Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm currently in school learning to tig weld this is some of my flat t joint weld on carbon still walking the cup any pointers or other technique to use??

Hey,

Tip one: Charge your mobile phone.

Tip two: Keep on going, you're doing alright, It just takes practice, "seat time" to get it down.

Mick

3. Get a Tig Finger

Your welds will always look better and more uniform when you can prop and steady your torch hand.

4. Get a down and dirty shirt to go along with the Tig finger.

The more you look and feel like a welder, the faster you will get good at it!

rake wrote:3. Get a Tig Finger

Your welds will always look better and more uniform when you can prop and steady your torch hand.

4. Get a down and dirty shirt to go along with the Tig finger.

The more you look and feel like a welder, the faster you will get good at it!

Hey, I thought it was the more money you spent on fancy machines...

Welcome to the forum James.

Neat looking welds there imo
Try free handing and different positions, if you haven't already. Also welding aluminium is a great way to learn feeding wire and learning to do it free handed.

-Markus-

I don't see anything wrong with those welds at all.

Consistency (making them look like tractor tracks) will come with seat time, as already noted. It'll soon be second-nature.

You won't need that TIG finger when you're walking the cup, but you probably won't always be walking the cup, even on stainless. Also, when (if) you begin aluminum, you'll be glad to have one or two. It's not impossible to walk the cup on aluminum, but it's not the most common method... It's a good way to shatter your cup from the heat build-up, and you will likely learn to free-hand. Unless you're rock-steady even after several minute in the same awkward position, you'll want to prop on something to steady the torch on aluminum, and that stuff gets HOT!

As for the Down-n-Dirty shirt, I recommend them as well. They're good quality, and look sharp! And just like the Model T, you can have any color you want, so long as it's black....

Steve S

Okay thanks for the tips guys I'm stating vertical mig next week and a little aluminum any quick tips u got for aluminum

Sorry bout that ment vertical tig

My quick tips for aluminum TIG...

Assuming you're using a pedal...

Start low... enough amps for a stable arc plus about 10%, and sit there awhile while the heat "soaks" into the surrounding metal. Be patient. When you see "shiny" start to happen, put in lots of heat and feed wire, to make the initial tie-in. Then advance and repeat. Expect to need less amps as you go, as aluminum will saturate with heat rather quickly.

When feeding rod, quick stabs into the puddle are best, and pull it back quickly, but keep it in the gas shield, or your next dip will "pepper" and leave soot around the weld.

That's about all I should throw out there until you've given it a go and have specific questions.

It's a different animal from steel, but once I got the hang of it, I found it fairly easy. The puddle, and what it's doing, are much easier to see (for me) than with steel and stainless.

Also, expect other advice that may differ from mine. Give each a go, as there's more than one way to skin a cat, and we have some talented aluminum welders here.

Steve S

Thanks for the aluminum a tips I also am doing my vertical tig with carbon steel I can't seem to get the filler metal to lay in right keeps wanting to ball up also any tips on walking the cup in the vertical postion

Thanks for the aluminum a tips I also am doing my vertical tig with carbon steel I can't seem to get the filler metal to lay in right keeps wanting to ball up also any tips on walking the cup in the vertical postion

MinnesotaDave wrote:

rake wrote:3. Get a Tig Finger

Your welds will always look better and more uniform when you can prop and steady your torch hand.

4. Get a down and dirty shirt to go along with the Tig finger.

The more you look and feel like a welder, the faster you will get good at it!

Hey, I thought it was the more money you spent on fancy machines...

That's what I thought also----nearly $3500 later after getting my HTP Invertig221 with cooler and DV and everything, still an amateur! Ugh!

James59 wrote:Okay thanks for the tips guys I'm stating vertical mig next week and a little aluminum any quick tips u got for aluminum

Hi James,
first of all, welcome to the forum. I really pleased about you will start vertical mig and thanks for share.

MinnesotaDave wrote:

rake wrote:3. Get a Tig Finger

Your welds will always look better and more uniform when you can prop and steady your torch hand.

4. Get a down and dirty shirt to go along with the Tig finger.

The more you look and feel like a welder, the faster you will get good at it!

Hey, I thought it was the more money you spent on fancy machines...

Hey, that's what people think
I haft to have the fanciest welder to make good welds!!!
Not true.
Not every job has a Dynasty DX.... many tests have you use a scratch start or lift arc dry rig.
Thats like saying, "your a terrible driver in this old sedan, let me buy you a 2015 Toyota Corolla."
That will fix your driving problems.

You gotta make do with what you have.

John~

Otto Nobedder wrote:
Also, expect other advice that may differ from mine. Give each a go, as there's more than one way to skin a cat, and we have some talented aluminum welders here.

Steve S

One method to try is tapping the rod into the puddle (like you would tap a pencil on the table) instead of pushing the rod in like most do. It is harder I think to get the rhythm down but once you do man it makes a sweet looking bead. Again just another technique.

AKweldshop wrote:

MinnesotaDave wrote:

rake wrote:3. Get a Tig Finger

Your welds will always look better and more uniform when you can prop and steady your torch hand.

4. Get a down and dirty shirt to go along with the Tig finger.

The more you look and feel like a welder, the faster you will get good at it!

Hey, I thought it was the more money you spent on fancy machines...

Hey, that's what people think
I haft to have the fanciest welder to make good welds!!!
Not true.
Not every job has a Dynasty DX.... many tests have you use a scratch start or lift arc dry rig.
Thats like saying, "your a terrible driver in this old sedan, let me buy you a 2015 Toyota Corolla."
That will fix your driving problems.

You gotta make do with what you have.

John~

Yep, my kid is learning tig aluminum on my '63 Airco, today he gets his first try at using the school's Syncrowave 250.
I think he'll like adjustable balance