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TIG Welding teacher needed welding sheet metal Pahrump

D

Doright

Well-Known Member
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Hey any one around that can give a guy some good old fashioned this is how ya do it lessons?
Welding

I have some nice equipment but it dont make me a good welder, I got my migs down pat im ok with them, Its this Tig welding deal what a pain to try and teach your self.

I'm using .040 Thoriated Tungsten and cant hardly draw a bead with it at all across sheet metal with out blowing threw im under 50 amps.

my beads look like bird poop with diarrhea dragging its ***
 
Try welding with a tourch and coat hanger first. Then after you learn to move your weld around the the heat/Flame you will have a better feel for the tig!
 
Im not so sure I have the machine set up right either been through the books I don't know how many times. confusing part is about the Remote foot control and which switches should stay on panel or remote ?

Power source Miller shopmaster 300, Miller HF251,

ANY HELP greatly appreciated

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I can gas weld 4130 easy heck I can stick and Mig too it has been a while your right and it wouldn't be any big deal to break out the bottles and start making a few beads.
And I get what your saying Practice and more Practice I think your right too but if I had some one that could say yup your doing every thing right you just suck and need a lot more practice I can live with that...

The Problem is the material Im welding its 18 gauge, Sheet metal and I want to put down a stack of dimes on it.
 
Your panel should be set on Remote and your heat up all the way in the range your working. Tungsten out of the cup around it own size. Gas set around 20 to 30 and flow to tungsten size.
Also you need a Point on your tungsten for Steel.
 
Are you sure of your machine set up?...take a sample of your metal to a local dealer..often thy have a TIG demonstration setup to promote sales..one of their techs would be happy to show you their latest toy in welding that gauge/material..you can get the skinny on their set up, flow rate, gas mix, heat range then go home and try to duplicate that setup on your machine..constant amperage for new clean metal should be fine..for older panels that may have some thinning you will need to adjust the amperage on the fly...do you have variable fingertip control..on my Miller unit I have to switch from DC (aluminum ) to AC for the steel Does you bead get better after a bit of weld process..if so, try preheating your panels especially in the start area for better penetration with the lower current you running...only take a bit of a flash heat from a propane torch..I remember when where I worked long ago they welding some thicker aluminum in winter and boy did they have to do lots and lots of preheating to get any flow/penetration
 
For sheet metal I use a 1/16 red Tungsten, no more than 50 amps, and when you get a pool started, start adding filler rod and you can back off the amps. Do you have a foot pedal or is it all or nothing on the torch?
 
Go over to 'welding tips and tricks.com', He seems to be very informative and there are plenty of videos to watch. I've been a 'UA' weldor since 1978 and was also an instructor for local union for over 20 years and most of the people on here don't weld every day as I did for over 30 years and I don't care to have my knowledge of welding judged by the inexperienced. Check him out and ask your questions over there.
 
emore said:
Go over to 'welding tips and tricks.com', He seems to be very informative and there are plenty of videos to watch. I've been a 'UA' weldor since 1978 and was also an instructor for local union for over 20 years and most of the people on here don't weld every day as I did for over 30 years and I don't care to have my knowledge of welding judged by the inexperienced. Check him out and ask your questions over there.
Click to expand...


X2 Great videos... Check em' out on youtube also.. Guy does good work and explains the process and is very informative..
 
I started with 1/16 but switched to .040 keeping machine under 50 yes have foot control

using a Miller shopmaster 300 and HF251 yes have foot control NO no controls on Tig handle.

Im convinced at this point that its because my machine is way to big for the job like using a Bazooka for a 22's job.
Its not gonna stop me from continue to keep trying though
Thanks every one

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emore said:
Go over to 'welding tips and tricks.com', He seems to be very informative and there are plenty of videos to watch. I've been a 'UA' weldor since 1978 and was also an instructor for local union for over 20 years and most of the people on here don't weld every day as I did for over 30 years and I don't care to have my knowledge of welding judged by the inexperienced. Check him out and ask your questions over there.
Click to expand...

Thanks been over their
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Being that you are 20 year veteran UA I would expect your skin to be a Little thicker than that.

Yes you correct there are often way too many offering help or commenting that should be keep their mouth shut and try learning for a change.
but its not hard for some one that has been studying the subject closely knows who is giving out correct information out and who is just guessing & running their mouths tho and some of us are way smart like that!

If you listen its not hard to pick out who the Pro's are from the weekend warriors not at all.
And IF you have been doing your HOME work wich in my case includes all my books first then I will ask certain local pro's I know then I will search the Internet last for information so by the time I have given into the world of know it all's I have given myself plenty of information I know is correct in advance.

20-30 CFH Argon :no: Tungsten out of the cup around it own size :no:
 
There's some excellent instruction posted on youtube/Mr. Tig and others - very informative.
 
