A most basic TIG nubie question

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One reoccurring problem that I have is to much heat in my TIG welds. The welds are flat and grey. Rarely do I ever get a bead with a nice crown, much less a nice shiny one. I did break the cycle ruining some thin walled square tubing, but I can't stay consistent. I remember some advice that I got when I got my first MIG welder. It went something like this. "If you think you're going slow enough, slow down some more. Maybe that's followed my into my TIG adventures, but I think I have what may be one of the most basic questions about TIG welding. I haven't been able to find a definitive answer yet, so I thought I would ask the brain trust here.How do you know when you've reach fusion (welding) temperature under the arc?  And, how long do you wait until you start moving and dabbin'?My thinking is that it's when you have a fully developed puddle on both pieces of metal, but for me getting a nice puddle on both pieces is all but impossible.Next, how fast do you move? Just quick enough to melt the filler rod? Slower? Faster?I think if I can wrap my mind around this most basic concept, I can make some better progress with my welds.
Reply:Originally Posted by DementedOne reoccurring problem that I have is to much heat in my TIG welds. The welds are flat and grey. Rarely do I ever get a bead with a nice crown, much less a nice shiny one. I did break the cycle ruining some thin walled square tubing, but I can't stay consistent. I remember some advice that I got when I got my first MIG welder. It went something like this. "If you think you're going slow enough, slow down some more. Maybe that's followed my into my TIG adventures, but I think I have what may be one of the most basic questions about TIG welding. I haven't been able to find a definitive answer yet, so I thought I would ask the brain trust here.How do you know when you've reach fusion (welding) temperature under the arc?  And, how long do you wait until you start moving and dabbin'?My thinking is that it's when you have a fully developed puddle on both pieces of metal, but for me getting a nice puddle on both pieces is all but impossible.Next, how fast do you move? Just quick enough to melt the filler rod? Slower? Faster?I think if I can wrap my mind around this most basic concept, I can make some better progress with my welds.
Reply:Try practicing with no filler until you can weld two pieces together consistently. You should be close to where your settings need to be and getting both sides to melt.
Reply:probably needs more amps as said above  and travel faster.Thin tube is horrible to practice TIG on. Get good on thicker material and then puzzle thin stuff out.Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.
Reply:Originally Posted by Demented"If you think you're going slow enough, slow down some more"
Reply:You must keep your body moderate during welding. And you must use the Best TIG Welder so that it weld the material smoothly and you will not get stuck anywhere.
Reply:So far goos advice. It’s common to use too little heat then have to hold while you build a puddle use more heat and learn to dip the rod in the puddle and not heat the rod directly. Sometimes a ticker backup block of copper or aluminum will help pull excess heat away. I reserve this for more advanced practice.   I use it effectively when I can’t have the work getting too hot. Copper works good for starting blocks too. I use them whe welding very thin materials many machines have a higher starting arc that is supposed to taper off as soon as the arc is established, bu when you have very thin aluminum or stainless you can’t hav thi big arc starting as it can blow a hole in your work or burn off the actual start8ng edge. Some newer machines you can adjust this down.  Using just the pedal directly to get started.