Topic: New Tig welder on the way

[MRHilux87]

When i first joined this board I didn't know any welding.   Now Ive had a couple stick welders, and Im on my second mig machine.  I have a Hobart Ironman 210, which I love.  Im not an expert but Ive been through a couple hundred pounds of wire in a few years.  A local wheeler I know bought a Hobart eztig 165 a few months ago, now he is selling it for funding for an airplane.    His loss, my gain. Im not getting it for a couple weeks but Im excited to get started.   
Ive been watching videos and reading alot.  Anyone have any experience with this machine?  Any tips for a first time Tig welder?  Im sure I'll have some more detailed questions and problems when the time comes. 
Thanks. 

[ryantowry_81]

No experience with that particular machine but i have some TIG welding experience using a miller maxstar at work and the longevity 200sx i have at home.

here are some tips that helped me:
- cut all your tungsten into shorter peieces and sharpen both ends so when it gets dirty, and it will, just loosen the cap and flip it over. have alot sharpened when you go to weld so you dont spend alot of time getting up and grinding and then back to welding.

-only sharpen your tungsten on a wheel only used for tungsten. you can contaminate your sharpened ends if you use the same wheel with any other metal. i use a cordless drill with the tungsten chucked in it to get it spinning while sharpening to keep it perfectly round.

-practice practice practice then practice again. start hot on amperage and go less and less till you find the speed you like. i personally dont use a pedal so it is trial and error.

-learn to "walk the cup" or "weave pattern" it is alot easier to keep your welds consistant. a good gas lense and #8 cup is my choice cause the cup is bigger it helps weave on thicker metals.

-start practice on thicker metals near the top of the welders operating range and work down. thin is harder IMO

the company i work for does all sanitary stainless welding so i can spot bad welds easier than i can make them so post up your practice if you have questions.

[jrock]

Watching this one

[MRHilux87 [OP]]

Thanks for the tips!  I got to play around with it tonight and had fun.  I love how you can see the puddle and arc so much better than mig welding.  It only took about 5 min of practicing before I dipped the tungsten and had to re-grind, so I can see how your advice on grinding both sides of it would be helpful. 

[ryantowry_81]

Thanks for the tips!  I got to play around with it tonight and had fun.  I love how you can see the puddle and arc so much better than mig welding.  It only took about 5 min of practicing before I dipped the tungsten and had to re-grind, so I can see how your advice on grinding both sides of it would be helpful.

yeah that will happen alot. I have a small pill jar full of roughly 1" long tungsten sharpened on both sides and another for dull tungsten, all together prob 40 pieces so i only have to grind tungsten once in a blue moon.

what thickness and type tungsten are you using? are you starting with carbon steel first?

[ryantowry_81]

another tip that really helped me was to not try and dip the rod but hold it against the work piece and then just pull it away from the puddle or push more in to adjust the size of the puddle. this is especially crucial on stainless cause if you pull the filler from the shielded gas area then dip it back in you will introduce contaminants into the bead and it will mess it up. i always clip off the burnt end of my rod before starting a weld on any material for just this reason.

[MRHilux87 [OP]]

 Good tips.  I was just playing around with some stainless, then mild steel.  I tried the welder out but its not at my house yet.  What would you suggest practicing on first?  I read start with thicker stuff then work your way thinner as you get more comfortable with the pedal and stuff.  I also need to learn how to hold/feed my filler rod.  I did about a 4 inch bead and my fingers were too close to the puddle to keep feeding.  I saw a guy push it through his hand with one finger... kinda difficult. 

[helipilot77]

Question? How important is it to back gas S.S.?

[ryantowry_81]

I would start with some 3/16 or 1/4" mild steel before the stainless. Stainless does flow better but is more picky about contaminants and type of tungsten.

If you get filler rod in 3' lengths then hold about half way up and just rest the tip on the work piece back a little from the starting point. Get a puddle started without wire then slide it closer to the puddle till it starts to join the puddle. Then just pull back push forward as needed. I would start learning without the pedal and once you get proficient you can introduce the pedal. Much easier that way and to be honest the pedal is only needed in special cases.
Question? How important is it to back gas S.S.?

Back purging is very important if the inner weld surface is important or the weld will sugar without it.

