Teaching myself to TIG weld - possible?

[longez]

First, I don't need to TIG weld, it's just something I've always wanted to learn. I went and bought myself a spanking new Miller Synchrowave 210 with a Weldcraft 17 aircooled torch and the biggest tank of argon Norco would sell me - 150cf. I also went big and bought a Speedglas 9100xxi helmet.

Now the bad news: I've not arc welded before; not stick, MIG or TIG. I can gas weld okay and can braze. I live in the sticks and there isn't an adult, vocational or HS program within 75 miles of me. Further, I can't find anyone in our small town of 2,500 that knows how to TIG weld to give me some pointers.

I want to eventually be able to do SS, aluminum as well as low carbon and 4130 steel up to 3/16" thick.

Any suggestions on books, videos, online, help? I did manage to get the welder assembled, turned on and ran a bead on a piece of scrap steel I had laying around - no filler.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I would imagine there are a million videos on youtube... That's where I watched a few on tips with mig welding...

 

[BPJOOP93]

You tube will be your friend. Good luck

 

[cj7jeep81]

Here you go, see you in a few weeks

 

[BruceMc]

Here you go, see you in a few weeks

/\ +1

 

[MScott]

I took a beginners welding class at a local community college a number of years back. I had welded and brazed using Oxy-acetylene but had never used any type of electric welding. We did stick, mig, tig and gas welding and I found tig to be the easiest of the new types since it is very similar to gas welding. Now I am not talking about the kind of tig welds some of the members on here can do, just that at the basic skill level it transferred quite easily from gas welding. You should not have a problem.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

Here you go, see you in a few weeks

Yep. Jody is the man.

 

[Medwards]

If you can gas weld, you are 90% of the way there. Tig is about puddle control and gas welding is much harder in that respect. Just practice and watch some stainless and aluminum specific videos. And try not to weld too much more galvanized, the fumes are pretty bad.

 

[rlitman]

If you can gas weld, you are 90% of the way there. Tig is about puddle control and gas welding is much harder in that respect. Just practice and watch some stainless and aluminum specific videos. And try not to weld too much more galvanized, the fumes are pretty bad.

Agreed. Though the reflexes are a little different. You need to break the habit of moderating the heat through torch distance. Long-arcing is bad in TIG, but many of the other parts of the process are similar. On the technical aspect, you'll need to learn how to dial your process in, and how to know when it is dialed in properly.

 

[zmotorsports]

Yes, if I can be self taught anyone can.

That being said, there are a lot more avenues for information than what was available 25+ years ago when I was teaching myself to TIG weld. I had an old timer tell me once that to get proficient at gas welding and TIG welding would be much easier to grasp, boy was he correct. I see you mentioned that you have gas welding experience so your already on your way.

 

[dogdog]

While every one would recommend Jody welding tips and tricks since it is free, it is great but the video is scattered... if you wanted to spend the $$$ .... and wants a video for beginners... this two dvd is great....and very well structured. There is this Mrtig from weld.com guy, also pretty good aside from Jody.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Welddotcom/videos


Also check out miller's resource... they are advertisements but still have good tips.
https://www.millerwelds.com/resources/welding-resources/tig-welding-resources


Also at amazon for free shipping, I got mine from Millerweld when they were still selling dvds they were a bit cheaper...

http://covell.biz/tig-welding-basics/
http://covell.biz/advanced-tig-welding/

HTP also has a video that is pretty good, but I found it boring....but it is a few boxes cheaper.

Only bad thing about these self learning videos is that there is no instructor there to correct your bad habbits formed while welding.... but most of these it is practice practice practice....

 

[rsanter]

TIG os more related to gas welding than MIG or arc

Watch videos, read about it and all but ultimately you need hours and hours of practice

Bob

 

[mcbane]

After getting a TIG machine in 1996 I read the how-to info online and taught myself. A few years later I had the benefit of an expert TIG welder watching me work and providing feedback as I went. In that hour I made huge progress I never would have made watching youtube, reading online how-tos, or practicing on my own.

