Once a week I take a welding class at a local tech school. This semester just kicked off and I'm trying my hand at TIG. I've only used the machine twice so far but oh man is it amazing. The amount of control you have is great and you have the ability to go back over crappy welds, melt them back down and reform them. Something I couldn't do with the mig.
The first project I took on was a battery/electronics box for the SR250. The box is out of 16g steel. I used the mill to make some vent details and worked the sheet around some steel pipe for the bends.
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I had the TIG machine set up to 105 amps. After talking with some people it seems like I had the amperage a bit high, and the HAZ (heat affeected zone - blue area) is telling of that. All of this I just learned about. I'm told I should dial the amperage back, take my time, and aim for about a 3/4" HAZ.
Here's the result:
If you've got any other tips and tricks, as always I'd love to hear them.
Nice work man, how much is a tig welder? And what kind of setup do you need to support one?
ReplyDeleteAround $3k for a decent one and you need 220v.
DeleteCorrection, there are 115V machines out there - Like Eastwood's
DeleteWhere's the welding class? I've been looking for a place to learn how to weld!!
ReplyDeletecheck out the miller diversion welders. very nice machines. i just got one and taught myself to tig. it is so much nicer that mig being so clean and w no splatter. if you dont weld good, weld often!
ReplyDeleteGreat Dennis, I'll check it out. I've watched a few short videos from him on YouTube.
ReplyDeletehmmm... i posted a link to a video yesterday, but as a new tig welder myself, i've been watching a lot. One thing a lot of folks say is a common mistake is too large of an arc, meaning that your tungsten is too far away causing the 'cone' of heat to be spread out. What then happens is it takes too long to heat the same area for the filler. So by turning down your amperage and just getting in closer with your tungsten, you'll have better control over what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteDo you use a pulse machine?
Andrew, I got your comments in my inbox however they didn't post for some reason. Both videos were great, thanks.
DeleteI'll have to check if the machines in class have a pulse feature.