Hello!
I wanted to make a request for a video, going to back to the basics.
A person who wants to teach themselves the art of metalworking, often doesn't have the budget for a fancy TIG welder, with HF or Lift start, and at that point, IMO it's really best to start with the most absolutely basic machine and setup possible- that way, you'll never find yourself in a position where "I can't weld well because my machine sucks" no, you can weld on any machine, in any conditions, because you taught yourself from the most basic building blocks.
With this in mind, I want to request specifically, a video highlighting the technique of lighting your TIG torch by swiping the cup with the wire- in such a manner that the tungsten doesn't stick, the wire has no chance of getting jammed under the tip of the tungsten, and you're able to start your arc cleanly, in any position. Additionally, it would be very valuable to see how this technique could be done on pipe, in perhaps the 6G position, as well as in some common plate test scenarios. Most if not all entry, make-or-break job tests in the Unions, will be done using a scratch-start TIG for root and hot pass, and 7018 stick-fill and cap.
My personal background, for making this request, is I'm an active duty military member, trying to teach myself welding so that when I leave the service, I can be in good shape to go get a job in the metalworking unions, and this particular technique is a hard one to find good video instruction for. Also, Jody has done videos in the past with scratch-start TIG, where you can see that he's using the wire to light the arc, but he doesn't talk about it, or show off the technique much- and for those of us who want to master this technique, that's the bread and butter right there. Also, his filming technology for capturing those perfect arc shots has improved dramatically over the years.
Anyways, these are my thoughts on my request- the lengthy paragraphs are because I want to paint a picture on why I feel this would be an excellent technique to be filmed.
Thank you for all you do,
Very respectfully,
Elijah