So I would recommend if you can find a skilled welder who can visit your small town, try to get that person to watch and tell you exactly what you should change in your technique. You dont need a lot of their time.

 

[matt_i]

Its definitely possible. I started with an Econo Tig in 1995 with no auto-dark helmet and graduated to the Syncro 250 and got the Speed Glas a few years ago.

I was rough at first but practice got me to be a better welder. When I teach people these days I have them sit across from me on the corner of a welding table so they can watch up-close what's happening. Trying to look over someone's shoulder will never work well, its too far away to see the technique. When they first weld on their own I don't give them the filler rod at all. Simple **** joints to start and then work on fillets. The most common problem I see is trying to weld with a long arc that's not square to the work, I think its a human response to try to see better. Maybe I'm not teaching it right either

 

[A**holes Garage]

Mr. Tig
Chuckie
Weldmonger

I'm in the same boat, always wanted to learn TIG. But I do have some Arc and MIG experience.

I have a new AHP Alpha Tig 200 machine on order now. Ordered up the tungsten and filler rods, will get some consumables ordered as soon as the machine arrives.

I've been viewing tons of videos on Youtube and I'll start out teaching myself for a month or two and then will take a few hours of class time at the local welding supply shop.

 

[longez]

Thanks for all the good information! The welding supply shops are somewhere I didn't check for an expert. I bought the machine locally (well, at the closest welding supply - 75 miles away) but they didn't say if they had anyone on staff who know knows how to TIG weld - I'll check.

I'm a CFI - flight instructor - perhaps I can find someone who will teach me to TIG weld and I'll teach them to fly

Should I start on steel, stainless or aluminum? I'd like a find a little bit of success to goad myself on, and also to show my Mrs I didn't waste buckets of money on machine I don't know how to use.

 

[High5]

Thanks for all the good information!

Should I start on steel, stainless or aluminum? I'd like a find a little bit of success to goad myself on, and also to show my Mrs I didn't waste buckets of money on machine I don't know how to use.

I would start with steel; then progress to stainless. Leave aluminum to the last. It's more challenging from a heat perspective.

Best of luck

 

[Dagny]

When the puddle gets wide lower the amperage when it starts to narrow raise it. practice.

 

[PCustoms]

Step 1, get some different metal. That zinc coating will weld like **** and can make you sick.

You always want CLEAN material

 

[MoonRise]

Should I start on steel, stainless or aluminum?

Steel.

Plain mild steel. Not galvanized, not some other alloy steel (more $$ and if a 'hardenable' steel, then you can end up with cracking because the steel alloy hardened itself after the welding heat energy cools off).

Stainless you can vaporize the chromium (the element that makes stainless steel 'stainless'). Read up on "hexavalent chromium exposure limits".

Aluminum alloys are not all weldable. Aluminum alloys are a bit more finicky getting the heat input (amps) and travel speed of your welding pass synched up (because of the high thermal conductivity of aluminum).

 

[rlitman]

...Stainless you can vaporize the chromium (the element that makes stainless steel 'stainless'). Read up on "hexavalent chromium exposure limits"...

This is not a real issue with TIG. It is however an issue with MIG.

 

[ndm]

I bought an 2017 model AHP alphatig 200 off of Amazon, got it set up and practiced and before you know I successfully welded up a modification to my stainless exhaust. It works nicely and I got a bunch of accessories for it.

Youtube is your good friend.

 

[longez]

Step 1, get some different metal. That zinc coating will weld like **** and can make you sick.

You always want CLEAN material

Thank you! I'll get some scrap garden variety steel to practice on.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

I hobby weld and learned tig after I retired but your gas experience will help. Pay attention to the details. Size of tungsten, type, %, how steep the point is, what direction it is ground, have a dedicated grinding wheel for that, flow of gas, all those details. Since there may be months between welds, I keep a cheat sheet for each metal, including the heat range for thickness of metal. Sounds **** but it makes the re boot a lot easier. The best advice I got was the sound has to be right. When all is good it sounds like frying bacon. After you have some hood time it would certainly benefit you to have a pro look over your shoulder and help you fine tune.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Any suggestions on books, videos, online, help? I did manage to get the welder assembled, turned on and ran a bead on a piece of scrap steel I had laying around - no filler.

