TIG woes, or how longs your W. last!

[vpt]

You do not use argon/co2 mix with TIG. You use either straight argon, or an argon/helium mix for special purposes.

Electrodes do not get used up. You stick them to the work and break them off. You dip them in the puddle, wick up the melt, and break or grind it off.

Pure tungsten welding aluminum long enough makes the exposed part of the tungsten brittle. After about an hour of welding the tip normally can be broken off with two fingers lightly.

[boslab]

thanks for the replies, pure argon on order, unfortunatly the missus closed my boc account!, air products here i come!, new tungstens and collets purchased, here we go as they say!
mark

[H8Allegheny]

You should be able to go twenty minutes welding and just need to touch up the point. Suppose that uses 40 thou off the end. Suppose your electrode is 6" long. That's 25 sharpenings worth per inch, so 150 sharpenings. Times twenty minutes a shot, you've got 3000 minutes, or 5 hours per electrode.

I don't avoid the pitfalls !

That would be 50 hours, by your reckoning. Practically, though, even someone that does TIG all day would be lucky to get 1/2 that.

Brian

[gordob]

With TIG Welding, the Trick is minimising Contamination of your Electrode. That Means ensuring that only Pure Argon is used.

Ar/He (Argon/Helium) Mixes are only used in Aluminium Welding when extra penetration is required. The He Component helps the Arc run Hotter with Less Current.

Ceriated Electrodes are best Suited to LOW current Welding in either AC/DC Polarities. The better choice is using Lanthanated Electrodes - 1.5% Lanthanated have a Gold colour coding, and 2% Lanthanated have Sky Blue Colour Coding. The Lanthanated Electrodes have Characteristics that allow for Higher current Welding in comparison to Ceriated. - I cannot comment on the Pros/Cons of 1.5% vs 2% Lanthanated.

Once you get your Argon Gas up and running, you should be aiming for a Straw colouring on your Stainless welds. If it still ends up grey and cruddy, you have too much heat input into metals and are "burning" the stainless

Hope this info helps,
Gordo

PS: Jody at Welding Tips and tricks (Youtube link above and http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com) has an absolute Multitude of helpful videos that are sure to get you welding on the right bead
--Pun intended

[rohart]

H8 - the way Mark appeared to be using his electrodes up I think a factor of two in my estimate is close enough. I agree I was being a bit optimistic.

That's one of the things I find about TIGging. Either I'm way out with something, or it works. I suppose the in-between, the almost-there, will come when I'm a better welder and I avoid the big pitfalls, and it's down to fine tuning more of the time.

I do know I dip too often, but once I learnt the lesson of stopping immediately I dip to clean the electrode life got a lot better. Tedious, maybe, but less excitingly wrong.

[Iraiam]

I can stick weld reasonably, gas weld well, TIG well thats another story, my electrodes burn away quickly, even thick ones [electrode negative etc], the weld on stainless is grey and flaky, porus [air prod argon co2 mix ] mild steel again flaky apperance, camera bust so no photo, question how long would you expect a point to hold up with an air cooled torch? [red band tungsten]
i like O/A better, bloody tigs getting on my nerves but i have to master it, it needs to be my slave as oposed to the present i,m its bitch scenario lol
mark

I have always used 100% argon for TIG. CO2 and argon mix is generally for MIG use.

[boslab]

well the pure argon works reasonably, ive started adding some helium with a mix valve and boy that helps [it will be not that expensive as the flow rate off the helium is only .1 l/min, i had to fit a smaller orifice rotameter.
all in all a good learning expirience, its nice to get a solution to a problem and to learn new things, even somthing that with hindsight [the curse] is obveous!
now to try perfecting my crappy technique!!!
I still like O/A better but given time i may well change my opinion, i still think that i need a better torch [tig] with one of these mystical gas lenses to try. my welding bench needs changing so i can sit and get my legs under.
Headsheild has been changed to a US 'clarkson?' i think, sheepskin headband, big big window, the auto sheilds are ok but have you noticed irregularities in the lense in its darkened condition, streaky almost [esab], the new gold filter ir really good and allows me to wear my specs [reading] to geed effect without having to jam the bridge up my snout because the frame is in the way.
thanks all!
regards
mark

[macona]

Never noticed any issues with auto darks.

Look at the Optrels, they have adjustments that push the hood away from your face.

[boslab]

i'll have a look at these optrels, sneak an order in under SWMBO radar, you wouldent want me to hurt myself would you love!
thanks
mark

[vpt]

Funny thing about lids.

Guy came to buy my older miller arc welder that I never used anymore. I set it up to try it out to make sure it still worked and so the guy could try it out right in front of me so he could go home and tell me its junk.

He grabs my gloves and helmet and goes to strike an arc, he flips the lid down, stops, then takes the helmet off and starts looking at it. I said "its not a auto helmet, you flip it down and its lights out".

I got a chuckle out of it.