TIG welding has had many names and because it started in the 1941s many older welders may refer to it as “heliarc” welding. This welding was initially used in the war efforts to weld airplanes because it did a good job on aluminum, magnesium, and stainless steel.

The reason it was called “heliarc” is because it needed an inert gas as a shielding gas and helium was what was available at that time. As people began to experiment with inert gases they found that Argon was a better choice than helium because it is a heavier gas and had less flow rate than helium.

TIG welding has been found to be a better choice for flat welding because of its even flow. It was also found that TIG welders were able to make a more stable arc and getting the arc going was easier. It is also important to note that the name was changed to TIG but no one actually knows why or when this happened.