Just bought this today

alloy said:
Well I tried to lay some beads today and was doing so so and I changed the tungsten and it didn't go well after that. The flame looks like it came out of a propane torch. I changed from one that was in the torch to the new ones I bought.

You can see how I sharpened the one on the right and the one he gave me. The one he gave me has no marking on it, so I don't kno what type it is.

So what did I do wrong?
Click to expand...
It looks to me like the direction of the grind scratches on the one you sharpened are going around the perimeter of the tungsten. The grind scratches should be parallel to the rod. Seems like a small thing but it makes all the difference in the world.

Marcel
 
I'm definitely grinding parallel to the rod.

It went a little better today. I used the old electrodes and hooked up the pedal. I got some barely acceptable beads without filler rod. When I add the rod it doesn't look good, so that just tells me I need way more practice without rod before adding filler. I just can't get the weld to flow out. I think I'm adding too much filler.

I have an old style helmet from 30 years ago and it's a pain. So I'm going to order a new miller auto darkening one off ebay. I've seen cheaper ones, but I only have one set of eyes.............I'm going with a name brand on this.

Edit: Been looking at helmets on Ebay and see a tig rating of 20 amps. Why is there a separate rating for tig welding?
 
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For DC welding, I grind my electrodes to a needle point. It takes just a bit more heat to get the rod to flow, I am normally working the foot pedal continuously.

The TIG rating has to do with the sensitivity of the sensors. Sometimes if a low-current TIG is below the threshold of the helmet's sensitivity, it won't recognize the arc and auto-darken.

I use one of the higher end HF hoods, just the pilot arc will darken it, and it has adjustable sensitivity and time delay, as well as adjustable darkness from about 9 to 14. Seems to work very well, I think I paid about $35 on sale.
 
I have three auto-darkening welding hoods, and they all work fine on TIG, MIG, or stick. The $35 Harbor Freight auto-darkening hood I bought works fine, and has never flashed me even at low TIG amperages. My favorite hood is a Rhino that I got on eBay for about $95. I also have an expensive HTP "The Striker" auto-darkening hood. The Rhino and HF hoods have larger viewing areas and are lighter and more comfortable than the HTP.

GG
 
I looked at Harbor Freight and the high end helmet is $60 plus tax. I got this off ebay just now for $70.99. I like it because it has replaceable batteries.

I will try tomorrow night with needle point electrodes. I'm thinking with being able to see where my electrode is with an auto darkening helmet it will be easier to start the weld. I also got some 1/16" rod. I was using 3/32".

helmet.JPG

helmet.JPG
 
Sounds like great and appropriate progress.
TIG is difficult.
It'll take hundreds of hours of practice.
But once you get it, its incredible relaxing and fun.

Daryl
MN
 
Nice hood, I'm sure the auto darkening will help. One other thing that I did today was to take off my bi-focals, and put on a pair of 2.5 diopter reading glasses from the Dollar Store, my welds improved dramatically. I could actually see what I was doing. For the last couple of days I have been working on a project made of 20ga SS, so that's pretty fine work.
 
Same here. I can't weld worth a crap with my bi-focals (assuming I can weld worth a crap in the first place):lmao: I have a special pair of +2.0 glasses that I wear under the welding hood. Being able to adjust the shade helps too. Then I can actually see what I'm doing.

GG
 
Lots of good advice in the thread. TIG takes the most practice out of any of the processes. Good welds mean dialing in settings just right and adding filler at the right times and in the right amounts and being able to read what the puddle is doing and reacting. That takes practice and nothing can change that. The number one tip I can think of is that everything has to be clean. Super clean.

These are some best practices that are overkill for practicing on scrap steel but will help down the road if you get into welding stainless, aluminum, or even titanium. Consider, if possible, getting a grinding stone that only grinds your tungstens so that the wheel is free from contaminants. Ideally media blasting the work piece is best, but wire wheeling or angle grinding followed with a rub down of solvent acetone or alcohol to get rid of any grease is good enough. If you dip the tungsten into the weld or get some filler metal on it stop welding. Break the tungsten, regrind the point and grind out the bit of weld where the tungsten touched. Be extra sure you are getting adequate gas coverage. Low tank pressure, fan blowing, open windows will all cause big problems with the weld if the gas is not covering the weld.

Hope this all helps, I'm no expert by any means but my welding class is going pretty well so hopefully my tips are useful.
 
I really appreciate all the tips everyone is giving me. Thank you very much :)

I bought the helmet because I was getting frustrated with my old one. It was nice 30 years ago, a very high end helmet at the time. But I'm trying to make it as easy and as enjoyable as I can to learn this. I'm sure the thousands of hours it will take me to get good the new helmet will get plenty of use. I just wish it would be here this weekend, but coming from South Carolina it will be next week I'd guess even with priority mail shipping.
 
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