Need advice/directions.
http://db.tt/ckEJGvCg
This is my attempt at learning TiG. Mind you I am holding the torch for the second time with no previous welding experience. So go easy on me
My first time, I burnt holes in the material.

 

Someone more knowledgable and experienced than myself is probably going to recommend starting on material other than tubing.

In the class I took, we started with lap joints, then fillet, outside corner, etc. We didn't even touch any tubing aside from doing a fillet weld for a tube to a flat plate. It was an intro course offered over a few weeks by a welding shop, not a full class offered at a community college/technical school.

 

easy..... clean ur metal better, more gas flow and less heat...... if thats 16 gauge i would not set the machine to any higher then ~60 amps. use 15-17cfm of gas flow and if ur not running a gas lense then look into getting the parts for one cause the gas coverage is much better with them. hope that helps.


mike

 

what's a gas lens? this isn't a class, i work at a composite shop and we have all sorts of tools, it is slow lately and i am killing time by welding exhaust pipe cut-offs and anything else laying around.
thank you for the tips. the metal wasn't cleaned at all, and i dipped the tungsten but continued to weld.
i did some chrome/moly tubing welding, which went better as well. i will try aluminium tomorrow.

 

this is a gas lense.....




mike

 

clean your materials, turn up the gas a bit. what are the specs on your setup? cup size, electrode size, filler rod???

 

Amperage? Filler metal size?

Looks like you didn't really clean, are really hot, and not enough gas. Tube is also really tough to learn on, you're better off learning on flat plate if you can get your hands on some. Just make sure to get rid of the scale before you weld. Keep at it, it'll get better!

 

began making a new seat frame for the motorcycle, 3/8" chromemoly. i'll post some photos when i find my phone.

 

If you are welding stainless or high crome metal you need to back purge it, for it not to sugar up.

Dont tig weld on galvanized metal.

Are you gapping the 2 tubes or butt welding them? (are you trying to make a full pen weld or just to weld it?)

You should try to learn how to walk the cup, you can make your welds look really slick.

 

in the photo the tubes are butt welded. the chromemoly frame is cupped and beveled.
how do you walk the cup?

 

It's really rolling the cup, but people call it walking the cup. I suck at explaining but it's something I would have to show you in person. I weld for a living so you do need experiains to perfect it.

One tip, make sure your tungsten is very sharp at all times, this will help you see what your doing and the heat will be in a small area. Welding on SS don't stop or overheat a area it will suger it up. ( always move at a descent speed)

 

watched some videos. i think i need to continue working on my freehand technique.

 

Yeah, just always remember to relax your hand, when I started off I was always tensing my hand, and then it would get sore. Pushing flame forward helps too.

Ussr?

 

my seating position sucks, i have a lot to learn, still in my first week of learning.

are you referring to my coat of arms?

 

Updates?

I was messing around with this small pipe for a few days, if you "rattel" the cup you can make it look good and still fuse the inside together.

 

Torch angle is a big factor. If you are too far angled it will adversely effect the view, and access of the puddle. May also burn your filler rod prematurely. Finding a rhythm is paramount to getting good looking welds. But practice makes progress.

 

Haven't been taking photos of welding. Busy modifying the bike frame. I'll snap some photos when I am done.