1. Home
  2. ⚡ Welding Forums
  3. Tig Filler Metal Questions...Ernie?

Tig Filler Metal Questions...Ernie?

My wife and I went to the *big* automotive trade show in Las Vegas this week. I stopped at the Miller booth to fantasize about TIG welders, and a young fella started telling us how great the Dynasty

200 is. Lightweight, inverter-type, really neat. Now, the subject of TIG welders has come up around the house/shop before, but only in a vague sort of way. You could have knocked me over with a feather when my wife said, "you need one of these. Buy it. Merry Christmas." Woo Hoo!!! What a gal. May we have another 32 years together.

So I have a welder coming via UPS in about a week. I want to lay in a supply of filler rods. My questions are, what type of filler rods should I buy and where's the best/cheapest place to get them mail-order? I'll be wanting to practice on the typical metals...various aluminums, mild steel, stainless steel...can you weld brass or bronze with a TIG?..and maybe others.

It's about 80 miles to the nearest welding supply store, so I'd like to just call somebody with a list and have it shipped. Also, I'll have more faith in the recommendations of the group than I would in those of the salesman at the store. What should I get to make up a good starter kit?

TIA for any info.

Joe

Reply to
Joe Way
Loading thread data ...

Well a basic selection should include Steel, Stainless steel, aluminum, and bronze.

Steel ER70S-2 The basic TIG filler for steel. It comes copper plated to prevent rust, but keep it in a tube or bag anyway. Sizes:

0.045", 1/16", 3/32", 1/8"

Stainless steel

308L is the standard filler for 304 SS which is the most common type. 309L is a better filler for joining any kind of stainless to steel. 316L is the best for marine work. Sizes: 0.045", 1/16", 3/32"

Aluminum

4043 is the most common aluminum filler rod. It works well for most situations, but... 5356 is stronger, better corrosion resistance and better color match for polishing or anodizing. 4047 is my favorite for welding castings, but it is kind of hard to find. Sizes: 1/16", 3/32", 1/8"

Bronze Silicon Bronze is excellent for joing other copper alloys such as copper, brass and most bronzes. It can also be used to TIG Braze Weld steel and stainless steel. TIG Braze Welding is very useful for stianless steel since it doesn't actually melt the base metal so there is no chromium oxides formed on the back face of the metal. Sizes Sizes:

0.045", 1/16", 3/32"

An advanced selection would include: Some aerospace alloys like Inconel, Hastelloy, or Haynes alloys. They are my favorite alloys for joining odd things and are extremeley strong. Pure Nickel is excellent for joining cast iron.. Pure Copper is good for TIG welding copper where it will be seen. ER80S-B2 is the current top choice for TIG welding Chrome-Moly tube for planes, cars, motorcycles and bikes.

As to a vendor. The only guys I know that even list TIG rod on the Web are:

formatting link

Great outfit, they carry all things TIG.

You can also mail order from Central Welding at :

formatting link

Just call them and they will ship it to you.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Ernie,

Have just cut and pastes your recommendation

Thanks

Reply to
surftom

======================================== Ernie, that's a great list. I'll be placing an order this afternoon.

Thanks very much.

Joe =========================================

Reply to
Joe Way

Call us! be glad to help you out! Respectfully. Michael Nevada Compressed Gas Las Vegas

Reply to
Harpman

Reply to
Mr. Bill

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.