[MRHilux87 [OP]]

Picked up the TIG tonight.  Cant even use it because the argon tank that came with it is empty and everyone is closed.  oh well.  That brings me to my next question: What is the best place to order online tig consumables.  Tungstens and filler rod.  Any site you all prefer? 
What tungsten do you keep around?  2% or the new purple E3 stuff or whatever its called.  No where in my town sells anything TIG related and I have to drive over 2 hrs to get to a welding shop.  Help me prepare so I don't run out in the middle of a project. 

[ryantowry_81]

Picked up the TIG tonight.  Cant even use it because the argon tank that came with it is empty and everyone is closed.  oh well.  That brings me to my next question: What is the best place to order online tig consumables.  Tungstens and filler rod.  Any site you all prefer? 
What tungsten do you keep around?  2% or the new purple E3 stuff or whatever its called.  No where in my town sells anything TIG related and I have to drive over 2 hrs to get to a welding shop.  Help me prepare so I don't run out in the middle of a project.

I personally always get my tig consumables through our local welding shop because they give me a great price with my company account because we purchase in such a volume but i did purchase a new torch and hose for my welder through usaweld.com with good results.


There are different tungsten's for different applications if you are doing aluminum or other exotics, but we used to use 2% thoriated tungsten on everything stainless and carbon steel until the food industry banned it because of its small radio activity. we have since switched to the purple E3 "blend" tungsten and it seems to have god results and longevity.

also i would stick with 1/8" tungsten if i were you unless you are going to do paper thin stuff then step down to 1/16". 3/32" is not necessary IMO but everyone has their own preferences.

[junya92toy]

1/8 tungsten is too big I was 3/32 lath and I like 1/16 diameter filler unless I am doing aluminum then I usually use 3/32 as well

[ryantowry_81]

Like i said everyone has their own preferences. 1/8" and 1/16 works well for me. i have welded down to 12 Ga with 1/8" tungsten and then below there i find the 1/16 works better.


 I also differ on opinion on filler thickness. I like to use all fillers from 5/32" for thick 1/4" plus materials and then size down the filler in proportion to the thickness of material down to 1/16"

I would hate to use a 1/16" filler for a 1/4" fillet, you would be feeding rod like crazy.

[MRHilux87 [OP]]

Ive spent a few hrs on it now.  Ill try to upload some pics soon.  Harder than I thought, especially aluminum.  Im trying to fix these old low boy aluminum ramps.  Between them being old, dirty and too thick for my 165 amp machine its difficult.  When I get it right its rewarding...     

[ryantowry_81]

from the little aluminum i have done the real key is clean clean clean. i even have a seperate SS wire brush just for aluminum. you have to clean off the oxide layer before trying to weld. and dont use anything you have used on steel because it can contaminate the aluminum.

[MRHilux87 [OP]]

i got a brand new aluminum grinding wheel, a brand new stainless brush, acetone, and it still ruins tungsten like nothing else.  Even if I don't touch it to filler or puddle. 

[junya92toy]

Can you adjust the ac balance and you are setting the welder to ac right

[MRHilux87 [OP]]

Yes its AC, but its too basic to adjust the arc balance.  Hobart just sets it up one way from the factory.  One of the things I don't like about it...

[ryantowry_81]

what kind of tungsten are you using for aluminum? balled end or pointed?

also here is a good tungsten selection chart from miller:

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tech_tips/TIG_tips/hints_tips.html


It does not show the E3 on their though.

[TacoRunner]

in may experience use grey tungsten for everything.   And with that machine you like it for steel but not love it for aluminum.

[MRHilux87 [OP]]

I had ok luck with the gray, I think it worked a little better than the green ones Im Using now.   That chart listed above is very helpfull.  Thank you.  I just grind it to a sharp point.  I haven't had time to read up on it much.  Am I sposed to do something different? The miller website says the pure stuff "maintains a balled end".  Ive found when the sharp tip is gone the arc is less focused and doesn't help my weak machine get enough heat in the joint. 

[junya92toy]

You have to turn the welder to ac for aluminum and with a inverter do not use pure and use a pointed tungsten

[TacoRunner]

My miller inverter says not to use green. Use grey or red. I personally hate green because it balls up so big. Even on transformer machines.