Decided to to just buck up and got a Tig welder coming, nothing fancy with an Everlast 160 STH but I believe it will get the job done. It's going to be a self taught situation since no one around Tig welds but I'm handy with other methods and not really worried about learning but what I do need help with setting it up for welding bolt handles, Tungsten, filler rod and the right nozzles. Would appreciate any info that could help me get started!!
Need Tig advice.
- Thread starter bigngreen
- Start date
Best advice is find a school that teaches welding . Larry
Tim Singleton
Gold $$ Contributor
2% tungsten
Er70s2 tig wire
I'll have to look that machine up not familiar with it to offer anything on nozzles or cups
Er70s2 tig wire
I'll have to look that machine up not familiar with it to offer anything on nozzles or cups
Tim Singleton
Gold $$ Contributor
Maybe you can post a link of what you have coming.
Which tig torch did you buy?
Did you get foot pedal for hi frequency?
Which tig torch did you buy?
Did you get foot pedal for hi frequency?
Here's a link to the machine, http://www.everlastgenerators.com/product/tig-stick/powerarc-160sth I have not bought a pedal yet though it is capable.
As far as schools, I live in BFE MT, you learn to do it yourself or you go several hours away to find any kind of school, it's not going to be hard for me to pick up just need pointed in the right direction!!
Thanks for the help thus far!
As far as schools, I live in BFE MT, you learn to do it yourself or you go several hours away to find any kind of school, it's not going to be hard for me to pick up just need pointed in the right direction!!
Thanks for the help thus far!
B&G, I recommend ER 70S-6 filler metal for most steel and low alloy steel parts. It has a higher silicon content and resists bubbling and porosity that occur, usually at the very worst times. Also wets and flows well.
2% thoriated tungsten (red tip) is a good all around choice for DC straight polarity welding, (electrode negative).
A good all around choice for electrode size is 3/32" with a good sharp point. When you dip it, stop, remove it from the torch, break the contaminated end off and resharpen it.
For small, delicate parts, a sharp 1/16" tungsten is better.
I like 3/32" diameter filler metal for most work, but 1/16" is better for small, delicate parts.
A water cooled torch is much lighter, smaller, and more flexible. Also a torch with a diffuser screen built into the collet body will make prettier, clean welds. Neither is necessary, but both are advantageous.
A/C welding of aluminum is a whole nother subject!
For nice starts, stops, heat control, and crater fill, a remote amperage control machine is a huge advantage. If you are welding in a very low heat range, say 5-15 amps, a remote control is nearly necessary for neat work. A remote foot control allows you to use both hands easier, but a remote thumb control on the torch is usually better all-around, and gives finer heat control.
Practice, practice, practice!!!
Have fun, Tom
2% thoriated tungsten (red tip) is a good all around choice for DC straight polarity welding, (electrode negative).
A good all around choice for electrode size is 3/32" with a good sharp point. When you dip it, stop, remove it from the torch, break the contaminated end off and resharpen it.
For small, delicate parts, a sharp 1/16" tungsten is better.
I like 3/32" diameter filler metal for most work, but 1/16" is better for small, delicate parts.
A water cooled torch is much lighter, smaller, and more flexible. Also a torch with a diffuser screen built into the collet body will make prettier, clean welds. Neither is necessary, but both are advantageous.
A/C welding of aluminum is a whole nother subject!
For nice starts, stops, heat control, and crater fill, a remote amperage control machine is a huge advantage. If you are welding in a very low heat range, say 5-15 amps, a remote control is nearly necessary for neat work. A remote foot control allows you to use both hands easier, but a remote thumb control on the torch is usually better all-around, and gives finer heat control.
Practice, practice, practice!!!
Have fun, Tom
Tig is far harder the regular welding . To tig weld is a skill that takes a lot of knowledge And pratice . My son has welded 30 years and has Been certified . When I told him he just laughed . Lots of luck . Larry
You're welcome. Once you have decided on the filler rod size, you'll be able to determine your cup size based on tungsten size. Your best bet is to purchase a small variety of cup sizes. If I can be of help, PM me.
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Dans40X
Welder
bigngreen-
how are your oxy-acetylene welding skills?
if your oxy-acetylene welds look like pigeon shit,you have a long road ahead.
Ditch the 17-18 series torch & purchase a 9 series torch.
larger 17-18 series torch is like trying to write your name w/o resting your hand on the table.
smaller 9 series torch allows you to weld comparable to the technique you use to write your name.
purchase the foot control for bench work.
purchase the hand/torch mounted control for remote work.
Inverter machines work well w/ rare earth or hybrid tungsten.
purchase .020",.040",.060",.093" tungsten.
1/4" & 5/16" alumina cups(pink).
gas lens/pyrex cups work for some applications.
long reach "clay" cups are expensive & brittle.
how are your oxy-acetylene welding skills?
if your oxy-acetylene welds look like pigeon shit,you have a long road ahead.
