Learning to TIG

LOL .. I didn't want to discourage you with hard stuff first :) Looks ok for just starting .. a bit hot though. Just make sure you have all your skin covered .. TIG seems to work really great as a sunlamp .. a friend told me that :)

Play with the angle of grind and the stickout of the tungsten to get a feel for what ya like best. Didja try the gas lense yet?

Glenn

Trying this again. My computer BSODed on me during the last memo to you. (Grrrrrr!)

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 13:26:06 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "Glenn" quickly quoth:

I went from 20-50%, changing the level for each side, then settled on about 25% for this thickness. I do need some more practice, as is quite self-evident.

Yeah, I'll have to start wearing some of my thin gardening gloves unless I break down and get the special HF tiggin' gloves.

Right. The thoriated rod helped, but I'm still contaminating the rod too frequently. I may try a strip of copper for the scratchstarting. Some of those flareups are pretty wild! What's the gold banded rod you gave to me, Glenn? HF uses orange for ceriated tungstens but this looks more like a gold. As many contaminations as I'm getting, I'll have to pick up a package of tungstens quite soon.

No, I figured I'd get some practice in first, change things once I have a better feel for it.

What's the secret of getting the arc to puddle into the corner of a perpendicular weld like that? I seem to have lost that skill both on stick and now on TIG. (It's a piece of cake with a flame. ;)

---------------------------------------------- Never attempt to traverse a chasm in two leaps

No gloves :) Let us know how yer hands feel in the morning ;)

The gold band is Lanthinated IIRC. If you are getting a flareup you are lifting the torch too much.

The grind on the tungsten has a lot to do with the shape of the flame. More stickout will let you get the arc shorter like it is supposed to be. Remember to watch the puddle and not the arc. Sometimes I have to stick the filler in a bit early to start things rolling along. Keep the arc short. (did I say that enough?) LOL

Glenn

Do some practice WITHOUT the filler rod. You can get a better feel for how it first starts to get hot, then melts. And wire brush the snot out of the weld area. Clean metal.

There is two techniques to tigging Ive seen..one is to use moderate heat and let it warm up and melt..the other is to use higher power..and go in fast, melt/puddle and scoot along. I started out with the first..and now go with the second most of the time, as Ive gotten better with arc control and not sticking the electrode quite as often

Cheap leather (not plastic) driving gloves work great. But wear long sleeves. Always. and if your mask doesnt cover your throat..button up the shirt.

Gold is lanthanated. Good stuff. Universal for all metals. I use 1.5% which is gray. 2% is gold IRRC

Heat the biggest portion ..the tube in this case..and let it melt the plate. When welding on something that has a meltable edge..I always start the puddle about .5 or so from the edge and work my way out, lettng off the pedal as I get close to the edge cause the edge is far easier to melt. IRRC..you dont have that option..

The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong.

In the past few decades, a peculiar and distinctive psychology has emerged in England. Gone are the civility, sturdy independence, and admirable stoicism that carried the English through the war years . It has been replaced by a constant whine of excuses, complaints, and special pleading. The collapse of the British character has been as swift and complete as the collapse of British power.

Theodore Dalrymple,

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:49:39 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "Glenn" quickly quoth:

Just fine. Remember that these hands lived in sunny, clothing-optional LoCal for over 35 years...

I was trying to stop the arc at the end of a weld, occasionally ending with a 2" yellow and blue flame! And yes, other than that, I'm leaving the torch tip on the weld to continue feeding it gas as it cools.

Thanks. I'll try a bit more reach and a longer grind.

------------------------------------------- Crapsman tools are their own punishment

On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 08:26:16 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner quickly quoth:

Yes, I made sure every bit of oxidation and crap was gone before welding. I'll have to stop at the metal scrap yard to pick up some other materials, so I'll grab an armful of scrap for practice while I'm there.

OK, thanks.

Yes, I wear long sleeves in the shop most often, but will have to remember that for welding in the summer, when it's 80+ out there.

Thanks.

Correct, it's a one-trick pony AFA heat goes.

------------------------------------------- Crapsman tools are their own punishment

I really like the thin Tilman TIG gloves. HF may have a copy, don't know. They're very supple, making control and "feel" noticably better, and the gauntlets protect wrists from sunburn and grazing hot places. They might be a bit light if you work a lot above 250 amps, but I seldom go over 190 except on ali. Higher current on ali is not a problem because you don't have the infrared from an incandescant puddle.

I'll second the recommendation for the Tillman TIG gloves. Since I started TIG welding and found those wonderful and relatively cheap gloves, I use them for everything. When the pair I use for TIG get grungy enough from handling the steel and whatnot they transition to general use and a new pair are put in TIG service.

Pete C.

When tigging..I wear the Tillman gloves.but in a size too large, and then put in a pair of the standard brown cotton gloves. Still gives you excellent tactile feel, but allows you to handle hot stuff for a short while.

Gunner

The aim of untold millions is to be free to do exactly as they choose and for someone else to pay when things go wrong.

In the past few decades, a peculiar and distinctive psychology has emerged in England. Gone are the civility, sturdy independence, and admirable stoicism that carried the English through the war years . It has been replaced by a constant whine of excuses, complaints, and special pleading. The collapse of the British character has been as swift and complete as the collapse of British power.

Theodore Dalrymple,