TIG Survey - Steady Forward Motion?

A steady forward motion, unless the particular bead precludes it.

I usually only weave on slightly dirty steel.

One of my teachers did use number 2 in the following case: tube, 2mm, stainless, buttweld, tube in vertical position, no gap. He explained it sort of like a way to dig a groove for the filler to avoid it flowing down and sideways along the weld (does it make any sense the way I tell it?)

göran

For me it depends on what I am welding...

I usually walk the cup when I can. When I do, it certainly isn't a steady forward motion. However, it is essentially a consistent forward motion while moving side to side across the end of the filler metal.

When not walking the cup, I would say that it is pretty much a steady forward motion with enough weave to tie into the sides of a groove or another bead, as necessary.

"Walking the cup" is going to confuse hobbyists.

It is mainly done by pipe welders, and takes advantage of a wide standard or gas lens gas cup. The cup is touched to the base metal as a slight angle. The torch is rocked side to side as it travels along the weld with the cup always resting on the base metal. The weld bead ends up with a zig-zag appearance. It is used mostly on groove welds on pipe, since it allows a very consistent bead even when you can barely see what you are doing.

I don't encourage it for non pipe welds, but it does work. I feel it is better to learn to "float" the torch.

Walking the cup is a very useful and successful technique.

Ernie,

May I ask for a clarification? Are you saying that your torch is moving forward non-stop at a relatively constant speed, or just that you don't move it back between dips?

I have no particular technique as of yet, having only TIG'ed a dozen or so short beads. But I find it easier to avoid dipping the tungsten by moving the torch slightly back, or at least pause the advance as I'm adding filler. If that's a "bad habbit" in development, I am surely eager to learn the right way to do it - but I don't want to do it if I'm merely misinterpreting your comment.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Ilya

Yes, in a perfect case, the torch never stops.

Everybody has to find their "happy place" with TIG. Exactly how you move the torch will change over time anyway, as you get more proficient. Don't sweat it. Just try to be kind to your poor defenseless tungsten. Only you can protect it from the horrors of the weld pool.

Works just fine on groove welds on plate and fillet welds, too. I think you need to learn both techniques if you are going to do this for a living. Some employers require you to walk the cup.

That sounds very empowering. :-)

-- Ilya

Ernie, My son did a demo of Walking the Cup and I can't recall at the moment if he was "pushing or pulling" as he went. Can you refresh my memory. Oldest son is a UA pipefitter who just got done welding on a powerhouse job.... 3000 psig steam lines on some of it! B.G.

TIG welding backhand is a bit tricky, but it does happen when you have no choice.

Walking the cup or floating travel is almost always forward.

I passed my final test of the TIG stainless course - pipe to a horizontal base-plate - in one go by going backwards and forwards to guarantee fusion at root before filling

Left the impression of very course advance-then-fill cycle, but was actually doing this backwards-and-forwards technique.

wouldn';t do that as got more practiced and doing lots of welds!

RS

Congrats on passing your your final Richard. You should be proud. As a newbie to this list, I don't know anyone here, including you of course. As a result, I am not aware of your overall welding experience, but regardless, learning to weld stainless using TIG is an accomplishment worthy of at least a few "howls at the moon"!