I'm very thick skinned, if you were closer, I would volunteer to teach properly.

that being said, here's a few tips---stick with the 1/16 2% thoriated (red ends) tungsten. 1/16 gap is desirable, for penetration, stick out of the tungsten could be up to 1/4", as long as you hold torch at a 90* angle to work. make sure the tungsten is out far enough to see the weld. If you start to throw sparks or other crap from the weld, then you may be contaminating with oxygen by laying the torch down too much. If you have contaminated the weld it will need ground out.
Use 1/16 ER70s-6 electrode, The metals need to be clean and shiny,no surface rust or oils, etc..Wipe everything clean with acetone or lacquer thinner including electrodes(they need to be polished also).
20-30 CFH flow is good, Set your amps closer to 25-30, not 50.

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One other tip, when your welding along, if you see the orange colored dancing ball in the weld puddle, that is nothing but molten dirt and you need to pull out, let it cool off to become a little brown lump and knock it off with a file. Be generous with your tacks on sheet-metal and allow the weld to cool off to keep warpage down
 
few ideas

it sounds like your polarity might be wrong, check this. is metal trying to transfer to the tungsten? always clean the metal. if you stick the tungsten, stop and re grind. long point for lower current, steep point for higher current. small tungsten for lower current. stainless steel was easier for me to learn on.
don't expect to lay down a stack of dimes anytime soon. most of the dimes are laid down by a person with a very steady hand as they move, wait on puddle, then move again. try to learn to "walk the cup". this will make a smooth weld. if tungsten end is to close to the cup it will work, but you will not be able to see the puddle. set your welder (if you can) to Maximum lower current and set it up higher as necessary (if you cannot make a puddle). Have patience, don't rush. Strike off and wait on the puddle to form. set current higher as you see the need and cannot make a puddle. most learning welders want to hurry the weld with higher current. this just burns up and oxidizes the metal and makes a wide bead that looks like crap. I hold my electrode at a width of the filler rod to the metal, the whip the filler rod between the work-piece and the electrode, this will strike the arc without touching off and making a burnt place on the tungsten. Buy yourself a stainless-steel brush to clean with, get rid of any plain old brushes. Brush every time you stop and get ready to restart.
I could go on and on, but just my 2 cents from 40 years of welding.
emore (above) has good info also. don't give up.
pt in tennessee
 
Thanks Guys
While I disagree with Emore's 1/16 Gap and Gas flow that hi I agree with every thing else.
I know your an instructor I respect that an all But Butt welding 18 gauge sheet metal with a gap is a looser That I know for a fact and Im not outside in a strong breeze I'm inside so I think I will leave my gas flow at a solid 15

Pturner
I THINK I am set up for DCEN
The machine was used for Aluminum at one time the guy I bought it from said he also said it was set up for steel DCEN not DCEP
I am not entirely sure how to change or check that? And at this point may explain the difficulty I am having
 
Easiest check would be to look at the cable attachments on the machine. Most Miller welders have either a red lug insulator for the positive lug and a black insulator for the negative lug. Or, the machine cabinet itself is labeled or has a + or - cut into the cabinet. For DCEN your torch should be hooked to the -. Bigger more expensive machines may have a polarity selector switch right on the control panel. I know tungsten is expensive, but switch your cables around and try it. Another note, make sure your high frequency control is set to "start" and not "constant" for steel or stainless (constant is used to stabilize the arc on aluminum). Straight argon gas is the preferred shielding gas.
 
Thank you every one that has contributed to this thread
I gave up trying to find local welding expert around town and called Miller Talked with a Tech who walked through all the connections the machine is correctly hooked up for Tig welding. as is The Hi Freq box and machine works so its the idiot behind Wand.

I ah Took Emore's suggestion upped the gas too 25 And cleaned all my metal to be welded AGAIN SUPER Clean! this time.

Boy that welder can lay some nice beads! and I mean nice! I dont think it will take me long I will be putting down some very nice beads
 
Glad to hear your getting the hang of it ! Takes time but Practis is the key !!
 
continued self education

everyone is an idiot behind the torch in the beginning. when you start to see the light, everyone becomes smarter. I began welding at age 10 about 1965. my dad was a welder called a Lead burner. he used a tiny hydrogen gas torch to weld lead pipe for sulfuric acid. this was before plastic and stainless pipe could handle acid. so I was arc welding the local farmers tractors at our house after school. before cable tv and I screwed up all the neighbors tv when I was welding. never stopped welding.
continue asking anyone-everyone, and practice. you will be better every time you pick up the torch.
good to hear you have a high frequency as this makes starting the arc much easier, but it also makes you have your helmet down before you hold the torch down to the part. the sun does shine inside and you will see it sometime.
good luck learning your newly acquired skill. doesn't seem many people want to learn ANY skills these days.
pt in Tennessee
68 roadrunner rotisserie restomod in progress
 
thought that I would bring this back up for some our new people [video]https://youtu.be/3J62nQOV_q8[/video]
 
Great thread and informative. Up until recently i was a union boilermaker and welder in power generation. Im licensed and have taken many pipe certifications as well as certified by ABS. We did many X-ray joints were we TIG welded the first pass on high pressure pipe and tube joints. I never used anything less than a 3 3/2 tungsten. Never had a machine with a foot pedal. We used DC machines and scratch starts and as i said these joints had to pass X-ray so you don't need anything to fancy. Im now thinking a foot pedal would be the way to go on thin material
 
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