Welding Tips and Tricks

The welder is going to be here next week.

I ordered Tillman gloves. The measurement chart said I should get medium, but I did not have confidence in it, so I ordered large. I figured gloves that were clumsy were better than gloves I couldn't put on. If they're awkward, I can use them until a smaller pair gets here.

I got an assortment of rods for steel, stainless, and aluminum.

I ordered E3 tungsten in 3/32" and 1/8". Also picked up a TIG finger.

Now I'm just waiting around. I have to go out of town next week, so I may have to tell UPS to hold onto the welder for several days. What a bummer.

Isn't that always the way it is. You have big plans and get all excited and something comes up where you can't do it. I was going to run some spray transfer and then we had the ACT and my teacher had a tack conference so that plan went out the window.

Here I was, all ready to start making really ugly beads.

My tungsten arrived. I decided to throw one on the belt grinder. Does this look all right?

I held it in a drill, to turn it while I ground it. Kind of surprised it's not completely symmetrical.

Tungsten looks ok but you will get better penetration with a steeper grind. How you grind will become a matter of preference over time.

Thanks. I can touch it up.

Chips O'Toole wrote:My tungsten arrived. I decided to throw one on the belt grinder. Does this look all right?

I held it in a drill, to turn it while I ground it. Kind of surprised it's not completely symmetrical.

How straight is the chuck on the drill? The slightest wobble will give you asymmetry. Also, you'll find this makes very little difference. While I encourage the beginner to make all this stuff as perfect as possible so it's not a variable to question in one's first attempts, you would be stunned at the crapped-up and/or broke-tip tungstens I've finished a weld with.

Steve S

I've been welding on some zinc coated nuts for a side project. Finished a few welds while I had blobs big enough they were touching the edge of my #7 cup. Good enough for a garden cart.

Otto Nobedder wrote:

Chips O'Toole wrote:My tungsten arrived. I decided to throw one on the belt grinder. Does this look all right?

I held it in a drill, to turn it while I ground it. Kind of surprised it's not completely symmetrical.

How straight is the chuck on the drill? The slightest wobble will give you asymmetry. Also, you'll find this makes very little difference. While I encourage the beginner to make all this stuff as perfect as possible so it's not a variable to question in one's first attempts, you would be stunned at the crapped-up and/or broke-tip tungstens I've finished a weld with.

Steve S

I left out the part where I have bent a few tungstens and sharpened like that in a drill and they were lopsided but welded just fine. I also pride myself on forging on with a badly dipped tungsten. The OP is chomping at the bit to get his welder so I guess we should hide the fact that we tout correct techniques here but in real life we rub tungsten on the concrete floor to sharpen it I have a bunch of stubby tungstens in my box of all varieties with the paint wore off from being through the collet so many times and I just grab one and deal with it , blissfully unaware of what it is.

exnailpounder wrote:The OP is chomping at the bit to get his welder so I guess we should hide the fact that we tout correct techniques here but in real life we rub tungsten on the concrete floor to sharpen it I have a bunch of stubby tungstens in my box of all varieties with the paint wore off from being through the collet so many times and I just grab one and deal with it , blissfully unaware of what it is.

So that's how you do it!

The drill chuck is fine. It's just a long tungsten and a short chuck.

Poland308 wrote:I've been welding on some zinc coated nuts for a side project. Finished a few welds while I had blobs big enough they were touching the edge of my #7 cup. Good enough for a garden cart.

I hope you're not breathing zinc fumes.

Chips O'Toole wrote:My tungsten arrived. I decided to throw one on the belt grinder. Does this look all right?

I held it in a drill, to turn it while I ground it. Kind of surprised it's not completely symmetrical.

Those are ok. I do mine by hand on a Harbor Freight 3" mini grinder.

My 2017 AHP Alpha TIG will be here tomorrow between 9:15am and 1:15pm. I work from 10am-4pm then class from 5pm-9pm. Planning on getting it set up tomorrow night then start practicing between classes so I can be a better tig welder than anyone else in the class.

Oscar wrote:

Chips O'Toole wrote:My tungsten arrived. I decided to throw one on the belt grinder. Does this look all right?

I held it in a drill, to turn it while I ground it. Kind of surprised it's not completely symmetrical.

Those are ok. I do mine by hand on a Harbor Freight 3" mini grinder.

What do you mean by hand? Just hold them in your fingers and give them a little rotation while you put them to the grinder? I ordered a Wen 6" grinder to be my dedicated tungsten grinder. I have yet to grind a tungsten, I will be shown how tomorrow during the class when we go over the tig machines that are sitting in the shop.

Yup exactly.

If you have a 3d printer or if you've got a school/buddy that has one then you can print a Tungsten grinder for a Dremel. I've been using this quite a bit and it works wonderfully! It's a remesh of someone else's design that was a remesh of someone else's design.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1905626

Oscar wrote:Yup exactly.

I have been grinding mine by hand on my bench grinder rather than loading them in a drill and it works amazingly. I got such a nice point on some 1/16 2% lanthinated it makes a super tiny weld puddle on the steel I was playing around on last night. Thanks.