Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello,

i am new to tig welding and i just got my JLT210 machine.

i made beads on 0.7mm SS plate with filler 308 at the begining it looke very bad after adjusting the current it looked clean gold and nice.

i tried to weld steel about 2-3mm with 308 filler 1.6mm thung and cup 6 current was 80amp but the welds looks gray/black ,any advice will be apriciated?

also from some reason the machine is not switching to AC i am not sure if its problem in the machine ,i am waiting for a response from JLT, this machine is the same as the everlast 210ex.

thanks

Welcome to the forum.

thanks mike,

ok after some practice on 3mm ss304 this is the result, 2.4mm thun and 1.6 filler.

any advices will be apriciated

You are welding too slow and holding an inconsistent arc length because you are new to tig welding. Keep running bead after bead, but not on the same tiny plate. You will heat-soak it which introduces yet another variable you are not able to yet control. Have multiple pieces on hand so you can keep alternating.

DItch the #6 cup and use a #8 for now. Make sure you have at least 8s of post-flow to help the bead not to oxidize. Run only 1" long beads at maximum until you are able to better manipulate the many variables that must be controlled with tig welding.

+1

Oscar wrote:You are welding too slow and holding an inconsistent arc length because you are new to tig welding.
DItch the #6 cup and use a #8 for now.

Most common things I found wrong when I have a problem.
1.Arc Length
2. Torch Angel

I think a lot of times you think the weld puddle should be bigger so what's first thing you do give it more arc length. yes the puddle gets bigger but you increase heat input and makes it harder to control puddle. Also in your welds where all of a sudden there is a change in your bead width I would bet that was when you had to move whole hand and increased arc length when you moved hand. plus because you had to move hand and reset fingers to natural position the piece soaks heat in that area. Try to slide whole hand when moving torch so your not welding with finger tip movement. if you learn to weld that way you can only do an inch at a time before you get out of position.

Arc length should be 1 to 1.5 times of your diameter so in your case at least 1.6 no more than 2.4 I do not like going to the upper limit keep it around 1.6 to 2.0 things will improve and you will be like

When I had trouble on tubing not looking like I wanted it was because of not rotating torch as I went around it. So torch angle would be off as I moved torch forward. I noticed on a Mr.TIG video he also was coming around tubing but not rolling torch to correct torch angle. Which equals crappy looking welds. I brought my torch in house with a tubing joint and practiced keeping angle and arc length the same. Since I was in house with no helmet I could see errors in my movement and could correct it and learn muscle memory. next time I tried it with hood and real arc there was a huge improvement. I know you are doing flat plate right now but don't be afraid to take your stuff in house and do dry runs practicing moving torch in a smooth manner watching closely your arc length and angle. Also practice moving your whole hand not just your fingers. Practice with a purpose like you are really welding. If you just drag fast it's not gonna help. Get a rhythm going move dab move dab move dab. trust me this will work to help you improve

yea this is exacly the problem i am moving the finger not the arm, i am trying to work on this.

i practiced on steel today trying to move only my arm ,will post pictures later.

sshh wrote:thanks mike,

ok after some practice on 3mm ss304 this is the result, 2.4mm thun and 1.6 filler.

any advices will be apriciated

It looks to me like you are running too cold. The beads have too much crown. Turn up your amps so the bead will flatten out. Don't worry about the color for now-just concentrate on getting a good bead. When you can lay a nice looking bead=then worry about the color!

Hope this helps! The trick to stainless is go in hot and get it done. Don't let the heat build up!!!

made some practice on steel, then welded two parts this is the result

i am wasting too much argon on practice do you think i should weld without it till i get it

thanks!!!

no, you can't weld with the gas

Like motox said you have to weld with argon. If you don't have gas the tungsten will just burn back up into torch and make a huge mess. Learning uses a lot of gas, filler, and metal. Not sure of your tank size but I suggest you get the biggest tank available. these are normally a 300 size and you will have to get a lease or rent. your refills are considerably cheaper When you figure out how much gas you get compared to filling small tanks.

