Tig newbie questions

[calltrex]

Totally newbie. Only had a 220 mig welder. Always wanted to be able to weld aluminum and now its somewhat affordable to get tig machine. Didnt want a alum spool gun for mig

Waiting for my new tig machine to get here in 2 days. ordered the Tig 200DX-D

Exchanged my mig tanks for a Argon tank

searched for charts that show what you need to weld the different thickness aluminum, tips, tung, amps, etc

Is there a really good chart somewhere.

Also should i just get the lens kit and just always use it? any reason not to use the lens kit? i know you need it to do deeper welds but cant you just use it for anything?

[Rambozo]

Welcome.
For a good weld calc see https://www.millerwelds.com/resource...ng-calculators
There is also an app for your phone. You can go to www.weldingtipsandtrick.com for a good rundown on most TIG machine settings.
Start with steel TIG, then move to aluminum and you will find things a lot easier. If you have a foot pedal, use it. MIG experience doesn't translate very well to TIG. However, if you have any oxy-fuel welding experience that can really help.
A gas lens will do a better job and use less gas than a standard cup. But they are slightly larger in diameter which can be an issue in some places. Also there are super long versions of standard cups to get into some restrictive areas that are not offered in gas lens styles. For 95% of welds the gas lens is the way to go.

[calltrex]

Awesome. Thanks.

[calltrex]

Theres a switch on the torch. Do i even need that on there if i have the pedal? Because i can just take it out of the line. less clutter.

or when would i ever need the switch on the torch?


another thing i noticed when i unboxed everything today. the pedal says 22K-CL. I thought its suppose to be a 47k pedal??

Everything ive seen looks like good quality. Can't wait to try it out. New tank wont be here for couple days

[Rambozo]

Standing on a ladder, laying under a car, swinging from a bosun's chair, the list goes on. There are plenty of times where the pedal can be a pain to use. If you have the removable style of torch switch, feel free to take it off. Just don't lose it, as I'm sure one day you will be glad you have it.

No idea what pedal goes with what machine. AFAIK most of the newer digital machines work with a wide range of values, so it's not as big a deal as it used to be.

[calltrex]

Ya good points. Guess i would have found out sooner or later. Haha

Had to turn my cart handle upside down because it blocked the connection ports. And this machine is bigger then my mig machine was.

[calltrex]

Do you guys have a cool way to organize all your different tips and stuff?

Big organizer or separate kits

[Rambozo]

A few different ways. Larger quantities in a drawer, some stuff in those plastic divided boxes, and a TIG Caddie stuck on the top of one machine. Lots of different ways to do that.

[calltrex]

Nice

The tungsten. Can you pre sharpen them or do you do it just before you weld?

The fill rods are you supposed to clean them with Acetone just before welding? Because of oxidation

Clean tungsten with Acetone too?

[calltrex]

also i bought one of those tubes that hold filler rods. is it ok to have the aluminum and metal fillrods together in there? wasnt sure if touching each other would do anything like contaminate each other??

[Rambozo]

Yes, you can pre-sharpen.
Yes, it's a good idea to wipe down filer rod right before using. Not so much with steel as it's typically copper plated to avoid rust and stuff, but for aluminum and other reactive metals, it's a good idea.
No, you don't need to clean tungsten unless you get oil on it or something.
No, not a good idea to store aluminum and steel rod together. Also the stainless wire brush you use to clean aluminum, shouldn't ever be used on steel.
Get some PVC pipe to store rods in. Cheap and easy solution.

[calltrex]

I finally had a chance to try the tig for the first time ever. tried 3/16 mild steel plate. just wanted to run a bead down the flat plate is all.

Had a little problem. Stepped on the pedal and it looked like it started ok and it looked fine through my helmet. Then after like 5 seconds or so something would happen. its like it would flare up and get superbright and i couldnt even look at it anymore and had to stop. did this 2 times in a row. left it for the day before i go blind. Xmas stuff going on

3/32 tung and 3/32 fillrod set volts to 150. argon at 15. on DC


will have to watch the vids again. maybe settings wrong or not enough gas.

[calltrex]

I finally had a chance to try the tig for the first time ever. tried 3/16 mild steel plate. just wanted to run a bead down the flat plate is all.

Had a little problem. Stepped on the pedal and it looked like it started ok and it looked fine through my helmet. Then after like 5 seconds or so something would happen. its like it would flare up and get superbright and i couldnt even look at it anymore and had to stop. did this 2 times in a row. left it for the day before i go blind. Xmas stuff going on

3/32 tung and 3/32 fillrod, 3/8 cup, set volts to 150. argon at 15. on DC


will have to watch the vids again. maybe settings wrong or not enough gas.


A lot different then my mig welder

[mts211si]

Then after like 5 seconds or so something would happen. its like it would flare up and get superbright and i couldnt even look at it anymore and had to stop. did this 2 times in a row. left it for the day before i go blind.

That is flash caused by your auto darkening helmet. Some helmets have issue with tig... it could be the delay and/or sensitivity settings, or maybe if your helmet only has two sensors. Essentially the helmet is undarkening in the middle of the weld. You can try lowering the sensitivity and increasing the delay. If you have a cheaper helmet, you might consider upgrading to a high quality 4 sensor model. Here's a model I've had good luck with after getting the settings right, and it's relatively inexpensive and locally available:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_396400-47120...ductId=3773821

[mts211si]

Sorry, I should have said you could try increasing sensitivity and delay to see if it helps...

[calltrex]

Thanks. have to check helmet in morning. thought i only had 1 dial. that i darkend as much as it would go. maybe the other side of helmet has a dial. makes sense now that its undarkening.

ive never had to touch the dials ever with my mig.

Guess im going helmet shopping day before xmas

[calltrex]

Thanks. have to check helmet in morning. thought i only had 1 dial. that i darkend as much as it would go. maybe the other side of helmet has a dial. makes sense now that its undarkening.

ive never had to touch the dials ever with my mig.

Guess im going helmet shopping day before xmas

[Rambozo]

A few helmets have issues with DC TIG. One thing that several people have figured out is that if you use some pulse the helmet will stay dark. Also this doesn't happen with AC, stick, or MIG. DC TIG is just too smooth and even for some helmets to see it as a welding arc.

[labmaster02]

Be careful if you let up on the pedal too much with the amps going down to around 15-20 the helmet may go back to light. Being new you may not realize you're even doing it. The sensitivity setting should resolve this.

[calltrex]

My old helmet has no sensitivity dials and only 2 sensor


Got a new helmet at 8am. Haha

Has 4 sensors. Goes to 13 shade

What settings do you guys use?