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Looking to get into a TIG machine
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<blockquote data-quote="patooyee" data-source="post: 430365" data-attributes="member: 483"><p>I've been practicing a lot but only just the other day did everything start really clicking for me. So far what I've learned:</p><p></p><p>1. My machine welds infinitely better at higher frequencies, so I just keep it turned all the way up. It has a warning on it that high frequencies can damage nearby sensitive computer circuitry but neither my cell phone or shop computer seem to be suffering any consequences so far. I know the modern inverter machines do way higher frequencies than my old Syncrowave transformer so I figure damage is probably a very rare thing.</p><p></p><p>2. Joint prep is very important.</p><p></p><p>3. Cleanliness is very important.</p><p></p><p>4. Mill scale on steel goes way deeper / is way more permanent than I ever realized before. Sometimes you really have to work to get that **** off. I think many people clean steel and think the dark color underneath IS the steel, but if its not shiny and silver you're looking at mill scale.</p><p></p><p>5. Its all about puddle control. Puddle first, then dab.</p><p></p><p>6. Welding gaps is possible but generally looks like crap.</p><p></p><p>7. My machine seems to like pure tungsten for aluminum and thoriated for steel. I have some ceriated that I haven't tried yet.</p><p></p><p>Here's a switch pod I made for some switches I am putting in the buggy right now to replace the Wired HDH switches:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9t-DZdo3ZzaehbRF9KKkao5HdobRjs2av48Fot5H0s3U=w857-h553-no" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/T-VrR38lWHWdMDr2iA0F7prbEtmZYrPYntKcL6aKQx-3=w853-h553-no" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>It will bolt to an overhead tube. It was my first actual project made of 16-ga aluminum that wasn't 100% practice. Here about the best beads I could lay:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YbRmCMTmdVs4a7eGG3051ngpL_rHi0VJxInFuhOIJLqu=w1043-h385-no" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>The beads on the rest aren't nearly as pretty as these. About 3/4 of the way through that project is when it all started making sense and clicked. I turned my heat up from 30 amps to about 50 and that's when **** really started flowing.</p><p></p><p>The next day I had to "clearance" my coolant overflow reservoir for a piece of the chassis that it was close to. I was getting cocky now that I had started laying little dimes and hadn't learned the important of joint prep fully yet. So I was filling some gaps around this piece that were pretty big. It looked like crap so I grinded them all smooth and went back over it again. Some of the bigger gaps at the end were still very sensitive so those still look liek crap but you can definitely tell its all starting to click at this point. This piece is where I decided I would send more time on joint prep in the future. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> This was very thing wall, like 20-ga, with a piece of 2" x .120 wall tube welded across it.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LI3j0RgVirAGEEkPTTiWU_hFjxnQlBMxb2ElM2bASv9w=w1043-h461-no" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>As everyone knows, I own restaurants. In them we have tons of stainless sinks and counters that get the crap beat out of them. Now and then they need small repairs and I've always wanted a small portable machine to fix them up with instead of paying a mobile welder every time. The mobile welder gets a $150 min. service call fee every time + $125/hr with a 1-hour min. So if he comes out, welds for 15 seconds, its $275 minimum. I even posted a thread about this here a while back. So instead of paying him I bought this machine as well as a small portable argon tank:</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2VETB6/?tag=hardlinecrawlers-20" target="_blank">http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2VETB6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1</a></p><p></p><p>This is a neat little machine because you can get 80 amps out of it (plenty for my fixtures at work) on 110volts and 160 amps at 220 volts. It has HF start and fits in a large briefcase. Its already paid for itself in repairs at work but I'm also going to start practicing welding rollcage tubing with it because it has a finger trigger instead of foot amp control. Yes, the amp control is nice on my big machine but I can't see standing up welding on rollcages on one foot while I control amps with the other. Plus, I think amp control is less imperative on thicker steel like roll cage tubing vs thin aluminum sheet.</p><p></p><p>Right now my biggest problem is my left middle finger. Early this year it got into a fight with my grinder which resulted in this ...</p><p></p><p><img src="http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/0/049/049-ALL44180.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>... becoming intimate with the bone in my middle finger. I'm fully healed now but from the scar up that finger is still pretty much numb. It happens to be my filler rod feed finger so I think feeding is taking me longer to master than it migth someone who could actually feel the rod in their hand.