Welding Tips and Tricks

If I can oxy-weld mild steel with just heat from the torch and a filler rod (I.e. no flux, no inert gas, etc.) why can't I TIG weld mild steel without Argon?

I ran out of Argon and ordered too late to get a refill (I'll probably go down to Home Depot and get some tomorrow) and need to weld up some mild steel. So I was wondering what the protocol might be on this.

Is it the electrical arc and the ionization of the air that the Argon is needed for? Or how does this work?

Thanks in advance.

Jon

with oxy-weld the combustion gases acts as an inert gas.

short answer is no you need inert gas to tig weld.
in situation like this its handy to have arc electrodes handy as most tig welders are also arc welders.

Home Depot has argon??

LtBadd wrote:Home Depot has argon??

just looked online, looks like some HDs do sell it. Go figure. $204.00 for a 40cf tank, but it also says contents sold separately, dunno. But, ya never know with the big box stores, they like to get a piece of the action when they can.

Like harbor freight they will sell you an empty bottle.

If you ever tried TIG welding but forgot to turn on the gas, you would get your answer pretty quickly. The tungsten sort of disintegrates and makes a big mess. Not pretty. I used to do it all the time when I was teaching myself scratch start TIG with a gas valve torch. Half the time I would forget to open the valve before lighting off.

And you know instantly what you forgot to turn on! LOL

Thanks all for your answers. Kinda makes sense that you need Argon but wanted to check anyway...

Jon

Tractor supply and Rural King both sell argon.... and yes you MUST have a shielding gas. Impossible to TIG weld without it.