hi my name is isaac i am a welder/fabricator at a racecar shop...i am 22years old and im a pretty good tig welder....its seems lately i have been not really improving even though i am very good and get may compliments i am my own worst critic and i want to be perfect....
i was wondering if people can post ther tips tricks and techniques for tig welding...i seem to have a slight bit of problem with stainless the puddle seems to jump around inconsistantly also what gas should i use for stainless and how do u guys sharpen ur tungsten and what technique should i use....also on aluminum the bead is whitish and the tungsten most of the time doesnt ball up right and gets like little ***** on it but they r like on the sides....

keep in mind i did go to vo-tech for welding and did win the regional and state compitiion and have alot of experience and am good just trying to perfect my work....i use straight argon all the time and 3/32 red tungsten all the time unless im doing a head or somethin thick i use 1/8 red ...im just wondering what the correct gas and tungsten and technique for stainless thanks guys

 

youre using red for aluminum work too?

 

yes i a my boss said he tried green and couldnt tell the deference...i think my welder could use a tune up two it a little older syncrowave 250 but the high frequency doesnt seem to work the best sometimes u have to scratch the tungsten on the piece then go and it will arc ac balance doesnt seem to really help

 

Transformer type machines require green tungsten for aluminum since you can't adjust the frequency (60hz fixed). When you ball up the tungsten make sure to not let the tip get wider than the electrode itself

 

Using red on my transformer machine works fine...
I hardly use it though.
I stick to Zirconiated and lanthanated... Best I've used so far.

 

thanx guys lets get some more info going for everybody

 

Pull the cover off your machine and file the HF points and re gap them, that will fix the HF start issues. Use Zirconiated on Al, its way more stable at higher amperages than 2% thoriated on pure. Arc stability has a lot to do with gas flow, and tungsten grind, buy a tungsten grinder and some large diameter gas lenses and you will be amazed with your new found control.

 

ok thanks thats also another thing i pretty mutch always use a 7 cup or 4 for tight places and i never use a screen or fogger what ever u call it

 

also what should i do to get my stainless perfect does tri mix really help and what else should i do the arc seems to jump and be inconsistant even though the tungsten is sharp and metal is clean

 

gas lens.

 

try mix is for mig, use argon.

 

No, I used mixed gases for tig as well, just never co2 blends like you would with mig. I mostly just use pure argon for custom work because it will weld anything, but if its ss only work especially for production I run 95% argon 5% hydrogen, I've also run helium mixes and straight for production Al work.
Buy a gas lens, no sense in tig welding without one.

 

Yeah a gas lens will help out with gas coverage esp. for the stainless.

 

I heard that argon/helium mix is good for thick aluminum work. I have a small helium bottle that i have not had a chance to try out yet.

 

What are the benefits of the 95%Ar 5%H?
I've never heard of anyone doing this for stainless...
I am intrigued

 

The benefit of hydrogen is better penetration, this will not work with aluminum or carbon steels, you do get a little shorter tungsten life but its not too bad, arc starting isn't quite as nice either, but for production work its pretty killer, especially when plasma welding. Most of my production welding is run with the automated plasma welder, and it runs a hydrogen blend pretty much all the time.

 

Argon helium mix is not bad for AC welding, I don't do much Al work at all so I usually just run pure argon, but every now and than I get a thick welding job where I run DC and pure helium.

 

so a lens helps that much..cool i dont think im having that big of a problem with gas coverage because i have colors in my stainless work its not grey its silver gold so im not to hot or mu gas is there im just trying to get a more stable arc/puddle..most of the time i can lay it like a robot or close to it but other times like on headers or somethin that a flat joint or lap joint the puddle seems to just move sometimes

 

i think that should have worked!
anyways gas lens is a good option instead

 

honestly, a gas lens doesnt make a huge diff or anything. I weld with and without it at my house and it is barely noticable. we dont use them in school either.

 

What? having a gas lense in night and day on stainless.

 

With stainless, minimum would have to be a #7 cup with a gas lense, unless you are dealing with space issues that wont allow.

Ive only mixed helium with argon for somewhat thicker Al where I've needed more/easier penetration. On an automotive level, straight argon should suffice.

 

For some reason I dont notice it. I even switch back and forth to see if I can tell and its negligible. However this is mostly on fillet welds so I would imagine it helps more on pipe.

 

It makes a pretty big difference pretty much all the time for gas coverage, not to mention the increased arc stability you can achieve from said gas coverage.

 

I noticed a massive difference going to a gas lens. I was surprised that the actuality lived up to the hype! Much cleaner welds, and MUCH easier to weld tight spaces on tubing.