TIG welding help

[RD350]

Hello Sir's: I need some guidance. I want to pursue TIG welding. I am currently building my own exhaust pipes etc. for 2-stroke motorcycles that I restore and would like to learn how to TIG weld.

What would be the best way to go about this? Is there a recommended short term certification course? I just want to do it the right and safe way. Many thanks!

 

[3 Gun Shooter]

Are there any community colleges near you? Many have a welding program, but course like TIG welding have a lot to do with the instructor.

 

[dogdog]

The right way would be attend some schooling and hopefully the instructor would give you some pointers to build a good welding habits as well as common sense and safety.... you'll have to give a lot of respect to your welder... that it might just kill you because you are comfortable with it....

If schooling is not for you for what ever reasons, there are few very good youtuber that posted a lot of good videos and pointers on tig welding...


welding tips and tricks.
The Fabrication Series (he also offer class in Las Vegas area)
6061.com
weld.com
5th Street Fab


dvd wise...

Ron covell tig welding series (basic and advance tig welding) are very good tailored specific for tig welding, worth every penny.. I have both... If you are not attending classes, get these video.. or at least the basic one.


But there are no short cuts to practice practice practice... and don't expect your first project to be super and stack of a dime looks... those people makes it easy...

also if your fit up are tight, you'll have a lot of an easy time welding it...

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I found TIG to be easier than gas welding.

 

[bigguns69]

Learning how to weld with acetylene torch establishes technique and managing the weld pool, best place to start. Get a TIG welder, start practicing, research, more practicing, try a class or get some further instruction from someone with knowledge, more practice......

 

[joe_padavano]

Learning how to weld with acetylene torch establishes technique and managing the weld pool, best place to start. Get a TIG welder, start practicing, research, more practicing, try a class or get some further instruction from someone with knowledge, more practice......

^^^THIS. I've gas welded for a long time. The TIG came pretty easily because of that and really is very similar.

 

[jhn9840]

Learning how to weld with acetylene torch establishes technique and managing the weld pool, best place to start. Get a TIG welder, start practicing, research, more practicing, try a class or get some further instruction from someone with knowledge, more practice......

Went to welding school in the mid 70’s. Back then the instructors made you learn to weld with O/A first. The reasoning was exactly what bigguns stated above.

jhn9840
John

 

[matt_i]

I just learned on my own, bought the welder and started messing around with it. Made a lot of mistakes and dipped the tungsten a lot. Main thing is to be persistent and to put in some practice before you have to lay welds on important stuff.

The best advice I can give to you when learning is to put the filler rod down and just focus on the torch and the pedal and move the pool around until you can get comfortable with that. Focus on flat stuff. Then pickup the filler rod. One of the biggest mistakes I see in beginners is to lay the tungsten down so it almost points in the direction of travel so they can see better and the arc pool is a long oval.

 

[bigmikes50chevy]

a few years ago, from this site, I read about this new little TIG welder from a company in Texas, Jabco, or Jobco Tools, don't remember the exact name. anyway, I bought the TIG cause of the great reviews. This little machine is the best damn novice TIG. I didn't know how to weld with a TIG. Hell, I barely knew how to weld with a MIG. This machine made it easy. I can't do aluminum with it, but that's okay.

Point.... do research, watch videos, buy an inexpensive little unit, practice, practice, practice, practice. You'll grind the tungsten more than you'll weld with it at first, but you'll get the hang of it.

BigMike

PS..... I need to get with the program.... 4 posts in 8 years.

 

[mreisner]

X2 on Covell videos and practice.

 

[Ohmthis]

Since I see you want to weld exhaust for a bike I have to assume you’ll be welding stainless? Know what you plan to do and get the machine that will do it. Don’t waste money (because tig rigs are expensive) on a machine WAY too much for your intentions. Going to a class will help, but not completely cure, learning bad habits. Make sure you are comfortable before you ever start an arc. The most important part, practice, practice, practice!

 

[shawnspeed]

Expansion Chambers should be made of Mild Steel... Stainless tends to crack easily in that application....also gas welding an expansion chamber leaves the steel soft (annealed) and less likely to crack...Just my observations over the last 25 odd years..

