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Folks, Hi,

I've watched a heap of videos on TIG on youtube, and, fundamentally i think i am missing something (entirely), as I end up with shitty welds which I reckon my 8 yr old daughter could do better. I end up with either the torch stuck to the work or the filler rod stuck to the work. With MIG I have no issues and can get good penetration and neat welds.

Is there anyone here in VIC who can show a n00b TIG welder a few tips and tricks of the trade who can spare me some time? Happy to pay for your trouble/time, i'm only doing DC TIG on mild steel, I have a CIG Weldskill HF170 Inverter as my tool.

I guess the main things I need to know are ;

- if I am welding thin steel do i need to change the tip in my torch to a different size or just lower the amperage, and what type of tip, thoriated tungsten blah blah
- similarly what rods should i use?
- should i pull or push the puddle and dab the filler rod in it?
- etc

Thanks in advance, Greg

Ive done a little bit of tig, I found it a lot easier than mig to be honest. I can never seem to get the mig set right and welds are shite. Can weld good with stick so I guess tig was the natual path for me to take.

Sounds like your amps might not be right, and maybe the torch angle?

My biggest problem when I stated to play with a tig was I used thew wrong gas. You need pure argon, mig gas fucks the welds something shocking and its impossible to get a stable arc.

I've only had a total of maybe 2 hours of tig time as access to gas stopped me pursuing any further.

HQ is the tig master here, he's a fabricator and uses one pretty regularly.

Keep at it mate you'll get it. I'm far from an expert but can make stuff stick to get me out of trouble at work.
Are you left or right handed? Moving the torch in the right direction?

move the torch from right to left, dip the rod into the front of the puddle with your left hand. Dip and pause, Dip and pause. Thats how the general technique goes.

Start maybe with practicing moving the puddle around on some sheet metal without the filler rod. I did my first welding just fusion welding some tightly butted sheets. Its like an electric blow torch and thats how I treat it. Kinda like soldering with a blow torch, but electric, more precise and much hotter!

Do we need a workshop get together on tig? Maybe HQ could show us all a thing or two.

I too have a tig welder and often struggle, usually crack the shits and drag out the trusty mig...

If we want to do a workshop I'm more than happy help out, I love tig welding, it's just practice and a few bassic steps. As Vlad and Dylan said, you need the right gas, the tip has to be like a needle sharp as soon as it's not you won't get a near weld and practice on some scrap. Crank the amps up and down on the same peice and learn how it reacts

Hey psyolent,

Is the the welder you have?

So if you guys can come up with an agreeable saturday or sunday, ill make the workshop available, it would be great to have another get together. Bbq lunch again?

I have an ac/dc tig, i can borrow an inverter unit, have mig and oxy.. Or people could bring their own?

This is open to any forum members. Please register your interest here

i sucked at stick, i got my mig and i'm like where have you been all my life.
OK, so, one of my questions has already been answered, ie: not using pure argon. CHECK. thanks vlad.
torch angle - whats that action about?
dylan i am right handed, i hold the torch in my right hand BUT i think this won't suit me, ie: hold torch in left and move to the right using my right hand to feed the wire - dunno.

I too have a tig welder and often struggle, usually crack the shits and drag out the trusty mig...

right there man. thats me.

HQ355 - i also love welding, nothing gets me more moist than seeing
except for maybe your HQ at full noise on a dyno
i love it when i get the MIG set spot on and get the old cursive 'e' laid down.

chuff - yeah thats the one

biggvl - i can bring my TIG and (i'll have an argon bottle by then) - or - conversely everyone can come here to my place and we can hang out in my back shed for the day and i can fire up the BBQ - more than happy to oblige facilities too (it will be alot more cramped and not as cool as biggvl' place though) - plus he will have a nicely finished floor

the impetus behind this is i have some work to do on my XP (i have a 1966 XP Falcon and its 50 years old this year) - as I can't get to my VN (well i can but i can't get it out of my back shed due to someone sticking a pool in front of it) the XP is next on the to do list. and there is rust. ALOT of rust. looks good from far but is far from good underneathe the enamel paint.

This is my stick welding, from 2011.

And my limited experience in tig