How did you learn to TIG weld?, Post your tips and stories. Options

[FourBlades]

I have been thinking about learning to TIG weld for a few years and took the plunge.

I bought the Eastwood AC/DC unit and have been playing with it for a few weeks.



I did all the obvious learning stuff, watching you tube videos, reading about it.

I like WeldingTipsAndTricks.com videos.

At first I just could not see what was going on well enough so I bought a 3x magnifier for my helmet. I also had a lot of trouble with fogging so I got some FogTech drops which completely stopped the fogging. These tips made it a lot easier to see the arc and the puddle.

Now if I could just stop touching the tungsten to the puddle it would be nice.

I'd like to be able to TIG thin metal to limit heat input, do good roll bar welding, and make stuff from aluminum. I know this will take a lot of time and practice.

What tips really helped you, what practice exercises did you do, what war stories do you have?

Thanks,

John

[stugray]

rick - NICE experience. I like the flexing, floating boat bit. My grandmother actually welded in the East coast shipyards during WWII on some of the Destroyers. She was one of the few that could get all the way into the Bow because she was so tiny.

I learned to weld while setting up Airco-Pulse Arcs in the mids 80's when they first came out.
We had the robotic track welders used on nuke subs that attach with magnetic tracks.
We even tried the electromagnet that could move the spray from side to side without moving the nozzle as the gun climbed the track. It was very cool, but hard to keep consistent because we could not keep the wind out of the chamber.
We calculated that on one job we welded over 1 million feet of weld (3/8" Plate) and that every foot (on average) was welded and ground out-rewelded three times.

The floor was 3" think 45% bevel. The room was designed for acoustic testing of space shuttle payloads...... :-0

Same job where we had a Manitowoc-4000 crane colapsing over our heads while 5 stories up, but I digress....

I currently have a powcon that still runs.

Stu

[rick 918-S]

rick - NICE experience. I like the flexing, floating boat bit. My grandmother actually welded in the East coast shipyards during WWII on some of the Destroyers. She was one of the few that could get all the way into the Bow because she was so tiny.

I learned to weld while setting up Airco-Pulse Arcs in the mids 80's when they first came out.
We had the robotic track welders used on nuke subs that attach with magnetic tracks.
We even tried the electromagnet that could move the spray from side to side without moving the nozzle as the gun climbed the track. It was very cool, but hard to keep consistent because we could not keep the wind out of the chamber.
We calculated that on one job we welded over 1 million feet of weld (3/8" Plate) and that every foot (on average) was welded and ground out-rewelded three times.

The floor was 3" think 45% bevel. The room was designed for acoustic testing of space shuttle payloads...... :-0

Same job where we had a Manitowoc-4000 crane colapsing over our heads while 5 stories up, but I digress....

I currently have a powcon that still runs.

Stu

I never the the pulse but they used that type of rig on the deck straps. They laid thick plates down both sides of the deck and welded them with an automated machine. the flux was poured over the molten weld metal as the machine worked it's way along the V butt. Very cool machine, huge roll of wire. I did run a track welder with .045 wire on the slope plates in the cargo hold a couple times. It was an adapted machine that had a hand torch clamped into an motor. You would watch the arch and adjust the sweep, speed and adjust the position as the motor walked up the magnetic track. It allowed for nice long uninterupted welds on the vertical slopes. I ran miles of .035 wire on the horizontal seams. But I'm a small guy so I spent alot of time crawling through the bildge stick welding. Great job but very cold here. It could get 50 with the wind chill. Work was never called off due to the cold.

Anywho, Tig welding is a fine art that takes practice. Like McMark said, muscle memory.