 

[RD350]

Thank you Sir's for your response/guidance.
It's going to be in mild steel.
Have a great and safe day, all.

 

[zkling]

1.) Buy a decent machine. AHP Alpha tig is a great bottom starter machine for ~$900
2.) Do some reading / video watching
3.) Try your hand at it
4.) Find a good local class. Ideally one that is a feeder for industry / tech school.

 

[pi_guy]

In 1978 I bought my first Miller Tig welder, it paid for its self in less than a year. I sold it in the 90's it is still functioning in a race shop today.
It is worth spending the extra money for more ability and functionality. In my years of doing this never had anyone say I bought too big of a machine, but dozens have said I wish I had a little more.....

 

[Powr666]

Buy a dc stick machine and learn to run 6010 and 7018. Be on the lookout for an inert gas cylinder deal to pop up. Get it filled with argon. Grab an air cooled tig torch with a manual gas valve and a regulator. Start out with tig as basic as you can get. Scratch start. Exactly how I self taught, along with jodys guidance over at weldingtipsandtricks.com.

 

[BD1]

Tig is slow . You might consider mig since it's carbon steel. Lot less dollars and a 110 volt should be all you need for exhaust work. There's always lots of those around cheap. Check craigslist and facebook marketplace. Buy it and test it out. you can always sell it.

 

[86turbodsl]

Tig is slow . You might consider mig since it's carbon steel. Lot less dollars and a 110 volt should be all you need for exhaust work. There's always lots of those around cheap. Check craigslist and facebook marketplace. Buy it and test it out. you can always sell it.

I've seen way more people screw up exhaust systems with a MIG than anything else. The wire pokes holes in the edges of the pipe, especially for a beginner. We TIG all our engine exhausts here at work. When i once asked a pro welder to weld up my exhaust that i tacked together with a MIG, he pulled out the torches.

I was into a TIG for $300 when i decided to learn. Old Miller 330 A/BP. Did a fine job teaching me.

 

[pi_guy]

I would only use MIG if it was an out of position weld "overhead" if on a bench TIG weld.

If you spend the time to be proficient at TIG welding and get to the level of a professional job you can make your self plenty of $$. Two it is a skill & with the proper machine you can fabricate your self out of many a jam.
I am waiting for a little more warmth before I go to weld aluminum headlight bezels for a 60's whale.

 

[3 Gun Shooter]

When building exhausts for hot rods bikes etc. You do not want to MIG weld, except for tiny tacks to hold tubing in place. Place TIG welding and learn how to back fill the tube with Argon so you get a real clean weld.

For me building exhausts is easy, I started out building motorcycle frames and then moving into race cars. It was a nice skill to have cause then I started building high vacuum systems valves out of stainless.

 

[sqznby]

Learning how to weld with acetylene torch establishes technique and managing the weld pool, best place to start. Get a TIG welder, start practicing, research, more practicing, try a class or get some further instruction from someone with knowledge, more practice......

This

Went to welding school in the mid 70’s. Back then the instructors made you learn to weld with O/A first. The reasoning was exactly what bigguns stated above.

jhn9840
John

I agree, I went to school in the 90s we had to do the same thing, we were not allowed to touch a Tig torch until we A/O welded.
bigguns is correct.

 

[blacknwhitedog]

1.) Buy a decent machine. AHP Alpha tig is a great bottom starter machine for ~$900
2.) Do some reading / video watching
3.) Try your hand at it
4.) Find a good local class. Ideally one that is a feeder for industry / tech school.

X2 on the alpha tig. Just bought one and love it. I used to have access to Miller and Lincoln units, but the alpha will hold its own. Get the 201 model, comes with a better pedal.