Ditch the 17-18 series torch & purchase a 9 series torch.
larger 17-18 series torch is like trying to write your name w/o resting your hand on the table.
smaller 9 series torch allows you to weld comparable to the technique you use to write your name.
purchase the foot control for bench work.
purchase the hand/torch mounted control for remote work.
Inverter machines work well w/ rare earth or hybrid tungsten.
purchase .020",.040",.060",.093" tungsten.
1/4" & 5/16" alumina cups(pink).
gas lens/pyrex cups work for some applications.
long reach "clay" cups are expensive & brittle.
I actually find TIG to be the easiest type of welding, though I've been known to be weird. I'm no expert, but I'll explain my experience with all 3 main types of welding:
I find MIG great for tacking things together, but it's often messy and fume-heavy unless everything is done perfectly. It works by melting/vaporizing the filler material and "shooting" it at the workpiece to join the host material. That's why it can sound sputtery sometimes. It's also an all-or-nothing kind of welding. There's an "on" button, and that's it. So if there's anything intricate that varies in thickness/etc..., you'd best be served by a TIG machine.
Stick welding doesn't really apply to anything gun related, so I won't go there, but suffice it to say that stick welding is akin to throwing huge amounts of molten metal and flux at a joint generating a huge amount of heat and smoke. It's best for large scale pipe/ship welding where the hardness of the parent material may not be as critical because of the larger heat affected zone generated by stick welding. (unless you use special rods that solidify into a hardened state). If the part is going to be heat-treated afterward, that is another story.
TIG, on the other hand, is 100% controllable and clean. Everything about it can be adjusted, and usually on the fly. Like others have stated, gun work is usually done at less than 150A (less than 75A most of the time), so that machine should be fine. I would use a 3/32" 2% Lanthanated tungsten, as it usually has the best combination of low burn-off, thermal cycling capacity, and pulse stability. It's also non-radioactive. You can sharpen it different ways to have different arc characteristics. A thinner, sharper point tends to penetrate less with a wider weld bead, while a slightly blunter tip will produce a slimmer and deeper bead. This pdf explains: https://www.arc-zone.com/pdf/GrindingTungsten.pdf
Look up "type 17 tig torch stubby gas lens kit" and buy it - trust me it's better than the normal stuff.
A foot pedal or hand-piece wheel adjusts the baseline "heat" of the arc, while the hand holding the torch controls arc size/voltage/current, etc.. by varying the distance between the tungsten and the work. This level of control allows you to contain the heat to a very specific area or bathe a whole area with heat. Try to keep the tungsten as close to the work as possible with a small, safe margin to prevent dipping. You'll find it after a little practice. Even the best TIG guys will dip their tungsten from time to time though. Sometimes metal just flows in ways you don't expect.
The other hand holds the filler material, which should be added to the parent joint after they start to melt together and form a "keyhole." You'll know when you see it. My very favorite filler for general use is called ER312 Stainless. It is used to join any combination of steels with a strong joint. Usually, the joint ends up being stronger than the parent metal. A couple of pounds will last you a long time too. For gun stuff, 1/16" is a good filler size, but it's good to have 3/32" around too. I buy from McMaster Carr because it's easy, but you can probably find it cheaper if you look around. Both ER70S2 and ER70S6 produce fine welds on just about any steel (even stainless in a pinch...sshhhh don't tell anyone I said that). ER70S2 does contain more deoxidizers to allow a dirtier parent material to weld safely, but S6 does flow better as TRECustom said. You can feed the filler from the front of the bead or from behind based on different setups, but most seem to feed from the front.
If something has a silvery/zinc/chromium/yellow finish (or any coating at all), avoid welding it at all costs. If you MUST, wear a P100 respirator because the fumes are dangerous and will make you sick if you don't filter them out. Ask me how I know this...
In short, TIG welding is the "hardest" because there are so many things that must be balanced to do it right. But it's also the easiest to get great results with IMHO, because you have control over everything and you can work at your pace. MIG and Stick work at their pace (usually) and you have to keep up or the weld will suffer.
This website is basically a welding class for free - I highly suggest spending a few hours going through everything on it:
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/
If you have any questions at all, I'm happy to lend whatever (limited) wisdom I have on the subject.
I find MIG great for tacking things together, but it's often messy and fume-heavy unless everything is done perfectly. It works by melting/vaporizing the filler material and "shooting" it at the workpiece to join the host material. That's why it can sound sputtery sometimes. It's also an all-or-nothing kind of welding. There's an "on" button, and that's it. So if there's anything intricate that varies in thickness/etc..., you'd best be served by a TIG machine.
