TIG Welder'ists - a quick newby Q

Rank amateur tig welder and only know what I know from the two sets I've used (though I've now got a couple of hundred hours of using them over the years). Two things - I reckon the less you know, the more important it is that the set just works - I'm not good enough to know if it's me or the set. Having someone who knows how to tig give it a run first before you try to get the settings right and make sure it's all good will save you a world of hurt. 2nd - maybe I'm coming from a place of luxury - I couldn't possibly imagine using a set without a foot pedal. The ability to alter the current as you weld is fundamental - especially if you are profoundly useless at it and can't work around the kit. Once you have got the hand though - it's addictive, just a lovely thing to do.

And clean. Then clean again. Then clean it.

I havent tried scratch start but i wouldnt want to. Be prepared to sharpen a lot of tungsten. I would think that for the money youll spend on argon youll want a proper bottle so you may as well do it right and get an HF start set

Posted by: convert

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I reckon the less you know, the more important it is that the set just works

I havent tried scratch start but i wouldnt want to. Be prepared to sharpen a lot of tungsten.

I have a small Lincoln DC and a larger Lincoln AC, both have HF starts, I run the AC with a pedal. Both used for prototyping / small jobbing work / pipework.

I have used a scratch start and it's okay but easy to immediately contaminate the tungsten. HF is so much easier as you can get the filler and torch in position flip the helmet shield down with a sharp nod of the head ( I don't like autodark helmets) and hit the pedal or torch button to initiate the arc.

A good TIG set is mega practical and handy, most of them will have a pulser which is useful for very thin gauge metals you would instantly blow through with MIG, you can braze with them (Sif bronze), apply very directed heat to components (expanding/removing bearing races), remove rusted stuck fasteners, bending steelwork etc

There are lots of tutorials on YouTube, I also had an old boy pipefitter teach me the basics and I picked it up very quickly. I don't do enough of it but I think it's one of the most zen things you can do in the workplace - there is so much to be aware of and both hands (and a foot) working in unison as you 'walk the cup' round a cap weld. 

Just be aware - welding fumes are reclassified as carcinogen (I have a Sundstrom air fed), also red tipped / thoriated tungstens used to be more widely used but they emit radioactive dust when ground.

A belt linisher and battery drill is handy and quick for sharpening tungstens.

I actually know something about this subject!!!

Back in t'day, when I were t'lad (late 80s early 90s). I was a TIG welder making stainless steel catering equipment in E&R Moffat of Bonnybridge. I lasted about 6 -7 years before the monotony broke me. The machines were scratch start, tungsten electrode, argon gas industrial monsters. 

It took me a couple of hours to learn how to weld sufficiently well to get put onto the production line. It's not a difficult skill to learn and before long, with a steady hand you'll be producing beautiful welds. As others have said, keeping the electrode clean and sharp (I can still see the dimples in my thigh from the countless times I threw the gun across my lap, only for the red hot, needle sharp electrode to stick in my leg), and a good flow of argon is the key. We used to have a big grinder setup and would sharpen all our electrodes at the start of the day. As soon as one gets blunt or dirty, swap it out. My job, making sink bowls, involved welding the sides onto a U shaped middle section. To get really nice, clean welds, the key was to carefully spot weld everything together first then gently tap the spot welded ends together on a shaped last to close the seam before completing the weld.

Beware of welders flash where the strong UV from welding burns your eyes. It's deeply, deeply unpleasant. I got it while helping another guy do a particularly awkward weld that needed an extra pair of hands. Funnily enough, I also got it again this spring while using a faulty gel Transilluminator in my lab. My past come back to haunt me!

As well as decent ventilation, I'd also chuck in a set of ear defenders. I don't know if it's still the case, but the machine I used made a helluva noise, and if you add in dressing the weld with a hammer, metal on metal it can leave your ears ringing by the end of the day. I have chronic, 24/7 tinnitus which I partly blame on Moffats. Although a love of heavy rock concerts and 30+ years of diabetes probably shares some of the blame.

Finally, if you have more than one machine and the person next to you is using the other TIG welder, then clamping your earth lead to his metal chair / stool and slowly but surely heating it up with your welding torch never gets old. 

Good info - Thank you!

I've seen it said that small machines that can do Arc and TIG are generally a bit crap as TIG.... true?
Seeing as I'm only doing this for fun I need to be careful about costs.

Cheaper machines don't have great stability at low amps - my two Lincolns (the Invertec 220 DC especially) are really nice on very thin sections and have earned praise from multiple people who have used them.

I'm guessing the issue for DIY Tig is the argon - I have an account with BOC and W size cylinders but it's not cheap.

I've used scratch start a few times and it's fine once you have the knack, as the others have said, you will get good at sharpening the tungsten quickly.

See if you can get a gas lens and larger cups for the torch, they make visibility easier & give better gas coverage than a standard collet body. You don't need the transparent cups but they help more.

Posted by: Beagleboy

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Beware of welders flash where the strong UV from welding burns your eyes. It's deeply, deeply unpleasan

Also on any exposed skin. I was once pretty badly "sun burnt" after spending a few hours doing repairs to cylinder heads. My whole chest and abdomen were bright red, and I was wearing a thick work shirt