 

[GrundleJuice]

On a related topic, I am having issues with welding this steel. Everything is new, the welder and all equipment used with it, the material and the filler. I suspect it is the material I am welding, which is just some mild steel square tubing from your neighborhood hardware store that I'd like to practice and get everything dialed in on before I start welding on 4130. I am no expert welder, quite the amature in fact, but in the past this type of contamination was corrected by through cleaning and prep. I've tried wire wheel, flap wheel, stainless brush, all followed with acetone on clean rag. Tried no acetone in case it was that or the rag causing contamination. Result's are always similar. Only difference I am able to make is with the current control/speed, going hotter seems to help burn some more of it out but still a poor weld.

It's also making the tungsten black and fuzzy/spattered in case that's a clue to the source of contamination.

Welder set at 95 amps, using most of that at start and quickly tapering to what feels like 50-60% as I go. Red tungsten (thoriated 2%), er70s filler, pure argon at about 20cfm.

Thanks for any advice/help.

 

[3 Gun Shooter]

On a related topic, I am having issues with welding this steel. Everything is new, the welder and all equipment used with it, the material and the filler. I suspect it is the material I am welding, which is just some mild steel square tubing from your neighborhood hardware store that I'd like to practice and get everything dialed in on before I start welding on 4130. I am no expert welder, quite the amature in fact, but in the past this type of contamination was corrected by through cleaning and prep. I've tried wire wheel, flap wheel, stainless brush, all followed with acetone on clean rag. Tried no acetone in case it was that or the rag causing contamination. Result's are always similar. Only difference I am able to make is with the current control/speed, going hotter seems to help burn some more of it out but still a poor weld.

It's also making the tungsten black and fuzzy/spattered in case that's a clue to the source of contamination.

Welder set at 95 amps, using most of that at start and quickly tapering to what feels like 50-60% as I go. Red tungsten (thoriated 2%), er70s filler, pure argon at about 20cfm.

Thanks for any advice/help.

It is the material, when the first Korean steel was sold over here in the early 80's it was brutal to weld it had some much **** in it.

 

[motorcycle79]

If that is a **** joint the contamination could be coming from the inside

 

[GrundleJuice]

If that is a **** joint the contamination could be coming from the inside

That was my first assumption and I cleaned with acetone and wire brushed it by hand about 1" into each tube but same result. I have some good steel to try and hopefully confirm that it was the material.

 

[dr_clyde]

Looks like a shielding problem to me. Have you recently switched argon cylinders? Checked all your connections?

Do you have a second known cylinder of good gas?

The odds of you having "bad" metal are pretty slim. As long as it is ground to fresh clean shiny steel. NO MILL SCALE.

My money is still on a shielding problem of some sort. Either a bad O ring in your torch back cap, a broken back cap, bad gas or a bad hose connection somewhere.

Porosity is ALWAYS a function of shielding. That black tungsten is also a pretty red flag, that shouldn't look that way with proper argon shield, regardless of base metal.

 

[dr_clyde]

I'm not 100% ruling out material, but if you have any other clean steel to try it on I would.

It is usually not the material though.

Change one variable at a time. That way when it goes away you can figure out what it was for sure.

 

[GrundleJuice]

Looks like a shielding problem to me. Have you recently switched argon cylinders? Checked all your connections?

Do you have a second known cylinder of good gas?

The odds of you having "bad" metal are pretty slim. As long as it is ground to fresh clean shiny steel. NO MILL SCALE.

My money is still on a shielding problem of some sort. Either a bad O ring in your torch back cap, a broken back cap, bad gas or a bad hose connection somewhere.

Porosity is ALWAYS a function of shielding. That black tungsten is also a pretty red flag, that shouldn't look that way with proper argon shield, regardless of base metal.

I'm not 100% ruling out material, but if you have any other clean steel to try it on I would.

It is usually not the material though.

Change one variable at a time. That way when it goes away you can figure out what it was for sure.

I don't have any other gas but I did inspect the connections visually so nothing is missing seals or anything obvious but that isn't a great way to verify. I can hear and feel gas coming through the cup if I tap the pedal so I know it's getting some. It is new equipment, bottle included, so I wouldn't be shocked if there was an issue with something. I'll have known good metal to try this weekend, it's stuff I welded at work with another tig machine and it has paperwork from the distributor so no question marks about that stuff. I'll even grab a piece of er70 filler from work to test that variable.