Settings for 16 ga square steel tubing?

[Slartybartfa]

Anyone care to hazard a guess at where to start for tigging 16 ga mild steel square tubing? I haven't yet had time to fire up my PP256 yet, but intend to this weekend. I plan to practice on cutoff pieces I have hanging around, but don't really have any idea of what to expect. I've spent plenty of time MIGing this stuff and know there's a fine line between achieving penetration and blowing holes when joining tubing at right angles. I suppose it's the same with TIG.

Any thoughts on where to set up for my initial efforts?

[KSmith]

Anyone care to hazard a guess at where to start for tigging 16 ga mild steel square tubing? I haven't yet had time to fire up my PP256 yet, but intend to this weekend. I plan to practice on cutoff pieces I have hanging around, but don't really have any idea of what to expect. I've spent plenty of time MIGing this stuff and know there's a fine line between achieving penetration and blowing holes when joining tubing at right angles. I suppose it's the same with TIG.

Any thoughts on where to set up for my initial efforts?

these calculators come in handy.....
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...calculator.php

ken

[bnun12]

The rule of thumb is one amp per thousand. 16 gauge is .065 so about 65 amps would be a good starting point. Practice on the scrap pieces first is a great idea.

DCEN of course.
1/16 filler rod

[DaveO]

A fair question: the Everlast TIG welding calculator
http://www.everlastgenerators.com/ti...calculator.php
... doesn't mention mild steel. Do the stainless steel settings apply to mild steel?

[Slartybartfa]

Thanks for the reference. I bookmarked that.

[Rambozo]

If you are using the foot pedal, you will be making your fine adjustments as you weld. Everyone has their own style to that. Some people like to have the welder setup to the current they expect to use and just use the pedal for tapering off, doing most of the weld with it "floored". Others like to have power above and below the expected level and will set the welder so that they weld at about the half throttle position. Then you have some extra power on tap for thicker areas or places where you can't get in as close. Being able to play with the heat is one of the biggest advantages to TIG welding.

Not that I haven't used a foot pedal for stick welding, too, cause I have.

[CGCINC]

Foot pedal would be the best bet so you can back it down if needed. If your not using the foot pedal I would probably set it around 75 amps and adjust the travel speed accordingly. For Sure make a few practice runs before you do the real thing!!

[Slartybartfa]

Excellent points. I forgot about the foot pedal. So when you're running pedal, is the setting the base current, and when you step on the pedal the current increases, or do you set the pedal at some position (off, middle or floored) and then set the current? I suppose it's the latter.

Picked up some cutoff pieces of 16 ga or thereabouts steel scraps at the local metal supplier to practice on first. And I have plenty of aluminum and might work on that as Jody suggests doing to learn how to get the hang TIGing. Looking forward to this. Been welding MIG for 10 years and stick for longer than that. Moving from stick to MIG was a life-changing experience. I expect having full control of heat, metal deposition and travel speed with TIG will be equally life-changing.

[srp]

The mill scale on mild steel causes a problem on tig welds, cleaning or grinding it off will make the welds look 10 times better. That is one advantage the mig has over the tig, it will weld over mill scale good.