This week has been TIG welding. Holy crap! This sure is a clean and quiet method. Hardly any noise at all, the welds lay a lot flatter to the point where I question the amount of penetration I'm getting.
It is very frustrating though....You have to hold the torch one handed without support from your other had because the other had fees in the filler rod AND to make it even more complicated, the amperage is determined by a FOOT pedal. WOT is the full amperage that you set the machine, half pedal is somewhere between zero and full so at least it is linear.
If you have steady hands, you can do well with this. If you're a bit shaky, it will be hard to keep a straight line and consistent weld beads. GUESS which category that I fit into? I think that I could get better at this along with the stick welding.
Back to class tomorrow....
At the risk of looking like a guy that learns a little and suddenly thinks he can teach, I do have another observation....
This teacher is helpful when you can find him and ask for help but he isn't around the students during "Lab Time" in the shop. You have to go looking for him.
It would be a much better experience if the teacher were to stop in and watch each student as they are working to spot and correct any errors in their technique. This goes to the core reason that I took the class...I have been stumbling around for years with inconsistent results not knowing if my technique was bad, if the materials were wrong, if the tools were defective and if there was anything that I could do to improve. In wood framing, I was always looking for ways to do the job easier and faster and constantly learning from my mistakes. Maybe I was just a natural with that and not so much with welding. I could have watched YouTube videos to learn what I have picked up from this class. When I trained guys in construction, I did what I expected from the class here: I watched and made corrective suggestions to keep the apprentices on the right path. That seems like a better way.