Stick welding doesn't really apply to anything gun related, so I won't go there, but suffice it to say that stick welding is akin to throwing huge amounts of molten metal and flux at a joint generating a huge amount of heat and smoke. It's best for large scale pipe/ship welding where the hardness of the parent material may not be as critical because of the larger heat affected zone generated by stick welding. (unless you use special rods that solidify into a hardened state). If the part is going to be heat-treated afterward, that is another story.
TIG, on the other hand, is 100% controllable and clean. Everything about it can be adjusted, and usually on the fly. Like others have stated, gun work is usually done at less than 150A (less than 75A most of the time), so that machine should be fine. I would use a 3/32" 2% Lanthanated tungsten, as it usually has the best combination of low burn-off, thermal cycling capacity, and pulse stability. It's also non-radioactive. You can sharpen it different ways to have different arc characteristics. A thinner, sharper point tends to penetrate less with a wider weld bead, while a slightly blunter tip will produce a slimmer and deeper bead. This pdf explains: https://www.arc-zone.com/pdf/GrindingTungsten.pdf
Look up "type 17 tig torch stubby gas lens kit" and buy it - trust me it's better than the normal stuff.
A foot pedal or hand-piece wheel adjusts the baseline "heat" of the arc, while the hand holding the torch controls arc size/voltage/current, etc.. by varying the distance between the tungsten and the work. This level of control allows you to contain the heat to a very specific area or bathe a whole area with heat. Try to keep the tungsten as close to the work as possible with a small, safe margin to prevent dipping. You'll find it after a little practice. Even the best TIG guys will dip their tungsten from time to time though. Sometimes metal just flows in ways you don't expect.
The other hand holds the filler material, which should be added to the parent joint after they start to melt together and form a "keyhole." You'll know when you see it. My very favorite filler for general use is called ER312 Stainless. It is used to join any combination of steels with a strong joint. Usually, the joint ends up being stronger than the parent metal. A couple of pounds will last you a long time too. For gun stuff, 1/16" is a good filler size, but it's good to have 3/32" around too. I buy from McMaster Carr because it's easy, but you can probably find it cheaper if you look around. Both ER70S2 and ER70S6 produce fine welds on just about any steel (even stainless in a pinch...sshhhh don't tell anyone I said that). ER70S2 does contain more deoxidizers to allow a dirtier parent material to weld safely, but S6 does flow better as TRECustom said. You can feed the filler from the front of the bead or from behind based on different setups, but most seem to feed from the front.
If something has a silvery/zinc/chromium/yellow finish (or any coating at all), avoid welding it at all costs. If you MUST, wear a P100 respirator because the fumes are dangerous and will make you sick if you don't filter them out. Ask me how I know this...
In short, TIG welding is the "hardest" because there are so many things that must be balanced to do it right. But it's also the easiest to get great results with IMHO, because you have control over everything and you can work at your pace. MIG and Stick work at their pace (usually) and you have to keep up or the weld will suffer.
This website is basically a welding class for free - I highly suggest spending a few hours going through everything on it:
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/
If you have any questions at all, I'm happy to lend whatever (limited) wisdom I have on the subject.
This is a great company with which to deal with. I use their torches exclusively: www.tectorch.com
Edit: I purchase my tungsten here: www.diamondground.com
Edit: I purchase my tungsten here: www.diamondground.com
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My oxy-acetylene skills are decent enough, not of the charts because of frequency of use but definitely not scared to do it and it's a decent enough job I'm not ashamed of it.
Thanks for the advice!
Only a welder can say that.
It all about the bubble . Larry
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
bigngreen, Dans40X, is the premier bolt handle tig welder and of other tig welding. I would pay attention to his advice first. I'm not trying to take away from the others, I've just seen a lot of his work over the years.
These little "lunch box" TIG welders are amazing. You're gonna love it. These days the Internet is loaded with information, but sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you "don't know enough to know what you don't know", if you get my drift.
For example, everyone knows that you have to put some kind of point on your electrode, but there's more to it than that. So don't just fire up your angle grinder and wack away. Do some research on shaping your electrode and be sure you're using the correct sharpening technique.
Water cooled torches are nice, but your air cooled torch will be OK if you aren't doing production work. Be sure to get a short-back cap.
If you're half way good at gas welding, you'll be making nice TIG welds in no time at all.
For example, everyone knows that you have to put some kind of point on your electrode, but there's more to it than that. So don't just fire up your angle grinder and wack away. Do some research on shaping your electrode and be sure you're using the correct sharpening technique.
Water cooled torches are nice, but your air cooled torch will be OK if you aren't doing production work. Be sure to get a short-back cap.
If you're half way good at gas welding, you'll be making nice TIG welds in no time at all.
Money will buy a welder no problem there but money can't buy experience
Larry
Larry
Of the forums I go to this one seemed to have the best depth of knowledge on the subject, looks like I'm getting quality advice!
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