TIG Beginner - Equipment setup.

[T0rnado69]

I am still a noob.

you and me both steve, im struggling to do anything good like i did at yours.

i tried to tig some SS brackets the other day, 1mm brackets onto some SS box,

i struggled to hell doing it. think the filler wire may of been too big, 1.6mm

no idea really to the machine settings...

i should of just put some SS wire in the mig and done it.

 

[Richard.]

1.6 is good for up to 100 amps on AC. Step up after that. It is balance dependant also. 40%ep is going to be much harder on the electrode than 25% so that's also got to be thought about.

 

[Screwdriver]

you and me both steve, im struggling to do anything good like i did at yours.

i tried to tig some SS brackets the other day, 1mm brackets onto some SS box,

i struggled to hell doing it. think the filler wire may of been to big, 1.6mm

no idea really to the machine settings...

i should of just put some SS wire in the mig and done it.

Did you get yourself a decent helmet? That Speedglas helps tremendously plus I have quite a bit of additional lighting. For me it's all about that little puddle and if you're struggling to see it, you're going to struggle. After that it's just a case of finding a setting that works on a bit of scrap then tally ho!

 

[T0rnado69]

i have a speedglas xl, though i found it needs new clear lens, struggling to find some though.
as for additional lighting in just working on that now.

im going to get some 1mm filler and see how that is on 1mm to 1.5mm plate.

 

[hotrodder]

Also what are your thoughts on double Passes? On a couple of corner joints i did. First pass i used filler and found the outcome a bit Ugly, so i went did a second pass, no filler, to smooth out the weld. Is this frowned upon?

Yep, not a habit to get into. It's never gonna have any positive effects but can have lots of negative ones

 

[Brad93]

Outside corners take a while to get looking nice, it all comes with practice. Practice is all it comes down to, getting that seat time regularly.

 

[Richard.]

Outside corners take a while to get looking nice, it all comes with practice. Practice is all it comes down to, getting that seat time regularly.

I find with outside/inside corners it's very much down to the individual preference as to how easy they are. Inside corners are slow in comparison and some newcomers can get on with them because you can keep the pool under control at their pace. On the other hand they are far less forgiving on arc length variations and visibility tends to be the thing new welders struggle.
Out side corners offer more flexibility on arc length and you can see from every angle but the nature of the joint with 2 cut edges pushed to a point meaning consistent fast speed is crucial which can be a difficult thing when learning. Slow down or stop for a second and the result can be a mess. I always found when learning the inside corner to be easier as I could keep my arc length very tight and consistent, it took a little more practice before I had the outside corner mastered as I didn't have a pedal back then and speed was key.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Looks to me that problems with corner joint are down to travel speed being too high, and amps increased to try and get over problems caused by travel speed? Also while its possible to run bead on plate without a foot pedal relatively easily, its much more difficult to get good results on any sort of joints without a foot pedal. I would say for any beginner wanting to weld aluminum a foot pedal is a very good idea, as it will make things a good deal easier.

 

[Gizmo.Y]

Still trying Lap joints...tried to weld a bit of Angle to this tube for a bracket tab. im getting the same results all the time...the top peice is just balling, hardly touching the tube! I can bead on the tube and the angle perfectly fine. but i just cant weld the damn pieces together...

 

[Richard.]

Short sharp burst of high current and get the fill in quick then get straight back off the power. DONT try to gently apply current to get a pool. It won't work. The tube is like a big heat sink that's sucking the heat away and the flat can't cope with any heat your applying so it melts away. You need to hit it hard and fast.