what am i doing wrong??..plz help

[k-man_welder]

ok mates it was my very first go at TIG. was on a thin piece of mild steel..was using a 1.6mm tungsten,with 1.6 filler rod.


gas was set proper and machine was set at 50amps max for the pedal since metal was thin.


and tips on how to improve my travel speed and and angle..and any tips on how to hold the torch comfortably would be muchly appreciated.

here are sum pics of my first attempt at TIG

and this is the back of the work.

 

[pedrobedro]

Steady your torch hand on the bench and try just running a few beads without filler trying to keep the bead an even width. Are you left handed?

 

[Phataz1]

Looks pretty good to me! There's no way really of telling you how to improve torch angles and whatnot, its all just stuff you have to pick up on your own. And it will improve the more you do it!

 

[k-man_welder]

Steady your torch hand on the bench and try just running a few beads without filler trying to keep the bead an even width. Are you left handed?

i'm right handed mate.i'll keep trying my best to steady my torch hand a lil more,jus aint comfortable on how to hold the torch properly.

Looks pretty good to me! There's no way really of telling you how to improve torch angles and whatnot, its all just stuff you have to pick up on your own. And it will improve the more you do it!

thanx for your ur help mate aswell.

 

[k-man_welder]

Ok so I went at it again 2nite with tig,I got a bit more comfy on holding the torch and got the hang of the foot pedal..at my first couple of attempts I practiced going in a str8 line wit no filler rod jus to get the hang of the pedal...came out good.then tried adding a bit of filler rod but I had some issues with that. Came to realise that I had the tungsten sticking out too much and had it held too close to the pool,so wen I was adding the filler it seemed to have the tungsten tip submerged in the pool

I readjusted the length of the tungsten stick out to about 2-3mm stick out of the shield, made another attempt at adding filler and it seemed to work a bit better,kinna got the "stack of dimes" look but not really lol...I asked my teacher for tips and he told me that sometimes he rests the torch at 70degrees on the shield as he travels along. Do any of u guy do that? Cuz I find it quite hard to steady my torch hand while traveling along unless I pivot my wrist which I read in sum welding forum that u should try not to do while learning to tig...I'll post pics when I get home as I'm on my blackberry lol

Anymore advice welcomed

Cheers

 

[k-man_welder]

here are the pics of the work mates

this 1 of the times that tungsten was in the puddle

bottom left is wen i got use to the foot pedal and was able to control the amp flow

i think its all cold lap

this is wen i think i got the "stack of dimes" look

all comments welcome...plz not too harsh tho.
cheers

 

[hotrodder]

Spend a few hours reading through the TIG forum and you'll find all sorts gems covering everything you've asked about and a bunch more. For example...

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=16096, the Miller site also offers http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/improving-your-skills/
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7862
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=18038&highlight=grip

 

[k-man_welder]

thanx hotrodder and every1 else for ur advice...will put them all to use next time i have class.

cheers

 

[chap]

It's not advice, but i sometimes hold the back of the torch like a pencil, with my wrist craned round. It can be more comfortable so helps me to make a more consistant weld.

 

[gavuk]

If you post me a return airplane ticket ,i'd be willing to give up a week at work to come and help you ,maybe 2 weeks if your struggling

 

[NTwoO]

Especially when learning, it is essential that your runs are not too long. The times I saw profs welding, they always do short runs within the range that their fingers can do it. in that "Stack of dimes" your weld looks on the cold side. The filler metal looks to be sitting on top of the weld and cooled before flowing in. There are also a number of peculiar holes at the end of the run. When practicing, try welding right to left (being right handed), but also try welding towards you. Practice the straight line.

 

[k-man_welder]

If you post me a return airplane ticket ,i'd be willing to give up a week at work to come and help you ,maybe 2 weeks if your struggling

lol sorry mate..i live in london now...didnt update my location on my profile...good try tho