Hello Dan,

I've just started TIG welding - and one of my next projects is a stainless exhaust too.

Another good resource is Millerwelds.com - they make a lot of training material available online and also have a welding calculator on there too. Settings will vary depending on the type of joint you're doing (if the turbes are sleeved it'll be lap joints if they're butted together it's a butt joint and you could be doing a fillet if you're joining the tube through a silencer box end plate - all these need different current settings. Anything you get will be a starting point - you normally find yourself trialling bits first to tune the settings. You'll get a feel for it.

I started on mild steel (3mm), I've done some aluminium and got okay-ish results, but i'm told by a real welder at work that stainless is no bother by comparison. Don't forget back purging is highly recommended with stainless.

Best of luck with your progress. Where are you getting material?

 

[turbotigdan]

hi guys

thanks for the info

i managed to do a couple of practice lines on a piece of 1.5mm thick steel. havent been able to get a refill on the gas bottle yet so was using one of them small throw away bottles.

quick question though, we had a large 9L argon bottle when first got this welder and only used it a few times and the gas had run out.. i had the same thing with the little bottle also, only managed these 2 welds and gas has run out already???

top weld is the 1st. didnt use much rod on that one. tried abit more on the 2nd weld (below)

feedback please! and also any input on where the gas is going? thanks - dan

 

[Omniata]

Those disposables will barely fill the lines...

You'll have to check all the connections for the gas for leaks when you get a full bottle, you'll only need about 4 litres/min flow as well...

Was the large bottle full ?

 

[turbotigdan]

should have been full yeah

 

[Omniata]

When you get the bottle refilled and attach the regulator check all the fittings on the pipes in case there's a leak anywhere...

Also check what's displayed on the regulators dials/gauges...

If the regulators not new get a new one, you shouldn't really but use some soapy water to check for leaks...

 

[Angusdog]

Plus turn the gas off at the bottle when not in use. The welder's gas solenoid valve isn't completely gas tight so it'll eventually all leak out.

 

[inchpincher]

I've got the same tig welder mate and I'm very happy with it. If you do a bit of googling you'll find a copy of the original users manual to download (if you can't find it just shout and I'll see if I can find it).

I've only welded a few bits of stainless but one job was a repair to my motorbike exhaust (bandit slip joint that was mild steel attached to stainless which had disintegrated) and I found it a pleasure to weld, flowed lovely and was very controllable with the foot pedal.

It's a very gas intensive weld process though so I'd consider getting the largest argon bottle, W i think, and then it's one less thing to worry about.

 

[turbotigdan]

cheers guys

yeah the small bottle was just one that i had lying around and fancyied a go at welding with some proper settings etc. i was quite please with the welds considering they are my very first with the tig.

im still to get the large bottle re-filled. then il get a nice bit of practice in hopefully.