Newbie now with TIG.

[dazza]

A bit better i suppose, should have stuck with MIG. All bar two of these were done with 1mm rods. Gone through 10 bar of gas already .

 

[DAPPH]

So are those worm holes at the start of the runs the reason why a pedal is a good idea or can the trigger on the wand eliminate them ( I don't have a pedal YET ! )

 

[Paul.]

The craters are at the finish of the bead, they can easily be eliminated by using a bit of slope down and / or backstepping a little at the end of the run as per this video from the tutorial,
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/tig-technique/tig-bead.mp4

 

[dazza]

So are those worm holes at the start of the runs the reason why a pedal is a good idea or can the trigger on the wand eliminate them ( I don't have a pedal YET ! )

I'd like a pedal but would probably cost as much as the welder.

The craters are at the finish of the bead, they can easily be eliminated by using a bit of slope down and / or backstepping a little at the end of the run as per this video from the tutorial,
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/tig-technique/tig-bead.mp4

I find the button very awkward to switch off and i'm hanging around too long at the end of the weld. I twist the handle on the torch until the button in a good position but as i start welding the torch moves. Maybe i should use the button without latching mode?

The welder has a Variable crater current (button I2) and Variable button (search arc) (button Is). How are these used?

I'm getting slightly better at feeding the rod but i cant dip it i slide it along the metal into the pool is this a bad habit?

 

[Paul.]

I wouldn't use the 4t latching mode for short runs like that, in fact I rarely use it at all, if you set 2 or 3 seconds downslope and make sure your gas post flow is a few seconds longer than that you shouldnt need to use any fancy features, save those until you have mastered basic tig technique, when you get to the end of the run backstep a little then release the trigger and hold still till the arc fades out and the gas stops.

 

[gt6s]

I'd like a pedal but would probably cost as much as the welder.

Could you adapt a Stahlwerk one ? Only £26.00 New

 

[dazza]

Could you adapt a Stahlwerk one ? Only £26.00 New

Could be an option at that price. I tried it with 2t today much better still get a small crater at the end. Running out of scrap now.

 

[dazza]

As i've run out of plate i have a bit of 1.5mm box left i may cut it up and try sticking a few bits together and also laying some beads on it. With 1.5mm box and 1mm wire I will V out the outside joints what about the butt joints? Flush together or a gap?

Thanks again for all your help guys, I do like the TIG process hopefully my skills will improve.

 

[dazza]

This will give me a little bit of weld time .

 

[Richard.]

I like the back step technique a lot. I rarely use a pedal nowadays as I simply find it a chore unless I'm sat at the bench.
When you come to try AC the backstep is even more important as craters on Alu are almost certainly going to happen without proper phasing out. 2 seconds downslope is all I ever use any current and material I've never found a need to change it. Release the trigger, final dab then back step over the last dime. I like to back step as the current is phasing out rather than at full current. On box section I quite like to roll over the edge slightly too.

 

[dazza]

I made a right mess of that .

I struggled with the tacking up the tungsten would ball up straight away i don't get it was not touching the metal.

Made a few holes when tacking up tried to fill them later and made them worse. I thought about getting the MIG out as i'm ok at filling holes with that

I found the outside corner joints the easiest.

Gone though 40 bar of 200 is that normal?

 

[Richard.]

You would do wonders with half a day professional tuition, any chance of that happening in Spain?
Yes that hasn't gone well but perhaps a step too far?
Your plate runs should be to an excellent standard before attempting joints on thin walled box on the plus side if you do get the holes filled you can linish those welds back and the actual item could still look nice.
Tacking is a skill in itself and one that can be more challenging than the actual welding when dealing with thin wall.
This is a case (should of mentioned earlier) when all slopes settings are better off tuned off.
Good fit up is key and hit it fast with a high current, get fill in immediately and come straight off.
Practice that till you have perfect tacks every time.
When you come to do your run turn your current back down to a level that's suitable.

