Help Learning TIG

[Gareth]

1st weekend in feb would make it 6th Feb. that works for me. vlad01/hq355/others?

Lock it in eddy

[vlad01]

ok can do, unless work gets in the way somehow but I dont see how it would.

[HQ355]

Lock me in me McGuire, may be we could get psyolent to run a cab service for the day ? Lol

[monaro308]

I dived right into the deep end when I did my delco conversion.
Never touched a tig and bought a chinese tig,began welding a 30 year old 308 4barrel manifold and boy does a lot of crap come out of the casting.
Alloy has to be SPOTLESS,electrode SPOTLESS,tig gloves SPOTLESS and if it all looks good....CLEAN IT AGAIN! Use acetone and a stainless wire brush and keep it for ally only.
TIG machine on AC with 100% pure argon and use a white tip electrode,the same type of filler rod material as the alloy you are welding and when grinding the electrode always try and use the same wheel for that tip (the metal crap in the stone from grinding other stuff can stick to the ally electrode) and grind the electrode tip long ways ie inline with the wheel so the grain of the grind goes to the point.If you grind the electrode at right angle to the tip,the arc goes spastic (you really do see it when welding ally) Ive ground ally electrodes to a point and ground it flat but they both will end up "balling" anyway.
Anytime your electrode touches your work,95% of time it will contaminate the weld/electrode,so you will need to grind the tip and clean the welded area and the filler rod

Mild/stainless steel is a lot more forgiving and doesn't have to be as clean, machine on DC and cable polarities reversed.Same deal grinding the electrode but use a red/maroon tip ground to a point.
If welding stainless,use stainless filler wire or rod (I find stainless pushbike spokes work well).
Welding mild steel I get away using mig wire but using the proper filler rods help a lot.

Fusion welding works well too (no filler rod).
You will get the hang of it,practice practice practice.
I get by but I am by no means an expert or a great welder,i just like having a go and doing things myself like all of you here.

Almost forgot...use the right sized electrode,collets,shield etc for the material thickness ie using 1.6mm to weld 3,4,5mm steel,you end up pumping up the amps just to melt the steel but the electrode melts itself first with the high amps.
My chinese machine works best with the 2.3mm tips etc.Using the 1.6mm on mine is great some days and not so most days
A proper name brand type like Lincoln,esab,wia etc have better inverters and stable electronics that will produce stable great welds all of the time!

[HQ355]

I wonder if tig it tazzi will make it over ?

[slewinson]

Would love to attend but other things will get in the way as usual.

One suggestion is that all welders bring their own gloves and face shields to keep safe when watching or helping.

Simon

[vlad01]

I have a speedglas v9001 or something alike helmet, only thing is it doesn't have the head band. I bought it bit by bit and cost me to date about 280. They are a 6-700 buck mask.

When I ordered the head band I got something else, mounts for the head band. The description wasn't clear and showed a pic of the headband lol.

Haven't bothered since. Guess Ill just have to hold it like a douche.

[HQ355]

Pisser, go to total tools or similar with your mask and get one, or stop at tint a car and get some scrap on the way lol

[vlad01]

Pisser, go to total tools or similar with your mask and get one, or stop at tint a car and get some scrap on the way lol

The speedglas parts are propitiatory and nothing like the tool shop ones. Last I looked the head band was around 100 bucks.

[Dazza92VP]

Someone feel like walking around with a web cam? I'm living in the wrong state for pissin around with cars by the look if it either that or group of us from wa need to get together