Welding Tips and Tricks

I see a lot of those fancy youtube videos of pipewelders walking the cup on their cap mostly on stainless.

How are they doing this, Is their a certain cup used? I did it very slow but wasn't using a proper cup probably?
I wish I could find a filtered video that shows the welder doing this. Anybody know of one?

Here's some of the Boss's videos.

http://welding-tv.com/2013/03/20/4808/
http://welding-tv.com/2013/01/10/socket-welds/
http://welding-tv.com/2012/10/16/tig-we ... el-repair/
http://welding-tv.com/2012/09/18/tig-we ... up-vs-not/

Not what I was looking for. And yes what a Weld machine
Jody you do make that look way to easy !

These are more of what I am looking for. The actual Cap of a groove weld
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyduJZZa7ac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIKudfYbZHo

Here's a tip an old pipe welder gave me...

Strip the label off a 2-liter Pepsi bottle, use your pipe-wrap to mark a straight line around it with a Sharpie, fill it with water and cap it. Using an old torch head, with cup and tungsten, just walk around it on your coffee table, or clamped in your vice, whatever position. Pay attention to the angle of your tungsten to the line as you work. The plastic is slicker than pipe, and if you're denting the plastic, you're pushing too hard. It'll teach you "the touch" (muscle memory), and the control you need.

Steve S

First off, Thanks Steve S

So it seems a proper technique is needed to walk over the previous weld? I actually tried it with a anchor 3/8 gas lens cup, Didn't get very far except for maybe a half inch and I was stuck. My amperage was 100-130Max...I wouldn't know what a stainless welder uses for capping a pipe. Even with remote control.

I am going to keep practicing, I just find it impossible to walk the cup over the previous weave bead you had just made...

hacadacalopolis wrote:First off, Thanks Steve S
I am going to keep practicing, I just find it impossible to walk the cup over the previous weave bead you had just made...

That's one thing I'm working on too,
I have a little trouble walking over the root/first pass, the cup tends to snag/catch, and you wiggle a little more and it breaks loose, but it's intolerable.
Anyone have the secret to overcome this problem?
~John

I screwed up in what I said, Sorry bout that.

I meant when the filler is flush and you are building the reinforcement for the cap.

AK, I had that trouble too, I found that if you put your thumb on the torch with a downward pressure and finding a very repetitious motion so that the cup wont bounce or lift out especially in a groove to be a good technique. I sometimes can sometimes leave the cup pointed more towards me and rock it to be better with fatigue. Either way It can be very strenuous sometimes id rather get one of my fingers numb with the Tig finger.

The larger the cup you use, the smaller your hand/wrist motions have to be. When I first learned TIG (on a job! Paid and learning, togehter can't be beat!), I had #12 cups, and could walk a decent cap on 2" ss after a few hours' coaching from a great welder.

Steve S

Wouldn't a larger cup just mean better shielding? The size and pattern of the weld depends entirely on your motion. Granted a larger cup would mean more surface area for "walking" and taking bigger "steps". Is that what you meant, or am I just confused?

If you can find someone who knows how to walk the cup have them stand behind you......take your hand and walk the cup......comes together real easy that way!

Mongol wrote:Wouldn't a larger cup just mean better shielding? The size and pattern of the weld depends entirely on your motion. Granted a larger cup would mean more surface area for "walking" and taking bigger "steps". Is that what you meant, or am I just confused?

A larger cup doesn't mean larger steps. It means less wrist/hand motion to take the same size step. Picture walking a gallon paint can across the floor, versus a 55 gallon drum. You can move the drum an inch at a time with tiny motions. The paint can will need bigger motions to move the same inch.

Steve S

True. But again, wouldn't that come down to personal manipulation? Proportionally, a larger cup will cover more area than a small cup. And all things being equal you'd cover more ground, faster, with the drum as opposed to the can.

Yes? No? Sometimes? Kinda, sorta, but not really?

Otto Nobedder wrote:The larger the cup you use, the smaller your hand/wrist motions have to be.

Steve S

Correct me if I am wrong Steve but this is what I understand you to mean. I would not call myself a master at walking the cup but the larger cup in this application would be better. The idea is not covering more ground, rather less motion in the TIG torch compared to a smaller cup.

Superiorwelding wrote:

Otto Nobedder wrote:The larger the cup you use, the smaller your hand/wrist motions have to be.

Steve S

Correct me if I am wrong Steve but this is what I understand you to mean. I would not call myself a master at walking the cup but the larger cup in this application would be better. The idea is not covering more ground, rather less motion in the TIG torch compared to a smaller cup.

That is indeed what I meant. Mongol is also correct, in that for the same motion, the larger cup will cover more ground. I prefer the large cup and less motion, because I'm a bit arthritic, and big, rolling motions with a small cup tends to hurt after a bit.

Steve S

Ah. Got it.