Learning TIG Welding

[Lemonhead]

Got my rig from Eastwood last week and have been practicing. Finally ready to put something out here for others to review.

These are all **** welds on 1/8" cold rolled.

I worked from left to right on this piece. Penetration was not good on the first three as I was nervous about putting too much heat on it. I think the end of the last bead is getting there.

 

[superspec]

what size filler are you using?

 

[paul2112]

If you really want get good, take a class at ur local community college,,,1 price and u get to burn there rod,gas and electric..Plus u have an instructor to help ya

 

[Lemonhead]

3/32

 

[Lemonhead]

Looked into it. The local classes don't work with my schedule.

 

[kazlx]

Need to clean the material better. The beads should be shiny.

 

[BigMike782]

I would suggest starting out just running beads without filler to get a handle on arc length and puddle control.

X2 on starting with bright shiney material.

 

[Lemonhead]

Thanks, I have a flux core mig welder and am used to dirty looking welds so I wasn't quite sure how shiny they should be.

I just hit it was a flapper disk to get it shiny, but didn't do anything more (like wipe down with acetone).

 

[kellymc]

Get a gas lens for your torch, better shielding during welding also check your flow rate, make sure it's not to high

 

[Lemonhead]

I was running 12CFH. I'll look into the gas lens.

 

[bsaint]

How is your penmanship?

 

[Lemonhead]

Penmanship is good. I am a classically trained pianist and used to compete - so that part of my brain works pretty well.

 

[Lemonhead]

I'm going to work on it without filler tonight.

 

[EdT]

There is a ton of stuff out there. I especially like Weldingtipsandtricks.com (I think). Lots of good solid info and demos. The Miller site also has some good demos. That said, there is no substitute for practice. I got a rig about 8 months ago and I use it every chance I get. I have gotten better and better, IMHO, but there are some things that have to be unlearned if you're familiar with other forms of welding. I learned to weld with gas and it's been difficult not to use the TIG like a gas torch. More power and move faster. I have done enough commercial work with it to pay it off so now it's just a matter of more practice in order to get better. All in all, I've not found it too difficult to do functional welds, but there is room for improvement on the cosmetic side. I have also found that a really good helmet helps a great deal. The cheapo ones are OK for welding farm equipment, but if you're trying to do fussy stuff a good one is better.

 

[Lemonhead]

Ed,
Thanks for the advice. I have going weldingTipsandtricks.com and Mr. Tig on Youtube (might be the same guy, I can't remember). I got the Eastwood starter TIG rig because, well, my projects need to pay for my toys. So, this rig will help me do some projects that, I hope, will finance better equipment and more toys. I thought about using gas because it's so versatile, but the wife wasn't too keen on having a couple of tanks in the garage (nor was the landlord). I also needed a TIG rig that would work on 110V. This all fit the bill. So, hopefully my project will be financially successful and I can upgrade soon.

 

[sberry]

This looks good.

 

[bullnerd]

Watch the guy on WT&T( you got that) do what he says, sharp/proper tungsten, short arc length, keep the filler close to arc.

What I work on when I'm welding,
Concentrate on breathing, Don't hold your breathe.
Concentrate on your feed hand, I practice this when I'm not welding.
Moving/controlling the puddle will get better with practice.

 

[Lemonhead]

Thanks for the advice. I'm starting to practice feeding separately. One problem I have is that my eyes aren't as good as they used to be (because I'm a software developer), and so I have progressive lenses. I have to hold my head a certain way to see things clearly. I'm probably going to just get a pair of glasses that are made for welding distance and wear them.

 

[rockwithjason]

most use cheater magnifier lenses available from most suppliers. your eye doc can make up custom ones too. one thing that helps with hand control is giving yourself a count in your head like when you play music. it gives something for you to reference as you are moving your hands

 

[mikegt4]

Take a look at the WeldingWeb forum, a lot of info and plenty of people willing to help.
http://weldingweb.com/

 

[Fifelaker]

The top look good, what does the other side look like?

 

[Lemonhead]

@fifelaker - Didn't get good penetration at all on all but the tail end of the last bead. I was worried about getting too hot on the first three and then started feeling it on the last one.

 

[EdT]

One of the benefits of a good welding helmet is the provision for snap in corrective lenses. I am old and need reading glasses to see stuff close up. I use a 2.5 diopter lens in my helmet and that works pretty well since my eyes are not too asymmetric. If your eyes are fairly symmetrical you can test this out with some dollar store reading glasses. That would give you an idea of how the cheater lens will work for you, or it may be all you need.

 

[Lemonhead]

Thanks, Ed, I'll try it.

Ran some beads without filler and was pleased with the results. Good penetration and even bead width and really looked good.

Tried a couple fillet joints and just butchered the hell out of it. I thought I was working right in the corner and was really up on the top part and just didn't have a feel for the puddle control. I know the bottom of the upside-down T will take more heat and tried to focus it there so I wouldn't burn through the top part. I need a LOT more practice on that joint before I would be willing to post a pic!

 

[IronCleveland]

Looks like you're doing well for just starting. My advice is more heat (amps) and move faster. That will get you better penitration. Don't be afraid of pumping some juice into steel, it's a lot more forgiving than some of the other metals you'll eventually move on to. Once you really figure out steel you'll have a little bit of an easier time later

 

[Fifelaker]

**** joints can be a hard joint to master. To get full penetration you need a root gap, how big depends an the thickness of your base metal (unless the base metal is very thin). In class they had us do puddles then beads. Then move to horizontal tee joints then lapps then horizontal open root butts then vertical butts. Oddly I find the vertical easier than horizontal. You need to learn to read the "Keyhole" and learn when to add filler to the puddle. It takes time under the hood.

 

[Lemonhead]

@Fifelaker, what do you mean by reading the "Keyhole"? On my horizontal tee joint, I had a hard time seeing what was going on between the vertical and horizontal plates. Is that the "keyhole" you are referring?