Welding Tips and Tricks

Howdy all,
Just got an Everlast 225LX delivered this past friday and I can't wait to start learning! I wasn't able to get a bottle of shielding gas lined up so I guess I'll have to wait a while to play with my new toy (I work away from home Mon-Fri)! I did get my 220/60 amp service in the garage completed this weekend though. Now I just need to get some consumables at the local welding supplier for a plenty of practice. Hopefully I can also pick up a college class next semester for a slightly more expanded version of Jody's tips and tricks and keep the stupid questions trimmed back as much as possible here. Any recommendations for basic starting consumables? I've got solid protective gear, and semi-decent welding table. The welder came with a few basics, collets, collet bodies etc. I plan on practicing on some scrap 1/4" 6061 T6 aluminum plate and 1/8' 1018 steel I have. I don't have any stainless metal to practice on but would be interested in suggestions to use for this purpose also.

Not saying it's right but here's what I did when my welder showed up.

Got a stick of 1/16",3/32" and 1/8" tungsten's and a tube of the same 3 sizes in both ER 70s-2 and 4043 filler rod.

In all practicality though I should have just gone W/ the 3/32" stuff and started practicing with that on some scrap.

Practice on thicker metals first as it's more forgiving to a noob than thin stuff which will blow through fast.

PS stay away from the cheap harbor freight tungsten.

I would recommend going with the 2% thoriated tungsten as recommended on this site. It does work better on the aluminum. Have a blast!

Soo, when I head down to my local welding shop with my list, is there any manufacturers that you folks recommend I steer clear of?
Should brand even play a part in ones decisions when shopping for consumables?

Zoomie wrote:Soo, when I head down to my local welding shop with my list, is there any manufacturers that you folks recommend I steer clear of?
Should brand even play a part in ones decisions when shopping for consumables?

So far I'm really liking the Arctime Hybrid tungstens from Arczone. Although Ive only tried them on aluminum so far.
http://www.arc-zone.com/index.php?main_ ... ath=14_154

Ive also tried the Tri-mix from Diamond Ground Products and like it as well, but is a little more expensive then the Arctime, but seems to work well on both steel and aluminum.
http://www.diamondground.com/tungstenwe ... rodes.html

Ive also tried the Radnor brand 2% Thoriated from Airgas, and hate that stuff. Wondering arc, and wont hold a point very well. Ive read from others that don't like the Radnor brand as well.

Start with 3/32 everything. Easier to learn . Unless your welding really thick stuff you wont need 1/8. Get a variety of cup sizes .Gas lenses preferably (it does make a diff) less cfh and better coverage. On the Tungsten selection ive found that 2% Thoriated is great for stainless and mild but to me Orange band Ceriated works great for aluminum. Its balls nice and has a nice arc. Also ive found the smaller the cup to get the job done the better. Dont be afraid to use a 5 or 6 cup on certain jobs . Ive done some of my best welds with these. Always keep a clean tip. If you get anything on it STOP and regrind. I was hard headed about that but not anymore. Another thing off topic I hold my TIG torch with a reg Stick welding glove and my filler with a TIG glove. Reason why is I can run my hand down the path with the thick glove and not worry about heat. Now alot of guys freehand I do also but its easier if you can put your pinky finger down as a guide and move. Remember to dip the filler in the gas coverage. If your dipping and the filler tends to stick dip closer to the heat. It takes practice and more practice trust me. When i have downtime i grad a piece of stainless and practice beads over and over. It makes a diff.....Good luck and let us know

Thanks Torn, I appreciate the detailed answer!

Zoom

I did some things similar..

I bought a pack of 1/16th & 3/32nd in both 2% thoriated and ceriated ..oh and lanthanated.
Why all 3? ...well I wanted first hand experience at what a bad start looks like and wandering arc.

I looked around on ebay and bought some shitty electrodes (got 6 packs for like $40 or so).
Just basically made mental notes about how each piece acted on stainless and aluminum.
didn't do anything outside of making rows & rows to understand what a bad arc was.

I bought one of those crappy gas lens kits too. I saw crappy because until I bought a "good one", I didn't know it was crappy.
What I mean is, the screen in the china-made gas lens looks like a a grate as where the better quality one looks "fine grade screen".
What i noticed was the gas coverage seemed "flexible" or wiggled around a little.
The mesh screen / better quality screen did not exhibit this.

So my basic starting-out kit was a buncha ebay junk and I slowly added pieces in like quality electrodes & lens.
Seems I needed more collets though.


