Well I took the leap and got a 200 Amo tig welder. I was going to see if any seasoned TIG welders had any usefull tips? I Played around with it today on some scrap stainless and Carbon Steel. Im not so good at it. Hard to find a happy medium. So anyone have any tips? Tricks?

 

stainless is about the easiest to weld with tig since it flows real nice. Practice handling the torch first, then try adding some filler. Practice makes perfect. Gas lenses make for cleaner welds. Do you hav a foot or finger control??? HF start??

 

What gas are you using? You should be using a 100% argon mixture for TIG welding. A CO2 mix won't do.

 

I do have a foot pedal. No HF start. I've been using the 75/25 mix. I noticed the back side of the stainless was really chrystalized from no purging on back side. 100% argon ( from a few diff sources) is for aluminum. Or Helium or Helium mix will work but not frequently used.

 

You need 100% argon for MIG welding aluminum but it works much better for TIG when welding stainless and mild steel than a steel mix which works fine for MIG.

 

Use straight argon. Mig needs co2 even when welding stainless to wet the puddle.

 

also try a few different cup sizes, you can make some very nice consistent welds by walking the cup from side to side, also always dip at the leading edge of your puddle, try to keep the torch and your wire perpendicular to eachother, stainless will need a purge or it will definitely sugar on you

 

keep the arc length real short and dab the filler rod on a very steady basis. it helps to do a couple practice runs over the spot without welding making sure you have a good view of the entire weld and a good torch angle. it also helps to move the torch in small increments in time with the dabs to make a cleaner more half moon shaped welds.

 

i agree, 1oo percent argon. the only time ive ever liked the helium mix is when useing too small of a machine. the mixed gas seems to help get a little more heat. im guessing you have to scratch start with no hf? that sucks for the tungsten. i swear by 2 percent thoriated tungsten for just about everything. sharpen the tungsten to a point for steel and stainless. most welding shops carry a product called chem-sharp for scratch start tig welders. its a small container with some powder looking stuff. when the tip of your tungsten gets all messed up, you carefully dip it in the stuff. magically it sharpens it. it can save time from having to pull the tungsten out and re-sharpen it everytime. i let it hang out about 1/4 inch past the cup. practice, practice, practice!