Hi there I am new to tig welding and wondered what tungsten would be best for me to start with and is the filler wire the same as mig stainless for stainless and normal for steel sorry if this sounds thick but thanks for your help
Use the Miller Calculator for the type of metal and thickness you are using. That will recommend the size and type of tungsten to use.
The filler wire is similar but usually thicker. I have used 3 strands of MIG wire twisted together as filler wire on steel. Worked ok until I got some 1/16" rods.
The filler wire is similar but usually thicker. I have used 3 strands of MIG wire twisted together as filler wire on steel. Worked ok until I got some 1/16" rods.
Mild steel tig wire is Triple De-Oxidised.....and its also a little more labour intensive to put it into straight sticks rather than on a roll, so its a bit more expensive.
I would say, get a 2.4mm Dia Tungsten, this should allow you to weld fairly thin and fairly thick material.......if your job means your always going to be welding at low amps, then a 1.6mm Tungsten would be best but if for general all round stuff, 2.4mm is fine.
If you got some 1.6mm tig wire, it would be easier to feed than rolling mig wire together, but if you already have the mig wire and are on a tight budget, using the mig wire would be ok also.
If you are welding 16swg (1.6mm) and below 1.2mm TIG filler is a good choice. You get a lot of it in 5kg's as well. So much easier than feeding curly MIG wire which always spins round at the wrong time! W/A