Be advised that the pic you posted looks like galvanized steel, and you never want to weld galvanized. It generates a poison gas that is very dangerous.

Look it up.

 

[A**holes Garage]

Thank you! I'll get some scrap garden variety steel to practice on.

cold roll, no mill scale
if going hot, use your grinder or sanding pad to clean it up before welding

 

[Lelandwelds]

Start with a plain carbon steel. It is less technically difficult and melts and moves from the heat kinda in the middle of the pack compared to other alloys. Use Er70S-2 or ER70S-6 for filler. Not each joint needs filler.

Start slow. Try not to weld on anything expensive or dangerous at first. Congratulations on the Syncrowave! You should be good up to about 1/4" with 200 amps available. (I have welded with an Aerowave and a lot of the inverters. The 250 is my favorite machine.)

 

[jeepinerdeep]

Thank you! I'll get some scrap garden variety steel to practice on.

When I had a CNC plasma table, I would cut 2x5" coupons to practice with out of 14GA HRPO. I cut them out of the waste skeletons and saved them in a bucket.

If you have a plasma shop that cuts HRPO or a sheet metal shop that can shear you a pile of coupons, you can spend maximum time learning. I think it's worth it.

 

[tarmy]

Be advised that the pic you posted looks like galvanized steel, and you never want to weld galvanized. It generates a poison gas that is very dangerous.

Look it up.

This is your friend if you weld galv or other items that can kill you.

 

[kingchevy]

Clean your material to bright, shiny metal, keep your joints tight, and the closer you can keep your tungsten, the better things will go. Start out just pushing a constistant puddle across a piece of plate with no filler rod. And Jody's videos are the best.

 

[CraigStu]

Tig on steel is probably the easiest welding there is. I think it's even easier than gas. Somehow to me, a tig puddle will just sit there waiting for you to decide what to do next. A gas puddle will blow through because the flow of the gas is greater than it is w/ tig. For me and my hobby welder Al needs to be thicker or it blows through. 1/8 inch Al is easy but 1/16 is really hard for me.

 

[Falcon67]

What I got from this is that I need to move forward with setting up an oxy/propane rig so I can brush up on my gas before shelling out for a TIG.

 

[longez]

After a whopping 2 hours under the hood, the oxy/acet welding background is perhaps working against me as I'm conditioned to controlling the puddle by moving the torch closer and further away from the work.

I'm concentrating so hard I forget about my foot pedal, and instead end up long arcing the TIG torch. Some habits to break, but at least I'm familiar with pushing the puddle and feeding rod. It's fun to learn something new, but I can see this is going to be months - not days.

longez

 

[rlitman]

After a whopping 2 hours under the hood, the oxy/acet welding background is perhaps working against me as I'm conditioned to controlling the puddle by moving the torch closer and further away from the work.

I'm concentrating so hard I forget about my foot pedal, and instead end up long arcing the TIG torch. Some habits to break, but at least I'm familiar with pushing the puddle and feeding rod. It's fun to learn something new, but I can see this is going to be months - not days.

longez

Yep. That was the hardest habit for me to break too. Give it some more time, and you'll get used to it.

Here's an exercise I found online that done once or twice gives you some muscle memory:
Get yourself a washer, a sharp pencil, and a piece of paper.
Put the washer on the paper, and using the pencil point in the washer's hole, move the pencil in a spiral around the interior of the washer to walk the washer across the sheet, without drawing on the paper.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Yep. That was the hardest habit for me to break too. Give it some more time, and you'll get used to it.

Here's an exercise I found online that done once or twice gives you some muscle memory:
Get yourself a washer, a sharp pencil, and a piece of paper.
Put the washer on the paper, and using the pencil point in the washer's hole, move the pencil in a spiral around the interior of the washer to walk the washer across the sheet, without drawing on the paper.

New to me! Need to remember this one.

