tig welding??

[johnakay]

I've never tig weld before so how easy is it to do.
I watch a lad I was working with using a Tig on stainless steel plate/sheet.
it looks easy enough and slow to but actually do it is a different matter.
I can stick weld/mig.
is there any thing I should know?
the boss of a small firm is keen to take me on but to busy at the moment to train etc.

 

[stef1]

I know it's each to their own but I managed to pick up the basic principles within a couple of hours and could lay down about 8-10 inches without stopping and without touching the tungsten in the weld pool.
I started off on 3mm mild steel laying beads and then external corners

 

[chriso]

I've just started too - I do a lot of precision soldering so I'm used to using both hands, finding a comfortable working position and having good view of what I'm doing.

I have a tiny badly lit workshop so I made up a small welding table on a leg that's clamped in a vice so I can weld standing up but have somewhere to rest my arms, I bought a tig finger so I can run my hand along the hot work and a couple of high power LED lamps so I can see what I'm doing.

Starting off the worst thing I found was dipping the tungsten - the temptation is to increase arc length which just increases heat - you need to concentrate just as much on arc length as straight travel.

Watching other welders you see all sorts of techniques - Mr Tig holds his torch way back whereas others hold the gas cup itself.

I barely know what I'm doing but I've got one of my blokes welding and brazing quite reasonably - I have to keep a stack of sharpened tungstens for him though.

TIG is particular about cleanliness so I've got scotchbrite pads, acetone, stainless brushes and diamond wheels for tungsten sharpening.

I like TIG as most of the work we do is repair of very small parts and the slowness of TIG makes this much easier.

 

[Wallace]

I have been using Arc, Gas and Mig in maintenance roles for over 30 years and found Tig quite a learning curve but very satisfying. As a comparison against the other processes for the skills required I would describe Tig as electric Arc oxy-acetylene gas welding, ie controlled arc length with filler wire dipping. With the help of the good people on this forum I am now reasonably competent and as the number of Tig hours under my belt increases the more confident and comfortable I feel with each job.

 

[johnakay]

thanks for the replies.

 

[langy]

I wouldn't say it was easy as I know people that have been tigging for years and still can't master it but if you have gas welding experience I would think within an hour you should be well on the way to doing some decent welds.
A mate of mine taught me and I had gas welding experience and after 1/2 hour I had picked it up.

 

[Shox Dr]

Much the same as the others, been ing Gas since I was a Teenager. The hardest bit I found to stop was pulling away from the pool when it was getting too hot,as you would do when using gas.

Also the requirement to keep the torch at very close distances and torch angle correct.

I find if I teach anyone, I start them off on a flat clean piece, and just concentrating on distance and angle. Once you can write your name keeping the pool a constant width, then move on to adding filler. Oh and while you are doing step one, while sat watching TV, practice feeding the rod.It makes it allso much easrier when you come to your first weld.

 

[justmental]

gas welding does make it easier to master i used to work in a exhaust centre and learned to gas weld there.
the guy that got me on to tig said if you can gas weld you will pick up tig easy
and now i have me own tig i would rather tig every thing than miging it now.

 

[Cockney welder]

Starting to tig weld

Always make sure your material is clean with a grinder for mild, rag and stainless steel wire brush for stainless 2.4 tungsten 2% thoriated size 8 ceramic 1 mm sheet about 50-65 amps 6 mm you can use 90 plus amps have your tungsten about 6-9 mm unless in a tight spot use a gas lens nozzle, keep your filler wire in the gas shield of your arc gas to prevent the end of the fill wire being burnt, get comfy relax take your time it's a slow process. Practice it will come it does take time but that's tig welding for ya

 

[dannyp]

i managed to pick a tig up and weld of sorts swith it first go,

but it dose depend what you call welding. on my first go i stuck to bits of metal together and they didn't fall apart when batterd with a hammer.

probaly used 1 1/2 50 ltr bottels of gas sinnce then and made a few things

i've noticed that

1) i don't have to sharpen the tungsten no where near as often
2) much more even penitration
3) diffrent ways of holding torch filler for diffrent joint in diffrent positions ect
4) my weld are still fugly
5) realiseig i've got more to learn than i thought for origanly

 

[langy]

i managed to pick a tig up and weld of sorts swith it first go,

but it dose depend what you call welding. on my first go i stuck to bits of metal together and they didn't fall apart when batterd with a hammer.

probaly used 1 1/2 50 ltr bottels of gas sinnce then and made a few things

i've noticed that

1) i don't have to sharpen the tungsten no where near as often
2) much more even penitration
3) diffrent ways of holding torch filler for diffrent joint in diffrent positions ect
4) my weld are still fugly
5) realiseig i've got more to learn than i thought for origanly

It certainly didn't help ya spelling