Welding Tips and Tricks

Bought a new hand amperage control from USAWeld today and tried it out . It's gonna take some getting used to. I bought the slider and I am not sure if that was the best idea. Luckily I won't have to use it much as I only bought it because I have been getting in some tricky frame repairs that make the pedal hard to use. Anyone else use one? Any advice as to where to position the slider on the torch handle?

it's been so long since I've used one of these, is the slider spring loaded?

Position where you can manipulate it without disturbing the torch, so maybe trial and error?

LtBadd wrote:it's been so long since I've used one of these, is the slider spring loaded?

Position where you can manipulate it without disturbing the torch, so maybe trial and error?

It's not spring loaded and has two detents you have to overcome to push the slider up. The problem is I hold my torch like a pencil so it's very awkward to use. I guess I should just quit whining and learn how to use it. 8-)I am going to try using it as a lift arc...got zapped too many times by the HF. God I hate that!

Haven't used a slider - I have the thumb roller for my miller.

Really, really, really prefer the pedal

Pretty much would rather use lift arc than use the thumb roller.

An on-off switch with up slope and down slope would work - Jody did a video on it and controlled the amps using the on-off switch looked like a nice way to go actually.

I intensely dislike any amp control on the torch, its never in the right place to manipulate without doing the bad thing with the tungsten and arc. I use a little momentary switch button in the 2T mode. Upslope and downslope is settable and HF start is in place. I have the advantage though of knowing exactly what amps I want to weld at for every size and run of pipe that I do which is a lot different to the jobber repairs you do I guess.
I bought one of them CK pistol grip torch attachments last year that has a trigger type amp control, but haven't got around to trying it out yet.

exnailpounder wrote:Any advice as to where to position the slider on the torch handle?

I'm interested how you like this. I'm always trying to work the pedal with my knee or elbow while I'm laying on the ground. Would it be possible to use it with your filler hand? You wouldn't be able to feed the wire between your fingers, but it might help keep the torch steady.

MarkL wrote:

exnailpounder wrote:Any advice as to where to position the slider on the torch handle?

I'm interested how you like this. I'm always trying to work the pedal with my knee or elbow while I'm laying on the ground. Would it be possible to use it with your filler hand? You wouldn't be able to feed the wire between your fingers, but it might help keep the torch steady.

That is an interesting idea.

I have often thought that a torch with a spring loaded trigger to control amps (like the slot car controls back in yhe the day) might work. When i saw CK come out with the pistol grip i thought......here it is......but as i understand it the CK pistol grip is not spring loaded.

No not spring loaded. It's a slider that the top of the gloved finger fits into.


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Problem is anything else that hand does whether button, slider etc puts a wobble in my bead. I'm clumsy and jerky enough at the best of times. What about something like a clothes peg, you know the plastic ones with a spring in the middle. If you could build a potentiometer into that and just run it off the torch with a few feet of lead that would be awesome. Just bite down on it for current. Obviously only for occasions where you can't use a pedal. Might end up drooling a bit under your helmet but I do that anyway.

Or even a very sensitive analogue pressure sensor built into grip of the handle, grip pressure regulates current.

Not sure what it's called but on You Tube there is a newish product that looks like a regular torch switch & has 4 in built power levels selected by how much pressure is applied - no hand or finger movement is needed to operate it - just how much pressure is used to grip - looked promising though I've never seen one to try - I did think about one but can't really justify the cost right now as I use Tig very little & learned without any amp control so except on thin aluminum don't really see the need for a pedal - I guess if it's how you learned & if you sit at a bench all the time their OK - it's weird I still find it harder to weld with a pedal than without though I admit I plugged mine in this week when I repaired a cracked aluminum frame in maybe 2mm unidentified wing profile box that holds oars on a racing boat.

MarkL wrote:

exnailpounder wrote:Any advice as to where to position the slider on the torch handle?

I'm interested how you like this. I'm always trying to work the pedal with my knee or elbow while I'm laying on the ground. Would it be possible to use it with your filler hand? You wouldn't be able to feed the wire between your fingers, but it might help keep the torch steady.

For right now I hate it. I have thought about using my filler hand but the device has a weird shape to be able to clamp onto the torch handle. Thankfully I will only have to use it occasionally. It was an impulse buy when I was at the welders candy store Like others here, I have thought about alternate ways to operate a torch like mouth operated etc...One idea I had was an air filled bulb that you could squeeze to operate the amptrol, sorta like the on/off switch on a hot tub. If someone could build something like that, they would make some cash....of course I would want my share for the idea Until then I will just have to dedicate some time to sitting down and learning how to overcome my welders palsy. I have only tried it briefly so it's probably not as hard as I am making it sound but it really made me appreciate how nice the pedal is.

jeff
i had (and sold) a Miller thumb roller. the only way
i could use it was the treat it like a switch.
i found as a tried to adjust the amps i would
dip the tungsten, too much going on there.
hope you have better luck.
craig

Somewhere hidden I have a thumb roller. Couldn't use it efficiently without either wiggle the torch or release the torch switch. Also as soon as my machine detects a resistance in that circuit it assumes a pedal is connected and removes both up- and down slope.
Pretty much useless to me.

If I'm not using the pedal I increase slopes and pulse with the switch instead if I need to control the heat.

AndersK wrote:Somewhere hidden I have a thumb roller. Couldn't use it efficiently without either wiggle the torch or release the torch switch. Also as soon as my machine detects a resistance in that circuit it assumes a pedal is connected and removes both up- and down slope.
Pretty much useless to me.

If I'm not using the pedal I increase slopes and pulse with the switch instead if I need to control the heat.

motox wrote:jeff
i had (and sold) a Miller thumb roller. the only way
i could use it was the treat it like a switch.
i found as a tried to adjust the amps i would
dip the tungsten, too much going on there.
hope you have better luck.
craig

Thats the problem I have is shaking the torch when I tried it. I just called the LWS and I am going to return it. I would rather struggle with the pedal in tight spots than try to get used to this thing.,

jeff
keep it and use it as a switch. i wish i had
kept mine for that purpose rather then
dragging the foot peddle around the table
to tack and run a fixed joint.
craig

motox wrote:jeff
keep it and use it as a switch. i wish i had
kept mine for that purpose rather then
dragging the foot peddle around the table
to tack and run a fixed joint.
craig

I thought about keeping it but it was $200 so I would rather spend the money on other shit I don't need or wont use but will look good in my "tacklebox"