TIG is Hard

I was introduced to TIG, hardfacing with Stellite, took me about 10 mintues to get onto it, only problem I had, my "teacher' was left handed, started me out that way.... I used to get pretty good sunburn triangles where my shirt was open below the mask.
 
Jeff may have low resistance through his body.
I wouldn’t recommend exposed skin when welding , the ultraviolet light is bad for most living things. Also possibility for electrocution is real.
When i was an iron worker , my roommate had to weld in the laying down position , between 2 pieces of building iron apparently after sweating and welding in one spot for an hour or so, he suffered low voltage electrocution. It did some nerve damage as he was not able to feel he was being electrocuted other than slight tingling in his knees

1/8” thick materials are good practice fodder

you may wish to wait until you get a few moons under your belt before welding stainless, especially thin gauge stuff.
Since stainless doesn’t transfer heat very well , the material often distorts and can be challenging for the novice. Thicker material will alleviate some of the tendency to warp in the weld zone.
Extra tacks and short welds in the weld path help in keeping warpage to a minimum

Pulse tig is the greatest thing since sliced bread
 
Jeff,
I have the same issues with vision. I bought some 4X reading glasses that I use under my hood and they help a lot. The biggest problem is that I just don't do it often enough to maintain my skills. A few decades ago I was a pretty good welder, but there weren't many days that I didn't have to weld, so my skills stayed well honed. Plus, I wasn't an old man !

Ted
 
Janderso said:
That's what I'm using John.
I'm also wearing the welding sleeves to avoid getting sun burned.
I haven't tried stainless yet. I have quite a bit of stainless sheet scrap I can learn on.
I'm using 100% argon. OK for stainless?
Maybe I'll try out the 1/8" welding cards I bought for practice. This thin stuff is a royal PITA
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Yes, I opened the picture and see the gloves, and also yes, 100% argon for stainless. Stainless is easy to weld, but gets oxidation on the back side if not purged with argon or other means/ substance to keep air away.
 
Jeff, try that weld with the 18 ga. material again, only this time without using any filler metal. Just focus on heat control and steady motion, and the result should be a neat, strong fusion weld. Whenever tipping two thinner pieces together at an angle like that, even at 90 degrees, simple fusion is the way to go. Just don't overheat your starting corner, or you'll lose your base metal.
 
Ulma Doctor said:
Jeff may have low resistance through his body.
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That implies he is completing a circuit from one voltage potential to another, with the ground (table) being one of them. What is the other? The torch handle should be insulated.

I would guess your roomate was stick welding. Stingers are certainly easier to contact rod potential.
 
My point is you may want to investigate what is the other contact point. HF start does pose a higher risk of shock and can occur just on radiated energy , but if shocks are occurring outside of that I’d investigate. If nothing else it may reveal a grounding issue which could also complicate welding
 
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I TIG stainless everyday at work. It takes some practice and it will click. Seeing the puddle is what most people struggle with, me included. I have my welder at 125 amps so its pretty easy to see that. Turn it down to 40a or so and it gets tougher to see.
Joe
 

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First, make sure you are on high frequency start ONLY. Not continous.
You will always have this issue with TIG. The best you can do is.control it... You can help it with a well insulated torch, and maybe a sleeve on the leads.
Also, if you have the option, turn down the HF. On older machines there's an adjustment available.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 
Oh, yeah, on thin stuff, look up the right Tungsten size and amp range! It makes a HUGE difference to get the electrode right. For really thin stuff you may want DC reverse. This puts 70% of the heat in the electrode. Go up an electrode size if you do this.

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