My TIG welds

[wizzade]

I'm not trying to show them off...Just trying to see what i need to practice on.

[man of steel]

practce closeing fillets t joints etcsomething with a gap to practice filling and closing,your not going to improve just by running them on scrap,good to test for heat imput ,penetration but thats about all good luck keep practicing

[Engloid]

I find that leaving the wire in the puddle and doing a slight weave is a lot easier to do than dabbing wire, when welding carbon steel. The "stack of dimes" look is pretty tough to get on carbon steel. It just doesn't seem clean enough to flow the way you want all the time that way. A weave pattern seems to make it easier to control the puddle.

[Clavacle]

Practice, practice and more practice. It will be easier to do butt joints and fillets rather than just beads of flat plate, but it's all about practice. Find your own way to steady your hand and hold the torch. It will eventually come to ya.

[ZTFab]

...The "stack of dimes" look is pretty tough to get on carbon steel. It just doesn't seem clean enough to flow the way you want all the time that way. A weave pattern seems to make it easier to control the puddle.

Are you talking about Hot rolled steel Engloid?

If the material is clean from the start you'll get better results.

Here is some MS that I welded for a 9" differential housing that I built.

[Irish Welder]

Wow!

ZTFab:

Wow! Those welds belong in the window at Tiffany's!

[jwsrep]

Good stuff ZT......Good stuff.

[jwsrep]

Wizzade,
I have always advised my customers that are just starting out to do lap welds with TIG. It just seems easier than rying to do a fillet because the vertical plate can get in your way. Get the rythym down on lap welds then move to fillets. Keep at it!

[Jolly Roger]

very nice work

[ZTFab]

Thanks guys.

Sorry, wizzade I didn't mean to steal your thread, I was just trying to show what can be done on Mild Steel.

I would try practicing on some lap and fillet joints as others suggested. It will help you get a better feel for everything.

Also, if you are practicing on anything with mill scale or other crap on it make sure that you clean the material of any and all contaminents before welding.

90% of a good weld is good preparation.

Hope that helps.

- Paul

[wizzade]

NP on the HiJacking... Those are some nice welds

[SignWave]

one knit pearl two....

Hi Paul,
Could you describe for us noob's the rhythm you use to get such a nice looking weld. Thanks man! and great job. thats a fairly beefy looking diff. whats it out of? or going into?

[ZTFab]

Hey SignWave-

Technique is a hard thing to describe over the internet. Each person interprets things differently and has their own style or signature to welding but I'll try my best for ya.

Basically, I establish the puddle, add some filler, drag the puddle and add more filler. Repeat as necessary.

When I teach people in my shop how to weld I first cover some basics:

1. Cleanliness. You can't have the material you are welding too clean. Remove any/all contaminents in the area to be welded, brush with a SS brush if necessary, wipe down with acetone or rubbing alcohol.

2. Fitment. This is another area where a good quality weld begins. Getting the piece(s) to fit well will give you a consistent area which will give you a consistent weld.

3. Settings. Getting the machine setup properly is a big factor. Not enough gas flow, too much amperage, wrong size tungsten, etc. Using the proper equipment and using the equipment properly will help.

Remember, 90% of a good weld is in the preparation.


Also, get consistent with adding your filler. The addition of the filler rod and the rate and quantity in which you do it will help determine the look of the weld. Get consistent with the filler and you'll get consistent looking welds.

HTH

- Paul

[SignWave]

Hey Paul,
Im all over those things like stink on a monkey! Cleanliness, Fitment and setup are very important. Kinda bugs me... you spend all your time fussing and fitting and then the weld part lasts less than a minute or so... UHG! seems to be the way though. Kinda like making dinner. An hour to cook and ten minutes to eat!