Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello Everybody my name is Konstantinos i am 42 yo from north Greece .
Married , with a 23 years carrier in military aviation as a air-frame and power-plant mechanic.i am interested in welding as a hobbyist .Unfortunately internet is my only source of information since air force welding school cannot accept me due to rank (im too old for this),anyway this is how i came across Jody and his YT channel .
I own an old transformer stick welder and a year ago i acquired an ACDC TIG-STICK-PLASMA inverter machine that really opened a lot of doors for me.
I would like to focus on aluminium since i find it more difficult to weld
Thank you

Welcome.

Welcome aboard mate!

I can't say we have any other folks from Greece on here so you are the first of your kind. Maybe you will be the first of many.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions on here. We are here to help. And don't forget pictures it helps a lot.

Welcome Konstantinos.

We do have at least one another member from Greece, Taz. Unfortunately one that hasn't been seen in a while.

There's a fellow here with the username Taz, who's from Athens, Greece. Coincidentally, his name is also Konstantinos. Not an unusual name in Greece.

Taz has not posted here in some time, though.

I see AndersK has already mentioned Taz...

Welcome!

Steve

Taz last logged in November 1st. I'd thought it was longer, since he hasn't posted in some time.

Steve

Welcome also Konstantinos.
I relate to why you want to weld aluminum! I've been a stick welder for 25 years, though did forestry work, and construction on the side for a living here in oregon, and always thought about making the step up to TIG welding till last year when I was gifted a tig setup.
Haha, now I have smaller and smaller scraps of aluminum around my welding table with practice welds all over them, even some copper scraps with tig welds, just cause it's fun, and a bit challenging compared to steel welding.

Welcome...

THANK YOU ,thanks all of you for the warm welcoming ευχαριστω πολυ (that's in Greek )
I really enjoy tig welding although i still suck , it is quite satisfying to see any little progress day by day.
At first i thought tig welding was all about tungsten grinding
Funny thing is that while practicing tig i was improved at stick welding
i am full of questions and i will post many photos of my practice , at the moment i weld aluminum tubes pieces .
Thank you
P.S. most common Greek names : Kostas (Konstantinos) ,Yannis (jonh),Dimitris (jim)

Well, you certainly have started your tig journey the hardest possible way

Tubing is hard enough, aluminium adds another dimension for a beginner. But you can expect a lot of help here

Do you have an oxy-acet rig? That is another welding technique that can enhance other welding skills that is often overlooked. I do blacksmithing as well as welding, and use oxy welding for things like welding a forged leaf to a forged branch. It welds through the thick scale nicely, and is a bit slower, giving me the time to make a joint that looks less like a weld bead, more like a natural branch joint.
At my shop table I can forge weld, oxy weld, stick, mig or tig weld now, each has its own pleasure and appearance.