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, that's just an update, maybe someone will have some advice and/or someone in the future will see this and learn from it. I love TIG welding and even when I'm not at the shop I find myself trying to find reasons to go there and TIG on something. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="patooyee, post: 430365, member: 483"] I've been practicing a lot but only just the other day did everything start really clicking for me. So far what I've learned: 1. My machine welds infinitely better at higher frequencies, so I just keep it turned all the way up. It has a warning on it that high frequencies can damage nearby sensitive computer circuitry but neither my cell phone or shop computer seem to be suffering any consequences so far. I know the modern inverter machines do way higher frequencies than my old Syncrowave transformer so I figure damage is probably a very rare thing. 2. Joint prep is very important. 3. Cleanliness is very important. 4. Mill scale on steel goes way deeper / is way more permanent than I ever realized before. Sometimes you really have to work to get that **** off. I think many people clean steel and think the dark color underneath IS the steel, but if its not shiny and silver you're looking at mill scale. 5. Its all about puddle control. Puddle first, then dab. 6. Welding gaps is possible but generally looks like crap. 7. My machine seems to like pure tungsten for aluminum and thoriated for steel. I have some ceriated that I haven't tried yet. Here's a switch pod I made for some switches I am putting in the buggy right now to replace the Wired HDH switches: [IMG]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9t-DZdo3ZzaehbRF9KKkao5HdobRjs2av48Fot5H0s3U=w857-h553-no[/IMG] [IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/T-VrR38lWHWdMDr2iA0F7prbEtmZYrPYntKcL6aKQx-3=w853-h553-no[/IMG] It will bolt to an overhead tube. It was my first actual project made of 16-ga aluminum that wasn't 100% practice. Here about the best beads I could lay: [IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YbRmCMTmdVs4a7eGG3051ngpL_rHi0VJxInFuhOIJLqu=w1043-h385-no[/IMG] The beads on the rest aren't nearly as pretty as these. About 3/4 of the way through that project is when it all started making sense and clicked. I turned my heat up from 30 amps to about 50 and that's when **** really started flowing. The next day I had to "clearance" my coolant overflow reservoir for a piece of the chassis that it was close to. I was getting cocky now that I had started laying little dimes and hadn't learned the important of joint prep fully yet. So I was filling some gaps around this piece that were pretty big. It looked like crap so I grinded them all smooth and went back over it again. Some of the bigger gaps at the end were still very sensitive so those still look liek crap but you can definitely tell its all starting to click at this point. This piece is where I decided I would send more time on joint prep in the future. :) This was very thing wall, like 20-ga, with a piece of 2" x .120 wall tube welded across it. [IMG]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LI3j0RgVirAGEEkPTTiWU_hFjxnQlBMxb2ElM2bASv9w=w1043-h461-no[/IMG] As everyone knows, I own restaurants. In them we have tons of stainless sinks and counters that get the crap beat out of them. Now and then they need small repairs and I've always wanted a small portable machine to fix them up with instead of paying a mobile welder every time. The mobile welder gets a $150 min. service call fee every time + $125/hr with a 1-hour min. So if he comes out, welds for 15 seconds, its $275 minimum. I even posted a thread about this here a while back. So instead of paying him I bought this machine as well as a small portable argon tank: [URL="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2VETB6/?tag=hardlinecrawlers-20"]http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2VETB6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] This is a neat little machine because you can get 80 amps out of it (plenty for my fixtures at work) on 110volts and 160 amps at 220 volts. It has HF start and fits in a large briefcase. Its already paid for itself in repairs at work but I'm also going to start practicing welding rollcage tubing with it because it has a finger trigger instead of foot amp control. Yes, the amp control is nice on my big machine but I can't see standing up welding on rollcages on one foot while I control amps with the other. Plus, I think amp control is less imperative on thicker steel like roll cage tubing vs thin aluminum sheet. Right now my biggest problem is my left middle finger. Early this year it got into a fight with my grinder which resulted in this ... [IMG]http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/0/049/049-ALL44180.jpg[/IMG] ... becoming intimate with the bone in my middle finger. I'm fully healed now but from the scar up that finger is still pretty much numb. It happens to be my filler rod feed finger so I think feeding is taking me longer to master than it migth someone who could actually feel the rod in their hand. Anyway, that's just an update, maybe someone will have some advice and/or someone in the future will see this and learn from it. I love TIG welding and even when I'm not at the shop I find myself trying to find reasons to go there and TIG on something. :) [/QUOTE]
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