Some advice for the beginner

Hi all, just got a 200DX and am trying to learn the basics. I have gone through about a whole 60lb tank of argon am still unable to put down anything that remotely resembles a decent weld. I am using straight argon, 3/32 ceriated tungsten and 1/16 tig rod. I have experimented with varying amps and pulse settings so I am familiar with the machine. And yes, I have the torch connected to the neg. post and is set to DC :).

I sometimes get splatter from the rod and occasionally dip the tungsten into the puddle. Right now, I want to weld some 1/4-28 nuts to some .120 mild steel but all I get is a big glob of ugliness. I have the tungsten sharpened good, in my eyes anyways, and I would like to know how one would go about making the tiny clean welds I see so often. I have trouble getting a puddle started with lower amps (50ish) and burn right through the nut with higher current.

You experienced welders sure make it look easy.

I'd get something else besides ceriated personally. It's not worth it. Not that it won't do the job, but there are better choices.

A couple of helpful things:

1) Grind the metal where you are going to weld. Use a metal grinding disk or a really aggressive 60 grit flap disk. Don't just "polish" it. Get the mill scale off. Also the nuts have plating typically either Zinc or cadmium. This will leave a mess unless you remove this too. It will leave a blob of ugliness, unless you happen on some unplated, unoiled nuts.

2) Make sure you are sharpening the tungsten so the grind marks run parallel to the length of the tungsten, and not radially.

3) What your torch angle. You'll need about 80 or 90 amps to get the puddle started at least on the base metal, then quickly, but gently kiss the nut with the arc, just barely and then wash the arc back down as you add the filler.

Everything Mark said, and a few more things. Start with a bead on plate first and practice that until you are good at it. Then do a lap joint with that 1/8" plate. Welding nuts on is actually one of the harder things to do, especially with small nuts like 1/4". Use the pedal to help with your amperage control. Not as common for fine thread, but you might try a square nut. They are a little beefier, and you get a longer side to weld on. You can also get weld nuts at some hardware stores that have no plating on them. Silver zinc plating isn't too bad to weld through, but not ideal to learn on. There are also flange nuts that give you a little more room. A lot depends on what strength you need in the finished product, as the welding will anneal any heat treatment in them. You can also use stainless nuts as they are tough and weld real nice to carbon steel. Here is a sample of #10-32 on 1/8" wall tubing. Try to keep from melting the nut too much. A bolt screwed in will hold it in alignment and keep the threads from distorting too much.

Attachment 12036 Attachment 12037

Keep your arc length short.
The puddle melts the filler, not the arc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNAAhwieNhU

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Originally Posted by Beginner

Hi all, just got a 200DX...And yes, I have the torch connected to the neg. post and is set to DC :).

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Welcome, Beginner! Torch connected to negative puts you a jump ahead!

In addition to the other tips posted here, you may want to run some practice beads on scrap without any filler and with as few "extras" as possible: use the torch switch and no pedal, no pulse, no filler metal, even: just get used to manipulating the weld puddle.

I have not TIG welded on zinc or cadmium plated nuts, but I'm guessing the fume hazard created by burning through the rust-proofing is still a threat: don't breathe it!

Congrats on the 200DX, it's great equipment.

Thanks guys, I will get some torch time this weekend. I'll post some pics of what I do, we'll go from there.

Finally got back to it today...I found that welding the nut in place with the bolt through it helped to avoid melting the nut. I just did 2 tacks on either side of the nut, there was no need to do the whole thing. Came out satisfactory.

Hi Beginner, Im going to be in the same situation as you. I just ordered a 200dx and i never tig welded before. they sure do make it look easy. I have alot of things i want to try when it comes. i also have a small 3pt hitch backhoe i need to repair. I think that will be with some stick welding. good luck with your projects..

Im in the process of receiving 2% lanthanated tungsten, from what i understand read and received feed back on is that this tungsten works great on dc/ac . have you tried that yet ?

I had been using 3/32 2% ceriated tungsten and was down to a little stub on my last one, so I picked up some Weldcraft 3/32 2% thoriated and could not believe the difference it made in the quality of my welds. The welds I am doing on 1 1/2" .095 mild steel tubing are not nearly as pretty as they could be, but I can tell you the tubing is not going to break at the welds, haha. They are really not any worse than the MIG welds elsewhere on the project. I'm getting much better at controlling the puddle to get the look I want.

I would like to get an adjustable head torch for the round tubing I have been welding, it is tough in some areas. Running TIG beads underneath on the bottom side are difficult to master also.

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Originally Posted by Beginner

Thanks guys, I will get some torch time this weekend. I'll post some pics of what I do, we'll go from there.

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So where are those pics? :confused:

Glad to hear that you're doing better with the thoriated. That is the standard for most DC TIG. Very forgiving of a lot of things. The rest just takes practice.

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Originally Posted by Frank

Im in the process of receiving 2% lanthanated tungsten, from what i understand read and received feed back on is that this tungsten works great on dc/ac . have you tried that yet ?

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Lanthanated works for both AC and DC just fine, so does thoriated. I use lanthanated now only, but thoriated was a little better for me.

Waiting on pictures as well, get that phone/camera running :D

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Originally Posted by Rambozo

So where are those pics? :confused:

Glad to hear that you're doing better with the thoriated. That is the standard for most DC TIG. Very forgiving of a lot of things. The rest just takes practice.

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Here you go. The weld on the tube in the center is my TIG weld, the MIG weld on the far right is from the chassis builder.

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps8e9ac873.jpg

You're getting there, for sure. Try to keep your arc length a little shorter, and work for better consistency. You need to establish a rhythm so you progress at the same rate. It just takes practice. Round tube joints are some of the hardest because of all the position changes.