How To TIG Weld

[Ji Gantor]

I have started this topic so all members that are interested in learning how to TIG weld can join me and hopefully others to shine a light on this dark art.

I request that boilermakers please add what they know to this discussion in a polite manner so we can hear it from the men and woman that TIG weld for a living.

TIG welds are some of the most beautiful welds I have ever seen and I have a great respect for all those that can fish scale alloy.

So lets get our leather gloves on and set the flow meter.

Ji

[Marc.com]

think of it as gas welding with a different heat source....an arc.

so if you can't gas weld it is probably a good thing to learn first (its how apprentices are trained). Like gas the length of the arc changes how much heat you are putting in. Once you get a puddle of molten metal on both the pieces you are joining, join the puddle using heat and a little filler rod and off you go welding and adding more metal as required.....enjoy

[Ji Gantor]

Hi marcFX,
Thanks for contributing.
I agree that it is exactly like Oxy welding but with electricity.

Ji

[Marc.com]

oh forgot to mention it helps a lot if thing fit together well before you start welding.

now TIG welding is one thing but I have always been way impressed by people who can gas weld alloy.....especially gas tanks

[Bruised]

Can you gas weld alloy?

[Lozza]

Gas welding aluminium(NOT F^#KING ALLOY) is pretty simple, just apply flux to the filler rod when the pool forms throw the filler at it. After you have completed the weld then your problems begin.As that flux you lavished on the job is highly corrosive, the job will have to be washed, boiled and neutralised and do the same all over again.Aluminium can also be brazed with the correct flux and a 4043 filler wire. Beware as the melting point of the flux and the aluminium is very close.
With that out of the way we can move to Tungsten Inert Gas, you have DC and AC, DC is for ferrous metals/alloys and AC is for non-ferrous mostly aluminium and magnesium(could there be another??). Next is the machine, modern power sources have all the parameters of the arc controllable.Slope up Slope down, Pulse, Pre/Post Flow,Crater Fill,High Frequency start AC Balance and Frequency. So it's possible to have your weld infintiely varied. From a thin narrow weld  that goes deep into thick material or a wide shallow weld on very thin material (like 0.5mm Al).Also modern power sources have a square wave (as opposed to an old sine wave) on AC this give more time at peak amps and less time at near zero amps.The arc is controlled by HF start (bringing the torch in close contact with the job) or lift arc,when the electrode is lifted off the job the arc starts.Then there is a botton on the torch to press once to start then again to begin slope down amps/crater fill or that can be done with a foot control.
A power source is very cheap these days for a single phase, something I couldn't do without.
So bit more to it than the old oxy.     

[oldyzman]

My tips for anyone starting to tig weld:
You gotta get the basics right first. set the gas so it can be felt accross your lip and heard slightly. Get a piece of material appropriate to the gas your using. with a helmet on of cause, strike an arc by resting the side of the nozzle on the job pivot on the nozzle and the tip will go toward the material once it gets approx 1-2mm from the job it will arc and should not stick. you will see a molten pool apear in the sheet of material move the pool accross the job slowly. Once you can do this with ease then you can try adding filler rod. Be patient
OLDYZMAN

[Lozza]

Oh I almost forgot, you'll need a grinder with a silicon carbide wheel. I would at first practice walking backwards and forwards many times to the grinder and profiling the electrode.  

[dirttracker]

ive been wanting to learn to weld i will keep a eye on this thread.

[Mick22]

Hey Lozza, The typical $1000 chinese 4in1TIG/MMA/plasma units that are on ebay, are these good enough or do you have to spend a bit more to get something worth while??

Does a poorer quality TIG welder affect the quality of the weld or do they just have a poor duty cycle / durability

[Lozza]

That would depend on what your going to do.If you intend making a living from it probably not, but if it's just for home use probably no drama's ,just check on the availabilty and cost of new boards.Should not effect weld quality a lot of that is the user.
Oh yes one other thing unless you have 3 phase in your shed, you are thinking of a single phase tig, you may be needing a 15 or 20 amp plug then you need a 15 or 20 amp outlet and only 1 outlet should be on the circuit(is that correct Hoony???) So an upgrade of power cable to 4mm2 plus a 20amp circuit breaker at the new box in the shed with 4mm2 to the 20amp outlet.

[Marc.com]

Hey Lozza, The typical $1000 chinese 4in1TIG/MMA/plasma units that are on ebay, are these good enough or do you have to spend a bit more to get something worth while??

another option, buy small single phase portable welder, then buy separate rectifier, hoses and gauges etc, any little single phase welder with 130-150 amp range will do, you buy them second hand for beer money, or maybe you have one.

Not as cool as the electronic portable welders but cheaper and unlikely to give you any technical problems.

[Marc.com]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Industrial/Manufacturing-metalwork/Welders/auction-217889470.htm

there you go something like this $140 and you are away

[Ji Gantor]

Thank you fellow members these are all great tips.
Can I please ask that those members that contribute that are Boilermakers please express that they are Boilermakers so other members will know that their advice is gold.
Nothing fancy Just "I am a Boilermaker and this is my tip"

I know that this topic will generate a lot of learning and understanding and with that said it is good to get the best advice from some one that does it every day rather than from some one who has just Googled the info.

Lead by example, so I will go first.
I am not a boilermaker.
I have completed 2 courses on welding, both included Oxy, Arch and Mig welding.
I own an Arch, Mig and a TIG welder.
I have been Mig welding privately for 12 years with a Lincoln 180amp portable.
I have owned a Hong Kong made TIG welder for one year.

Ji

[Ji Gantor]

My first tip for TIG welding was a practical example I experienced first hand.
I was in my local welding shop picking up supplies when a chap walked in and asked what was a good helmet for TIG welding. After a few minutes an ambulance turned up and took this chap away.
I then had to know the story.

This fellow hired a Tig welding unit from a local hire shop. He was told that TIG welding was like Oxy welding which is what this fellow had done for the past 20 years. On returning to his workshop he donned his green Oxy goggles and started to weld. After half a day of welding he decided he needed a new welding shield as he was finding it hard to see the puddle and that is when I saw him in the shop. TIG welding emits the most amount of radiation as this poor chap found out. He spent 3 days in hospital where all the skin on his face peeled off and his eyes recovered.

My Grandfather was a Boilermaker for 45 years. He Oxy welded every day and only used those green goggles. After twenty years a surgeon cut off his nose. After 30 years the same surgeon cut off both of his ears. I never found out how many cancers they cut out of his arms.

So with that said I think my first tip should be to urge others to buy a good quality welding shield, one that is TIG rated. If going for an auto darkening unit they should darken in 1 : 25 0000 of a second.
Millers start at around $350.00 and go up to $900.00.

Ji