First time TIG Welding.

[SMF93]

Not bad for your first time. It just takes practice, you may never get it perfect, but you will definitely get better. I am about to graduate from technical school with a welding diploma, so I am by no means an expert. Not sure how much experience you have, but I may have a few tips.

When we started learning any of the big 3 methods(stick, MIG, TIG), we always started out on a flat piece of material and just laid the best, straightest bead we could. A t-joint is a little trickier, and if you are just wanting to get the basics down, I would definitely just practice laying beads on a flat piece. You will be surprised how hard it is to get a straight bead when you don't have a joint to follow.

Inserting the filler rod is one of the hardest parts to learn if you are not ambidextrous. I am not in the least bit and it was very frustrating at first. You want to make sure to establish a good weld pool with the torch and just aim straight for it, the pool will suck the filler rod in to an extent. If you hit the base metal surrounding the weld pool, the rod will want to stick. You want to touch the rod to the pool and only the pool.

The biggest thing when welding in any position or any method is getting a comfortable position. That takes practice as well cause you will constantly find new techniques and things that make it easier for you. The more you practice, the better you will get at being comfortable. Try different ways of holding the torch, routing the hose differently so it doesn't fight you. Learn how to feed the filler rod when it gets short without too much motion, its all in the wrist and fingers.

Another thing I have noticed TIG welding, when we first started learning we were using smallish diameter filler rods, forcing you to be more precise. If you can get dialed in with a small filler rod, moving up to the bigger stuff will be much easier.

Steel, be it stainless or mild, is easier to TIG for a beginner than aluminum. Practice enough with aluminum and you will be just as proficient as you are on steel.

Learn your machine settings. One thing I do is establish the weld pool I want and have someone read me the current output off the machine(we'll say 130v), I then set the machine slightly over, maybe 140v, so I have a little bit of headroom should I need it. But not so much that you are constantly trying to find the sweet spot on the pedal. Some people like to set the machine exactly what they need it at so they can just keep it mashed and not have to worry. I personally like a little head room.

Great information! I too started off with flat mild steel when beginning stick/Mig/Tig/Oxy.

Another tip, during stick,Tig, and Mig do not leave the puddle, I usually sweep the outer edge with mig & stick.

[JP-12]

Thanks!