 

[dazza]

You would do wonders with half a day professional tuition, any chance of that happening in Spain?

The guy i get the gas off did mention someone who could give me a lesson, i would like to get a little better with the filler rod first. Also going to try and get some 1.6mm rods they dont have A15 here unless the code is different.

Yes that hasn't gone well but perhaps a step too far?

I ran out of plate so the plan was to stick this together then run some beads on it and hopefully it wont warp as much as the plate. Flip it over and weld on a different side hopefully i can get more beads run.
I enjoyed it though which is the main thing.

Would it be better to practice with some thicker material and 1.6 rods?

 

[Richard.]

The ideal thickness imo for practicing runs on a plate on DC is 3mm.
1.6 tungsten 1.6 filler 80-100 amps and run some welds down it.
Let it cool, grind em flat and run them again. This way your not going through stacks of material.
6-7lpm on the gas is ideal and yes you will use it up quick when cladding beads on plates.

 

[DAPPH]

You would do wonders with half a day professional tuition, any chance of that happening in Spain?
Yes that hasn't gone well but perhaps a step too far?
Your plate runs should be to an excellent standard before attempting joints on thin walled box on the plus side if you do get the holes filled you can linish those welds back and the actual item could still look nice.
Tacking is a skill in itself and one that can be more challenging than the actual welding when dealing with thin wall.
This is a case (should of mentioned earlier) when all slopes settings are better off tuned off.
Good fit up is key and hit it fast with a high current, get fill in immediately and come straight off.
Practice that till you have perfect tacks every time.
When you come to do your run turn your current back down to a level that's suitable.

I too have been offered some guidance by a semi retired self taught engineer who has been repairing /welding coal mining machinery & very heavy vehicles ( 1/8 inch to 8 inches thick welds ) since he was 13 years old ..he's now 69 & has a small ( two x 60 x 20 foot cojoined sheds ) engineering workshop to die for with folders ,guillotines milling machine ,lathes a three foot radial drill borer , a dozen or more MIG's , stick welders & plasma cutters plus a magic eye oxy/acet profile cutter that's able to burn out 10 inches of steel accurately .

The more I've seen on this thread and also that on thr MIG welding thread the more I realise I need that bit of extra guidance before I start wrecking some decent metal work . A 50 year gap from when I first started to learn to weld & TIG is far too long a time to pass without a decent refresher course .

 

[dazza]

I need some TIG rods then

Will these be ok?

Lincoln LNT25 ER70S-3

 

[eSCHEn]

Should be fine Daz. Good quality brand and ER70S-3 is a basic rod.

ER70S-2 is the triple de-oxidizer stuff, which is what you want if you can get it.
ER70S-3 is run off the mill bobby basic stuff, perfect for clean metal.
ER70S-6 has more de-oxidizers than S-3 and gives a wetter bead, copes with "dirty" steel better than S-3.

In practise neither of us is gonna notice the difference

http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/Products/Alloys/Welding/Mild-Steel/ER70S-3-GTAW-TIG.aspx for more info


Edit - made mistook

 

[dazza]

Should be fine Daz. Good quality brand and ER70S-3 is a basic rod.

ER70S-2 is the triple de-oxidizer stuff, which is what you want if you can get it.
ER70S-3 is run off the mill bobby basic stuff, perfect for clean metal.
ER70S-6 has more de-oxidizers than S-2 and gives a wetter bead, copes with "dirty" steel better than S-3.

In practise neither of us is gonna notice the difference

http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/Products/Alloys/Welding/Mild-Steel/ER70S-3-GTAW-TIG.aspx for more info

Thanks! I'm trying to find some local as posting them from the uk works out expensive due to the length.

 

[eSCHEn]

Just watch out for ones marked CCMS, R45 or gas as they're oxy-acetylene rods and don't have the de-oxidisers you want for TIG. Usually easy to spot as they're mega cheap in comparison.

DAMHIK okay

 

[dazza]

Not having any luck finding these to buy online in Spain. A15 are ER70S-2??