TIG welding rod size (steel)

1/8" is massive.

I go for smaller rods over larger, and just run more passes.

My favorite size is 0.045". Even 1/16" rod seems like a telephone pole most of the time.

The only time i have bought 1/8" rod was to use it as pin stock.

Ditto! 1/8 would be like tigging with a flag pole in hand. Have you got a monster liquid helium cooled torch or something?

1/16 to 3/32 is pretty much all we use.

Fascinating, I'll have to try some smaller filler. All I've ever used was 1/8" and it never seemed too big to me and I guess it minimizes the amount of filler feeding I need to do. I'm just using a HW-18 torch at about 150A peak usually.

I ended up taking Ernie's advice and I will not use 1/8. Probably it is the case of to each his own.

One thin I noticed is that if you go to a smaller rod than you are used to, you have to pay attention or you will undercut the work! I have not noticed as much of a problem going up in size.

I mostly use 1/16" for steel and aluminum. If I am welding something large, I will go up to 1/8" but it is rare for me.

Good Luck,

BobH

I usually use the largest diameter reasonable for the job.

Carry 1/8" ER70s-2 and ER80Ni-1 for low and med alloy, (works well above

175amps). Also carry H-13 (hot work tool steel) in 1/8" and 3/16" to limit dilution when tool steel welding.

At 100 to 150 amps usually 3/32", 50 to 100 1/16" and at lower amps I often just use mig wire or make a rod using my lock wire pliers.

hope this followup goes through, trying to set up to new server....

Once saw a guy at AWS convention welding edge of razor blades at 8 amps with 3/64" filler and vision system... SICK.

Matt

Why did he need a vision system? Razor Blades and pop cans are standard "stupid welder tricks" for TIG.

Ray Charles could do corner fusion welding with a sharp TIG electrode. (Were he alive, I mean.)

Steve

Hi Ernie

So people would buy them, of course, I took the brochure....

As I remember, there were some boiler welding guys next to me that thought it was neat (wouldn't need the extra man to hold a mirror).

Matt

| | Why did he need a vision system? | Razor Blades and pop cans are standard "stupid welder tricks" for TIG.

Why do you consider welding pop cans a standard TIG trick?

Because every TIG pro has usually figured out the tricks to it to make it look easy.

Yet it serves little purpose but to impress people who don't know much about TIG.

Mind you the aluminum pop can makers have been making this trick harder and harder over the last 20 years with thinner and thinner pop cans.

Still any seasoned TIG pro should be able to run a bead down the side of a pop can without blowing holes through it.

Turn the high freq down as low as possible, use an extreme "cleaning" wave balance, a 0.040" pure tungsten, and 0.024" 4043 filler, and a pop can with all ink removed from the side. Be aggressive with the filler to control the heat and proceed. Just takes practice.

Welding razor blades is even easier. Just set them up so the edges are leaning into each other in an outside corner configuration. Then just run a very low amperage arc down the edge and fuse them together.

Hi Ernie,

Most the kids from the CC that show up at the neighbors "real welding" business that "try the can stuff", weld the ends together... (that's better than nothing, I've never had the urge to try).

The guy welding with the vision system was building up the edge of the razor blade, and on the remote monitor the edge looked like heavy plate, what I thought was neat at the time was how close an arc he was holding, (gap maybe .010" or less, just a guess). You could see the filler migrating off towards the arc like the edge of a candle over a flame. And keeping the auto stabilization off at that low setting is pretty neat...

Merrick microplasma had a system then that could weld (keyhole) that thin stuff without filler (they would demo with .015 316SS coupons).

Used to love to go to those shows....

Matt

Someday I will get to a Fabtech show...someday.