What I got from this is that I need to move forward with setting up an oxy/propane rig so I can brush up on my gas before shelling out for a TIG.

It is cheaper to operate and acquire.

Focus more on the puddle and edges flowing together and less on hand technique. The most common rookie mistakes are the crooked bead, puddle dunking tungsten, and erratic arc length. Not realizing a giant puddle of molten aluminum is sandwiched between the oxide layer is common too. Try to crater out instead of just yanking the torch away. Your cup is insulated. Lay it sideways to space the tungsten above the work.

I fail to see the tig mystique. Mig is the way most things are welded. Faster, cheaper, better.

 

[dr_clyde]

What I got from this is that I need to move forward with setting up an oxy/propane rig so I can brush up on my gas before shelling out for a TIG.

You need oxy-acetylene to weld. Oxy propane doesn't get hot enough.

 

[dr_clyde]

New to me! Need to remember this one.



snip

I fail to see the tig mystique. Mig is the way most things are welded. Faster, cheaper, better.

There may be more things welded with mig, but some things aren't faster, cheaper or better with it. I go months without turning on a wire welder.

I'd have no customers without a TIG machine. It is a valid and useful skill, even for the home shop enthusiast.

I've argued this with forum members here round and round. I've discovered there's basically 2 kinds of people.

A lot of guys view welding as a means to an end. I need to stick these things together to make my race car or my whatever. My plow is broken and I need it fixed. They care very little about the process. MIG welding appeals most to these guys because it is easy to do, cheap, and they can move on with life.

Some guys really care about the process. The precision, cleanliness, control and bead shape is equally important to these guys. Its almost as much about how the weld looks as what the weld does. The stack of dimes is out of place on a back blade, but is exactly the right bead for a nice aluminum intake manifold.

We are a board of ENTHUSIASTS. Sometimes we want to do things purely because they are fun, and cool, and make something useful AND beautiful.

 

[GarageGuy89]

Hardest thing for me is getting your leg and two arms to work in harmony. I'm self taught and don't even consider picking up the TIG torch unless I can sit down and rest my hands on the table. I do prefer using it on the thinner stuff as you can control it and not get bee bees everywhere.

Sadly, I've slowly got in the habit of using stick, since there is no gas involved and I just pick up two cords and go.

 

[rlitman]

...A lot of guys view welding as a means to an end. I need to stick these things together to make my race car or my whatever. My plow is broken and I need it fixed. They care very little about the process. MIG welding appeals most to these guys because it is easy to do, cheap, and they can move on with life...

I view welding as a means to an end. I went with TIG, because it is cleaner to work with, is less likely to give results that look ok but are dangerously bad, and gives me the widest range of options.

MIG can give equal or better results in many cases when you've got it dialed in. But every weld I do is a one-off, and a few extra minutes of arc time is no big deal to me, so TIG was a no brainer for me.

Hardest thing for me is getting your leg and two arms to work in harmony. I'm self taught and don't even consider picking up the TIG torch unless I can sit down and rest my hands on the table. I do prefer using it on the thinner stuff as you can control it and not get bee bees everywhere.

Sadly, I've slowly got in the habit of using stick, since there is no gas involved and I just pick up two cords and go.

The leg for me was quite easy. If you drive a car...
My first controller was an east-west finger knob. I couldn't stand that thing. I found it damn near impossible to adjust without breaking my position.

I used to shoot smallbore rifle competitively, so I'm well versed on the fundamentals of a stable stance, and I am positive that that foundation has helped my TIG welding a lot.

As for keeping your arms in harmony and reading the puddle, these skills are where the O/A background is essentially the same. I started out soldering electronics in my early teens, so the coordination was easy too. Reading the puddle took me some time, as most of my O/A work was in brazing, and not in welding.

 

[sberry]

Brazing and welding are different for sure but the wash with the tig torch in that pic is pretty good, its obvious this wont be a problem for a diy guy. Specialties can be mastered as needed, I saw kids at the nuke couldn't do anything else worth a dam but run a tig on a root. They certainly didn't know much about welding but could do that.