Welding Tips and Tricks

ok so today i was welding and i tacked my metal and i did one weld with filler rod and it looked like total garbage so then i decided to not use filler rod and the welds turned out much better looking than the ones with filler rod is this common in lap welds i have pictures but i cant get them off my camera so any feedback would help

I think it is harder when starting out Tig welding leaning to feed the filler than controlling the puddle so generally an autogenous weld will look better & be easier to achieve - once your adding filler rod the control required does not come instantly & feel instinctive ( I have coordination issues so it magnifies this ) all I can say is it will improve with time ( juist like the guru tells us ! ) - couple of thoughts that may help - use the smallest suitable filler rod as adding it cools the pool & leaves a build up - ( on aluminum this is usually an advantage - but really not on stainless ) - after getting used to what amps are needed for autogenous welds you are likely to misjudge on the low side of required amps once melting filler rod so probably up your amps a little - try adding filler only once you have a good size puddle - add small amounts & backstep if needed to keep pool fluid - I found when learning that using a very slow pulse & only adding filler on the high cycle helped - it also helps your timing to get even ripples - last one is controversial - but if you have a foot pedal don't use it when learning - I think the addition of having to coordinate both hands & one leg is too much for alot of people to cope with initially - it also means you never know what amps your using as it's constant;y changing - it's good to learn at fixed amps so you learn on your machine what settings work for you & the material - plus it eliminates one variable - once you master both hands & good sense of amps then plug the pedal in for more control.

Hope some of that helps.

Brian's response is well thought out, and right on the money.

I learned TIG in the field, with lift-arc, and it was a ten-minute ordeal to change my machine settings. It really took me some time to understand the benefits of a pedal.

Steve S

When I first took tig at Lincoln they made us run fusion passes on lap joints until we demonstrated torch control, then moved onto adding wire. Was good practice at holding a super tight arc, turned into a game to see how close you could keep it etc.