I Learned How To TIG Weld Today

"Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch" (bman76) 10/17/2015 at 00:52 • Filed to: None

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A little wobbly, but I’m pretty happy with it for a first try.

Today I rode over to the crossroads district in KC in the back of a 15 passenger van (driven by a classmate who is the king of left lane bandits). We did some presentations then went over to the shop. I like TIG so much more than MIG. It’s so much more calm/quiet than MIG, especially with an auto-dimming mask (which is the best thing ever). The results were better than I expected. Afterwards we went to Grinders, which is a pretty good restaurant.

It was a good day.

Shark-Attack > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 01:03

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Tig welding is best welding.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Shark-Attack 10/17/2015 at 01:05

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Yes, yes it is.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 01:20

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Not bad. Next time, try welding two soda cans together.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 10/17/2015 at 01:29

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Haha, this material is pretty close to what I’ll actually be welding. For now I’m just trying to nail this.

Clay_T > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 01:30

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Wait until you try aluminum. The puddle is so cohesive and the material heats and cools almost instantly. The control you have over the bead is much easier to manage than on steel.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 02:16

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It’s tough for sure. But tig is so rewarding once you start getting the hang of it.

Nibby > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 08:54

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Those are some good beads for first time.

Master Cylinder > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 09:34

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Yeah, the quietness of TIG is really nice. The noise and sparks of MIG is fun and makes you feel like you’re in an 80s movie montage of gettin’ manly shit done, but it feels so crude compared to TIG. Plus, MIG sucks ass on aluminum.

I do like my MIG on mild steel, though.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Nibby 10/17/2015 at 11:42

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Thanks!

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 16:07

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That’s totally awesome. I’ve done TIG once, but it was a few years ago. It’s something that I’d really like to learn to do. The welder that you were using - was it a scratch start, lift start, or foot pedal control for the arc?

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > BaconSandwich is tasty. 10/17/2015 at 16:14

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Foot pedal control, it was a little sticky and didn’t like to fully turn off without a small “kick”.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 17:02

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The material that you were welding on - was it mild steel?

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > BaconSandwich is tasty. 10/17/2015 at 17:04

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Yes. 2” x 1” tube steel.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch 10/17/2015 at 17:12

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That’s one thing I’ve been wondering - how uncommon is it to TIG weld mild steel? It’s a much slower process than stick or MIG, but it leaves such a clean looking beautiful weld.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > BaconSandwich is tasty. 10/17/2015 at 17:18

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I’m going to be making furniture, so they’ll be finish welds which need to look nice.