Company I rent from is a one time lease payment with 5yr, 10yr, 20yr leases. You just pay for gas when exchange tanks. Cost around $300 for 10yr lease about 70 for refills.

i bought the big tank refill is about 80-90$ here, i am allmost finishing it.

i have a sump i want to weld to my fuel tank (i am not going to do it now dont want to mess my tank) and i want to practice on this.

the sump is 304ss 3mm and the fuel tank is steel about 1mm, what thung size to use? filler 308 or 70s6? what amp?

some ss from today


thanks

ER309 is a rod designed to weld dissimilar materials. I would use a 3/32 tungsten personally, but you might find it easier to use 1/16th. As for amperage, 120 would be your max, but anywhere above 40a will melt the steel if following the 1 amp per thousandth rule (or 4 amps per 0.1mm) You probably need around 60 or so to get the thicker piece to bead, and I'd imagine most of us would set the machine between 90-100 and use the foot pedal to take care of the rest. I would practice the same joint that you are going to be welding and post some pictures up of it.

I was about to say you shouldn't be using 308 on steel, you should be using 309 if thats what you have and you should definitely be using the 309 when welding the tank like Greintime said and get in some good practice first.

My setup for what you are trying to do would be 3/32 tungsten, #7 cup, gas lens, machine set to 100 or so use foot pedal. 309 filler in .045. Tungsten sharpened to a point.

sshh wrote:made some practice on steel, then welded two parts this is the result

You will never have good results if you dont start with nice shiny steel... all the steel in your pictures has not been cleaned!

sshh wrote:i bought the big tank refill is about 80-90$ here, i am allmost finishing it.

i have a sump i want to weld to my fuel tank (i am not going to do it now dont want to mess my tank) and i want to practice on this.

the sump is 304ss 3mm and the fuel tank is steel about 1mm, what thung size to use? filler 308 or 70s6? what amp?

some ss from today


thanks

Whooaaa!
What fuel (if any) has previously been in the tank?

If it's gasoline or similar, attempting to weld it might be a big no-no
Please check this video out:
9DP5l9yYt-g

I've welded diesel tanks, as have my father and Superiorwelding with no ill effect. As long as the inside has been thoroughly cleaned it is fine.
Key word: thoroughly cleaned, not rinsed with water like that guy in your video.

i already cleaned with soup and water and let it dry for a month opened, i dont worry from explosine, i am worry with making a hole in this tank.

sshh wrote:i already cleaned with soup and water and let it dry for a month opened, i dont worry from explosine, i am worry with making a hole in this tank.

I am going to come off rather harsh and I make no appology for it. You are concerned about the wrong thing. Your primary concern is and should be fire/explosion of your fuel tank. I have a friend who had to rush one of his employees to the ER because he blew up a tank and burnt almost his entire body. On the way to the hospital the guy begged my friend to take his life. Fuel tanks, especially gas, are not a joking matter.

I HIGHLY recommend you purge your tank with argon. I would recommend professional cleaning as well. Remember the combustion triangle, fuel, heat and oxygen. Eliminate one of the three and you will not have a fire/explosion. Purging your tank with argon will eliminate your oxygen thus making your cell safe for welding.
-Jonathan

What kind of fuel are we talking about here, gas, diesel, alcohol, etc.
I know several old welders and they all refuse to weld on gasoline fuel tanks. Some say they are old welders because they never welded on fuel tanks. To give you an idea on how dangerous this can be call around to a few welding shops most will not do it. I have heard several methods of purging not gonna give an opinion on best way cause I never did it and won't do it. Remember you don't know for sure how effective purge is unless you have o2 meter. With the price of them just pay some else to take the risk

ofcourse i am concered of being explode, what i am tryig to say is this fuel tank cleand very good more then a month ago ,i left it open outside till now , the tank dont have even a gasoline smell and it is still open in my small work room.

this is the reason i am not concered, i wouldnt touch it if i wasnt sure it is not clean.

i realy apriciate your advices!!!

http://s56.photobucket.com/user/malibus ... 4.jpg.html

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/kjp800/ ... 0.jpg.html

sshh,
Ok, it never hurts to be over cautious. Remember, safety third (Mike Rowe).
-Jonathan