I do have two packs of the super pricey electrodes coming (better than the Diamond stuff from Jim) - we'll see

Here is what I started with,
ER 4043 Aluminum TIG Wire, 1/16” x 36”, 10 lb Box
ER 4043 Aluminum TIG Wire, 3/32” x 36”, 10 lb Box
ER 4043 Aluminum TIG Wire, 1/8” x 36”, 10 lb Box
ER 70S2 Mild Steel TIG Welding Wire, 0.035” x 36”, 10 lb Box
ER 70S2 Mild Steel TIG Welding Wire, 0.045” x 36”, 10 lb Box
ER 70S2 Mild Steel TIG Welding Wire, 1/16” x 36”, 10 lb Box
ER 70S2 Mild Steel TIG Welding Wire, 3/32” x 36”, 10 lb Box
ER 70S2 Mild Steel TIG Welding Wire, 1/8” x 36”, 10 lb Box
Tungsten Electrode, 1/16” x 7” Pure, PK/10 TIG (GREEN)
Tungsten Electrode, 3/32” x 7” Pure, PK/10 TIG (GREEN)
Tungsten Electrode, 1/8” x 7” Pure, PK/10 TIG (GREEN)
Tungsten Electrode, 1/16” x 7” Ceriated 2.0, PK/10 TIG (ORANGE)
Tungsten Electrode, 3/32” x 7” Ceriated 2.0, PK/10 TIG (ORANGE)
Tungsten Electrode, 1/8” x 7” Ceriated 2.0, PK/10 TIG (ORANGE)
Tungsten Electrode, 1/16” x 7” Lanthanated 1.5, PK/10 TIG (GOLD)
Tungsten Electrode, 3/32” x 7” Lanthanated 1.5, PK/10 TIG (GOLD)
Tungsten Electrode, 1/8” x 7” Lanthanated 1.5, PK/10 TIG (GOLD)

Obviously I planned to experiment using a broad selection.
So far, Jody's desription of how PURE tungsten behaves is absolutely correct, even on a transformer/rectifier welder.
Every weekend I experiment a little more, the beads are getting better with each session.
Wob

Wobulate,
Thanks, I went to the LWS and picked up ER70S-2= 1/16, 3/32, 1/8. Stainless 308L=1/16, 3/32, 1/8. Aluminum=4043 1/16, 3/32, 1/8. Collets and bodies 1/16, 3/32, 1/8. Thoriated electrode 1/16, 3/32, 1/8. Tillman gloves, stainless brush=1, steel brush=1. I still need to get a broader range of gas cups/lenses though and make a storage method for the filler rod. Any recommendations for gas cups/lenses?

Just get a range of cups and ply with 'em.

I tried a #4 for the hell of it.. but anyhow just get a few different cup sizes and go at it

I have not experimented with gas cups/lenses yet. I have read they are good for welding Stainless and Titanium, and for long electrode stick-out. There are so many things to learn, I do spend at least 10 hours a week reading about welding and welding techniques.

Many years ago I worked at a motorcycle after-market parts manufacturer. We produced sets of rear controls for control of the rear break and shifter when the bike was being setup as a cafe racer. Another of our products was radial finned cylinder heads for two-stroke motocross bikes. The heads were sand-cast aluminum at a nearby foundry. Not all of the fins were perfect, so one of my jobs was to repair the malformed fins using a TIG welder (actually a Heliarc welder at the time). This machine was 4 feet high, 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep and heavy (a monster). This was my first exposure to TIG welding. And after a few dozen heads I was getting pretty good at stacking dimes on the edge of the fins. My boss was so happy with my aluminum work he moved me to welding the rear-set controls. I believe the metal for the rear-sets was 4130. These parts consisted of turn-buckle adjusters, solid blocks that were drilled and splined and other shapes. Welding these required a steady hand as the components were relatively small. The parts were clamped with levered hold-downs. They required 360 degree beads, so I was constantly moving around a round welding table.

Wob

Zoomie,

I still need to get a broader range of gas cups/lenses though and make a storage method for the filler rod.

To hold your TIG rods I suggest the Rod Guard from Indiana Oxygen Company (IOC) on ebay.
$27 for two 36" long, sealed tubes.

I have shopped at IOC over the net for many years now and can recommend them without question.

Wob

WeldCity.com also has good prices on consumables and wire.

I use 2% Lanthanated tungsten on everything. Carbon, stainless or aluminum it works well on all of them.
BTW Jody uses it too. LOL