tig welding

[JJE]

I get a tig about seven or eight months ago. But the thing is that I do not know a thing about tig welding. And would like to get more info. on it and get started weld.

[SundownIII]

Read your owner's manual first.

Download a copy of Miller's Handbook for GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding). Copy is available for download on the Miller main page.

Get some coupons together.

Start welding.

In lieu of the above, sigh up for a welding class at the local community college.

Lot of good info available on this site, but you have to make a little effort on your part. Not the place to start at square one. If you come across specific questions, ask away.

[HMW]

Seems if you have done much gas welding it will help the learning curve because the basics are the same...Watch the puddle, just a different manner of applying heat.

[JJE]

replys of tig welding

Yes, I can weld what ever I want to with stick and can weld good with mig. i just do not have the know or anyone to help with tig. So I am going to play around with it I guess the worse thing that can go wrong is that I will have to sharpen the tungus a lot. But what is that going to hurt. On the face it has AC/dc. For alu. what do I use ac or dc. I have welded some on mild steel and it looks ok. But now the wife have a Alu. project and you know the rest. Yes that makes me the right one for the job. So I have telled her that it would not be pretty but I would build it.

[Heavy D]

hopes this helps

to weld alunimum you need argon 100 percent ac setting and high frequency its not the easyest thing to weld but hang in their and you well get it

[JJE]

I think you for your time and info. But on my welder it dos not have HF but I was tell that it will work still. Is that right or what.

[HMW]

What machine do you have?? I like you, have yrs of stick and mig. Only about 3 yrs ago did I teach myself to TIG. Read alot [didn't know this site was here then] trial and error. I still can't make as nice a bead as some of these guys everytime, but I can weld 2 pieces of aluminum together and it holds and looks fine.[i'm still working on the "dime" look] So, just be patient with the learning, its all practice after you know the process. I'm still practicing

[JJE]

Scott,

I have and econotig.

[safetydave]

just tigging

Hello I just thought I would add my opion to this if I may, I do alot of tig weld along with mig & stick 20yr's worth and I didn't go to any school or classes I just asked a guy that I worked with at the time to show me how to weld as a fill in if some one got sick or what eer it may be and the rest is history, Yes it took longer to get ere I'm at but along the way I have done more then guys who have went through all the high tec trainging to weld and can weld better then most, not to say that they are bad welders but it's a matter of wanting to be the best you are at what you do. So whit that I would suggest getting some welding books as much info as you can here are some that I have (Welders hand book,Richard Finch) (Welding Aluminum,American welding society),(Alimunum weldor's training manul & exercises,The Aluminum Association) & (Welders guide,James E. Brumbaugh) just to name a few and also if you check out your local library or any weld shops & supplie store they might have some old mags for you to look at or will give you to help out.
So I hope this will help you get started on to better tig welding.

[JJE]

Books

I think you for the info. But for me I understand more be hands on and not by reading.

[Dustyhaze75]

tig welding

I have been welding for years but am new to tig as well. I bought a 250dx and haven't looked back since. I'm in love with it. It's amazing. chrome-moly and steel are welded using dc strait polarity (electrode negetive) and aluminum is welded using AC (AC has no polarity, AC current constantly changes). To weld aluminum you must have a machine with AC current plus high frequencey or a machine with square-wave AC capabilities. Use pure tungsten for aluminum. When welding aluminum use a gas lens for prettier welds. A gas lens improves shielding gas coverage, reduces turbulance and allows for greater tungsten stick-out. Consentrate on coordinating only the torch and the pedal. you can add the filler later when you get better. When your ready for the filler count to your self in your head and add filler on even intervals. you should get a copy of the welding calculator on this site. No matter how you look at it your going to have to read. there's just way too much important information for you to ignore. I find the more I read and learn, the more money I seem to spend......lol. check out u tube and look up tig welding. you'll see guys that don't have or just don't use the pulse feature, pumping thier pedals, while welding aluminum. like a 2 second heat, 1 second cool type rythem. adding heat, then removing heat without the arc dieing. and remember Aluminum doesn't change color as it heats to it's melting point. It get's duller, then it starts to get shiny, then very quickly a molten puddle forms. Don't ball the end of your tungsten. Sharpen it like a crayon. and weld with AC. It'll ball up within a few min. of welding anyway. when using filler only pull the rod back about 1/2 " and remember not to touch the tungsten to the filler rod or the puddle. tig arc is about 6000 degrees F and aluminum melts at about 1150 degrees F so when the hotter tungsten touches the cooler puddle, the cooler metal wants to flow to the hotter metal by capillary action. wick's it up. hope this has helped............
happy reading .............lol.

Dustyhaze75

[safetydave]

Tig Welding

Hello JJE, Thought I would send you some more info about tig welding and what works for me and see if any of it you can use for your welding procedure's. I have a syncorwave 250 my settings range from 75-125amp for 1/4" weld's, 125-175amp for 1/4-1/2" weld's on my machine it also has a balance for max cleaning & penatration thats set at 3 then my arc control is at 20, post flow at 10, high frec 50-60, and ac balance set at 3-6 with 100% argon and gas flow at 25-35psi and I also use an on-off button right at the torch head instead of a foot pedal or roller switch,and I can really put down some nice beads, yes this set-up does have some disadvantageous(sp?) like when you start and stop (heat control) when you push the button it's go time for welding so you better be ready to weld or your going to blow a huge hole in your project, but if you get a good handle on your machine and what works best for you and you don't have someone else that use's your mach you can mark the settings with a perminant marker or some thing so when you do have to change the settings you can go right back to the same and not have the guess work. so when I start a weld I watch the metal turn to a puddle & try to get the two parts to be one with a small button weld then I my filler rod into the grove of the weld and (kind-of-a left-right) hand count,filler-heat-filler-heat do you see what i'm getting at and try not to rush it, if you see your puddle getting bigger then back off on the heat and move a little faster till you get control. Also try not to burn through the other side of your work as well,try this and see how it goes for you.