greets all was hoping to find someone who could explain exactly how to 'walk the cup'. from what i understand, its a favorite of pipe welders. don't do alot of pipe, but i'd like to learn. from what i gather, you need a relatively deep bevel to walk. (does a fillet count as a really deep bevel?)
anyway, i've tried just about everything from figure8's to spasmic zigzags.. i see the torch moving along.. and i can keep the puddle moving.. but i've got to make a hundred "figure8's" to move a 1/4" -- that is, my "technique" doesn't move me fast enough to get a nice looking bead.
i usually get a somewhat-OK "stack of dimes" look, but they're REALLY tight and I think if i tried to keep it up for more than 10 minutes my hand would go numb and fall off.
thanks,
-tony
ps.. there wouldn't be a video online anywhere, would there?
I've never done it but it's been discussed here a few times so I'm sure someone will offer tips or you can check Google Groups for old threads. In the meantime here's a reference with pictures that may help:
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Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com
This is how I was taught. Don't try to actually walk the cup along the joint (at least in the beginning). Start with a T-joint. Reduce the stickout so that the electrode is clear of the puddle (I use ~1/16"). Keep your torch hand/arm free (i.e. don't rest your wrist on anything). Place the cup in the joint, pressing against each surface, torch slanted normally, with a slight forward pressure. Rotate the handle straight up then straight down (I imagine I am trying to "lightly" grind the cup into the joint). The vertical movement is quite large. Don't try to force the cup to move along the joint. The cup will naturally move along the joint because of the forward pressure. If you observe the cup, you can see it moving ahead during each vertical motion. I add rod during each upstroke and downstroke. If the cup won't move, you are probably applying too much pressure.
IMHO, walking the cup is valuable for general fabrication (i.e. when working around a big fabrication where sitting at the bench isn't practical). Most joints are T-joints (fillet), which are perfect for walking the cup. The torch is self-supporting, no need for rests or trying to float the torch in an awkward position. It is still necessary to find a support for the rod-hand. The reduced clearance causes a challenge when sticking the rod into the puddle.
so it sounds as if i was using too small of a cup (#6).. and I need to get more of a quick "rolling" motion.
john, i'm not sure exactly what you mean by 'rotate the torch straight up'
-- sounds like i'll be holding my torch upside down and moving it like shifting gears.. between 1st and 2nd gear and back again. in a Tjoint that'd give me a 90degree motion at most.. is that really how much swing i should be using?
boy, it's tough to describe in words. the real key to this is that the cup will move on it's own with the right motions on your part. imagine you placed the cup in a fillet joint, touching both side of the metal, normal forehand slant (just as you are probably doing). without any arc going, imagine you just pushed it straight along the joint, keeping the cup against both pieces of metal. it would hop and skip as the edges of the cup caught and released on the metal.
now imagine doing the same thing, but kind of screwing the cup back and forth as you pushed it. it would move right along without hopping.
GTAW Skills Development (all I could think of for a title)
Grab a glass from the kitchen for this exercise; place the rim of the glass on a flat surface with the base of the glass in your hand. Orient the glass at about a 45 deg angle from the surface. The glass should be inline with your wrist for ease of movement.
Roll your wrist from left to right with very light to no pressure on the glass. Now think of a sail boat and how it travels through the water" tacking from left to right" this is the basically the same thing you want to achieve but with your torch (glass).
You can even use a pencil too simulate the filler rod touching the center of you imaginary puddle as you move along.
One other technique I picked up from a group member for developing TIG skills requires;
2 sharp pencils
1 washer and not one with a 2" hole, that would be considered cheating.
Place the washer on a piece of white paper. The pencils will represent your torch and filler metal. Your torch pencil will be used to move the washer. As you are moving along you should try and create a nice straight pattern of little overlapping circles. Anywhere from 1/4" (6mm) to 3/8" (10mm) in diameter with a spacing of approximately 1/8" (3mm).
Once you have something resembling a straight line then you add the second pencil to the mixture. Your goal will be too place a dot at the center of each circle, best done when your torch pencil is at the back of the circle.
Once your circles form a reasonably straight line and your dots are centered your TIG skills should improve.
Something I just thought of and may have too try is once you have a few simulated welds find a piece of 1/2" (12mm) pipe or tubing.
Use this to practice the cup walking method by following your welds that you have drawn on paper. If the paper gets cut or mangled in any way then you are using excessive pressure on your cup.
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