Tig parameters to get me started?

[phil81uk]

I've spent the day reading about Tig welding, I've got a Lincoln Intertec V205-T AC/DC (recently bought second hand), I've never Tig welded or had any Tig training, but I have Mig experience. I have my first project that the Mig can't handle, so I thought I'd try the Tig.

Can people suggest some starting parameters for me to use?

I have some short 1cm cuts in 0.8mm car body that need to be welded shut. The trouble is that the cuts are 1mm wide and need to be bridged. The Mig welder will only bridge these if I put an extra sheet behind them - otherwise it just vapourises the metal. Will the Tig be able to bridge a 1mm gap in 0.8mm steel?

How should I set parameters to get me started? My welder can set:

Start current
Upslope
Weld current
Downslope
Finish current
Postflow
Pulse frequency
% on time
Background current
VRD
Lift/HF start
Strike current
Start polarity

I theoretically know what all these do, but in practice all these parameters are getting me totally lost :/ If I can get some suggestions on where to start?!

I've got 1.0mm filler rod. I couldn't find where to get anything thinner. Would 0.6mm Mig wire work with Tig?

 

[Shox Dr]

.001" thicknees of metal per amp is a good starting point.

Aslo here are a few good parameter calcs

www.pro-fusiononline.com/welding/pulseparams.asp

www.esabna.com/EUWeb/TIG_guide/A_2_03.html



have fun



sorry I've not got time to go through the rest at the mo

 

[Windy Miller]

Whereabouts in the UK are you based Phil?

It may be easier to get someone to pop round and do it for you - if this is your first time with Tig you will likely have problems.

What MIG are you using? What is the lowest current setting? It should be easy enough to stitch across a 1mm gap if you turn the juice down low enough.

 

[hotrodder]

I have some short 1cm cuts in 0.8mm car body that need to be welded shut. The trouble is that the cuts are 1mm wide and need to be bridged. The Mig welder will only bridge these if I put an extra sheet behind them - otherwise it just vapourises the metal. Will the Tig be able to bridge a 1mm gap in 0.8mm steel?

If you've never used a TIG before then you'll almost certainly find it worse than the MIG, the control needed for this sort of weld isn't something that's typically picked up quickly. You can use MIG wire with TIG but the 1mm wire you have would be the way forward

As said, post up some more details of the job and your MIG.

 

[gavuk]

Id rather mig a 1mm gap than tig it ,25-35 amps would be where i would start ,but if you have never tigged before ,set up some practise welds first ,is this vertical as well?

 

[phil81uk]

I'm in North London (Crouch End to be exact).

I've tried with the Mig welder, and even with a copper heat sink and using a tack-tack method it blows through. It's a Sip 195, which goes down to 25A. I can't think of what I'm doing wrong that the Mig won't bridge the gap. It works ok if there is no gap.

I will get some pics of the job.

 

[gavuk]

Does sound odd Phil ,i weld with co2,0.8mm and i can tack on tack no probs ,is it every tack blowing through ?...or just when you try and do a number of tacks?..

 

[phil81uk]

Pretty much every tack blows through, but like I said, only when there is a gap to bridge.

I have been suspecting that something may be up with either my technique or the kit, as my welds on the Mig don't work out like others describe theirs to me. Maybe I need to find someone local who can do a bit of welding with me and check what I'm doing.

 

[gavuk]

Getting someone to watch would be ideal,could be something stupid like you are too far away with the shroud etc ,also pics of the welder may help ...is it buttons or dial to change voltage?...post up some pics of your welds ,do some practise peices etc ...i would practise on 1.6-2mm before try 0.8mm ....should still be quicker to sort your mig than to learn tig ,although some people find tig easier the majority don't and its not normally used for positional work on cars...

 

[phil81uk]

Thanks for the advice to use my Mig, but I did buy the Tig with the intention of learning it. I do actually suspect a fault with the Mig welder because I've watched so many Youtube videos and tried so many variables yet it still keeps breaking the arc. Also, it looks like something inside the welder blew once and was repaired (lots of black soot everywhere).

I'm going to do some practice welds on 0.8 tomorrow with the Tig. I might also look for a local welder whos willing to give a few lessons.

 

[phil81uk]

Oh, I used the Tig without switching on the gas (ooops), and the tip blunted and turned blue. I reground it - is that enough or do I need a new tungsten?

 

[shenion]

You can regrind it if it is not that bad. If real bad, snap off the bad part and regrind.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Check out the Lincoln USA website, I'm sure they had a page on setting, amps,balance frequency etc.

 

[Paul G]

I've spent the day reading about Tig welding, I've got a Lincoln Intertec V205-T AC/DC (recently bought second hand), I've never Tig welded or had any Tig training, but I have Mig experience. I have my first project that the Mig can't handle, so I thought I'd try the Tig.

Can people suggest some starting parameters for me to use?

I have some short 1cm cuts in 0.8mm car body that need to be welded shut. The trouble is that the cuts are 1mm wide and need to be bridged. The Mig welder will only bridge these if I put an extra sheet behind them - otherwise it just vapourises the metal. Will the Tig be able to bridge a 1mm gap in 0.8mm steel?

How should I set parameters to get me started? My welder can set:

---------------------------------------------------------
Suggestions for tacking .8 m/s with a 1mm gap.


Start current ..........10amps
Upslope .................4 to 5 seconds
Weld current ..........30amps
Downslope .............0.1 second
Finish current .........10amps
Postflow ................6 seconds
Pulse frequency ............. off
% on time ..................... n/a
Background current ......... n/a
VRD ............................. err, don't know what this is
Lift/HF start .................. HF
Strike current ............err, this might be a hot start feature, maybe for arc.
Start polarity ............ DC, electrode neg

I theoretically know what all these do, but in practice all these parameters are getting me totally lost :/ If I can get some suggestions on where to start?!

I've got 1.0mm filler rod. I couldn't find where to get anything thinner. Would 0.6mm Mig wire work with Tig?

1mm, or even 1.6



Hi Phil,

I'm probably a bit far away (north Essex) to be of much help but you could try the above settings.

Rest the ceramic edge on the joint and rest the end of the filler rod just in front of the tungsten with it touching both material edges.

With the above settings press the start switch.
As the amps rise (slope in) you will reach a point when the end of the rod melts and bridges the gap. Stop. Move on to the next tack and repeat.

Hope this helps.
Paul G

 

[phil81uk]

Hey, after a couple of hours I was successfully bridging the gaps in some test metal using the Tig. I was so chuffed with myself! Ok, so it was on a workbench with good lighting and not upside down in a 4x4 wheel arch like the real ones will be, but with more practice.....

And then, alas, the torch blew.

The head was rotating and I thought that this was normal (yes, I'm a novice) and meant to give some flexibiliy. In fact it was undoing inside, and the torch welded itself inside. It was an original Lincoln torch as well, ahhh!!!