Learning how to TIG

you should push the torch not drag ---for hand movement

you can' t there would be no bead, more like a recessed channel

yes try that first, flat first..... than vertical and horizantal, than move to joints, that is how I learned in school.

I would say no , if you can stick weld , then you can TIG, you just need to develope more control using 2 hands and a foot for remote operatin later.

this would not hone your tig welding skill in any way.

don't give up it takes lots of practice to master TIG.

Hm, but if I push it, would it not end up in a molten puddle?

I am confused.

Sure, yes, that's what I meant. I would then practice to make sure that it is an even recessed channel.

Sounds good. Thank you.

Yes... I do not have a foot control yet, I have a "remote pendant".

Agreed 100%.

I agree with you. I will spend many hours practicing.

TIG is just like O/A or gas/flame welding but instead of the flame , you are using an electric arc to melt the metal, this makes it such a great welding process, very manupulatable and controlable arc, stop and start any time, vary torch angle, control bead shape penetration .....at such ease.

same as in O/A you melt the metal first create a puddle, then dip the filler rod in the puddle which will melt piece off the filer rod there for depositing metal into the pool, now you have the first member of your weld bead, now you move forward and do it again. move the torch forward at a steady smooth motion, and keep dipping the filler rod with the other hand, start with at 1 dip per second. practice moving the torch in a straight line holding the electrode

do not melt the filler rod with the arc, instead dip it in the molten metal. keep the filler rod under the shielding gas close to the arc, but not in the arc.

honestly , the best thing to do is to see how someone ele will do it it will give you an idea and it will help you get strated

speed , electrode distance , torch angle, filler rod angle , dipping motion , all of it has to come together in harmony to come up with a nice weld.

TIG welding is an art, ( if done correctly)

You may want to try some Oxy acetylene welding, using the series of steps you described. They both use a similar skill set, but with Oxy welding, things happen just a little bit slower, and the "puddle" is a bit larger.

If you are over 40, consider gettting a "cheater" lens, or diopter for your welding helmet. Like reading glasses, but they live in your welding helmet. Makes everything look "bigger", provided your helmet is the right distance from the work.

Like anything else, some people just never get it, at least in the time alloted to them.

Well, I do not have a OA set and I am not planning on getting one.

I did buy a nice O/A set for $50 recently, but I sold it to my friend. I like electricity better than combustible gases.

Hm, I will look into that. My eyesight, as such, is OK (with glasses). My real wekness is hand control, my hands do not like following a straight path.

that was interesting... thanks...

I get the feeling from all the different posts that you're letting the tungsten touch the steel. That's the biggest no-no in TIG. You must keep the tungsten out of the puddle but it also needs to be pretty darn close for control (especially on thin work). This is one of the most difficult parts of learning TIG.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Have you tried either of Ernie's hand training exercises? He posted this one a few years ago:

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

I am definitely not a master, but I learned to TIG mostly from reading this forum and asking questions. It can be done. It probably would be easier if someone showed you or you had a chance to watch someone.

Using a pendant to control your heat probably isn't going to make your life any easier. I learned with a foot pedal and that was challenging enough. It's nice to be able to vary the heat on the fly.

If you have some scrap stainless, I would start with that. That was/is the easiest for me to weld. Steel would be next. Aluminum was almost a whole different animal for me. I like welding aluminum now, but it gave me some fits learning to do it.

There are a lot of fine points; cup size, gas flow, tungsten exposed, heat setting, tungsten size, point, distance from the metal, etc. that all seem critical and hard to pull together when you're first starting, but become less critical when you get some time under your belt. You just 'find out' what works.

As someone else mentioned, seeing is critical. I just take my glasses off. Autodarkening helmets make it easier.

Once you 'get it', it's very satisfying.

Bob

That is how I felt when I started not too long ago. Get some 304 scrap and:

1. CLEAN the intended weld areas thoroughly
2. Prepare a bunch of Tungsten electrodes.
3. Moment you touch the puddle, stop and change the electrode.
4. You got to be close. I don't know why they don't make a cup with a protruding distance limiter. It wouldn't always work but it may help the beginners.
5. Your current setting may be to low if you are long time the puddle to form. Everything on the periphery gets overheated and cooked. 6. If your hands tremble it might be tension. Relax your grip.

Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things)

You cant let the tungsten touch your puddle. try holding the torch like pencil at first and just weld. Sounds like you may have some vision problem and your not seeing the puddle. Once you can see what your doing you can try techniques like walking the cup to gain more control over your bead. I hear a lot of people over the years talk about dragging the cup, This is wrong and is inconsistent at best.

B.H.