Welding Tips and Tricks

Never held a welding in my life and these were my attempts to teach myself TIG welding with Everlast's PowerTIG 200DV.

A couple of hours per day with a 1/4" x 2 C1018 flat bar:

Day 1



Day 2



Day 3



I only have a 110V source so I need to practice on 1/8" bars next time, for I can only go 120A max. I haven't been inside a steel supplier's warehouse ever and I was like a kid in a candy store. I just discovered that I can buy surplus steel from them after buying 5 pcs of 1/8" x 3in x 12in flats So I got myself 24lbs of ~1/8" steel (hot rolled, I think) plates to practice with; but I just figured that I cannot use a 6in wheel in a 4in angle grinder. It vibrates like crazy and it's not safe.

Any suggestions to maximize the use out of a material for practicing butt welds, lap joints, and fillets?

Seems you are going very well. Well advanced for such a novice.

I see a definite improvement day by day. Coming along nicely.
Cheers.
-Eldon

rule #1 for tig: take a grinding disk or a very coarse flap disc and grind the millscale off.

Check your post-flow settting. The pimple trying to pop up at the end of the welds is porosity from white-hot steel coming in contact with oxygen in the air. make sure you try to hold a arc length equal to the tungsten diameter and hold the torch there for a few seconds after extinguishing the arc. Let me guess, you're using a tiny #4 cup?

Oscar wrote:rule #1 for tig: take a grinding disk or a very coarse flap disc and grind the millscale off.

Check your post-flow setting. The pimple trying to pop up at the end of the welds is porosity from white-hot steel coming in contact with oxygen in the air. make sure you try to hold a arc length equal to the tungsten diameter and hold the torch there for a few seconds after extinguishing the arc. Let me guess, you're using a tiny #4 cup?

Actually a #7, gas lens, with at least 15cfh, 3/32" 2% Blue tip electrode. These welds were prior to my fixes to properly setup the welder. I had a problem with insufficient power before when using the pedal; so I went ahead and brought a 400A all brass ground clamp and ditched my 100ft 14ga orange extension (I know, using that long thin extension for a welder was stupid) for a 25 ft 10ga contractors extension cord. I'll post my pics again soon with that better setup.

Oscar wrote: Check your post-flow settting. The pimple trying to pop up at the end of the welds is porosity from white-hot steel coming in contact with oxygen in the air. make sure you try to hold a arc length equal to the tungsten diameter and hold the torch there for a few seconds after extinguishing the arc.

Keeping the torch in place after the arc is extinguished is tough.....I find myself getting in too big of a hurry and not leaving the torch in place to keep shielding gas covering the hot puddle...and I end up with those "pimples" sometimes.

LooWee200 wrote:

Oscar wrote:rule #1 for tig: take a grinding disk or a very coarse flap disc and grind the millscale off.

Check your post-flow setting. The pimple trying to pop up at the end of the welds is porosity from white-hot steel coming in contact with oxygen in the air. make sure you try to hold a arc length equal to the tungsten diameter and hold the torch there for a few seconds after extinguishing the arc. Let me guess, you're using a tiny #4 cup?

Actually a #7, gas lens, with at least 15cfh, 3/32" 2% Blue tip electrode. These welds were prior to my fixes to properly setup the welder. I had a problem with insufficient power before when using the pedal; so I went ahead and brought a 400A all brass ground clamp and ditched my 100ft 14ga orange extension (I know, using that long thin extension for a welder was stupid) for a 25 ft 10ga contractors extension cord. I'll post my pics again soon with that better setup.

If there is zero draft you can get away with less argon flow than that. I've dialed it down to less than 10 CFH on a #7 gas lens if I keep the stick out short enough. If you have an extended tungsten stick out then you can keep it as is. Just saying .

jwright650 wrote:Keeping the torch in place after the arc is extinguished is tough.....I find myself getting in too big of a hurry and not leaving the torch in place to keep shielding gas covering the hot puddle...and I end up with those "pimples" sometimes.

That's just a self discipline issue.