ZAP! - help Mr Wizard!

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I bought 2 TIG torches and a large cylinder on CL this weekend. Cylinder was supposed to be Argon, but is marked 75/25 so I can use it for my MIG.So, now I'm going to try to learn scratch start TIG with my Thunderbolt XL. Hooked everything up last night using a small tank of argon I already had. I was really surprised how easy it was to start the arc and how consistent the arc seemed. Boy, it put the fun back in welding!  But I'm not consistent. So Zapster, DSW, or anyone else feel free to chime in, I can use all the help I can get. I just started practicing on some 1/8" steel and thin sheet. I tried both with and without filler rod, just trying to get control of the arc and work the puddle. Hard for me to see where I'm going, but practice should help.My first question, is how do you hold the filler rod to consistently feed the puddle? That seemed hard to do.Second silly question, should I be able to turn the gas valve with my torch hand or does it take the other hand. I know I'm old and not very nimble anymore, but I had to use my left hand, which again complicated the feeder rod. Third, any guidelines or suggestions on where to set the amps would help. I seemed to be too hot no matter what I did.Anyway, I'm a long way from being ready to show any pictures, but it is always fun to learn new things.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:I feed from the side of the puddle..The amps...If you are using .125 thick steel try setting the output amps to 150 MAX with the pedal all the way down..If you could post some pics that would help also..As far as the valve goes..I dunno..I don't have one.....zap!Last edited by zapster; 10-19-2011 at 03:48 PM.I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Here are a couple of ways to hold and feed your filler rods.I use the method at the beginning of the video below.Hope this helps you. I've just started to learn how to TIG myself(I built a scratch-start welder with an alternator and an air compressor motor with a foot pedal and gas solenoid) and I'm slowly getting better at feeding the wire. Don't be discouraged if it takes you a while to get the hang of it. Practice, practice, practice. I think learning how to TIG is very fun and don't be afraid to post up pictures of your beads as you are learning, the guys here have given me some very good tips that have helped me get more out of my practicing time.Brad GeorgeCurrent Equipment:AIRCO Heliwelder IV 300Amp Model - Total Awesomeness!Old 120v Hobart Handler MIGVarious grinders, cutting tools, hammers, clamps, ect..."I'm an amateur welder with lots left to learn..."
Reply:Zap he doesn't have a pedal with that Thunderbolt XL so that's not an option for him unfortuneatly right now. Somewhere right around 125 amps give or take 10 amps or so would be where I'd start. With that machine you won't have fine control over the amps anyways with that screw setting.   You will be able to control your heat with a couple of things besides the amps you set the machine with. Travel speed will probably be the easiest for you to work with at the beginning. Speed up and you'll add less heat, slow down and you'll have more heat. If anything on steel right now setting the amps a bit lower will probably be easier than higher. You will find it easier to slow down, than speed up to control the heat. How far you hold the tungsten from the plate will also change your heat as well. Last would be when and how you add filler.As far as adding filler, there are several ways you can add filler. 1st is the method I was originally taught when I 1st learned tig. It's called the lay wire meathod. You hold the rod at a shallow angle on the plate where you will run the bead, keeping a slight down pressure on the rod. Then start a puddle and move it up to the rod. You want to melt the rod with the puddle not the arc. You can keep sliding the rod along the plate to help feed rod this way. 2nd would be the traditional dabbing the filler by pulling it in and out of the puddle, and last is more of a tapping motion like you'd use with a drum stick.  As far as holding the filler, I sort of hold mine like a pencil and usually tap to add filler as opposed to dabbing.Consistancy just takes time. The other big thing I see students trying to do, is hold the torch up in mid air at arms length. They have a terrible time trying to maintain a consistant 1/8-3/16" gap between the plates and the tungsten because of hold unstable their hand is and how much it shakes as they try to move along the weld. If possible I try to rest my hand on something and get as comfortable as possible. Given a choice, I'll sit rather than stand, and set up some thing to use as a rest if I can't slide it on the work or the table. This will help you maintain a constant arc gap between the work and the tungsten. You can vary it a small amount simply by lifting your wrist slightly. As you improve, you'll find you are able to work without needing a rest more and more, but at first why not make it as easy as possible.When you get a chance, lets see some picts..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:OK, I threw away the first 2 nights practice pieces, this TIG is fun, but I guess I'm a slow learner. These pictures show some promise, but I realize I have a long way to go. Mostly these do not have any filler, but I added some to fill in a couple of holes!Questions.1. When do you use filler? If the base material is 1/8" and the puddle is flowing well, is there any reason to add filler? I know that sounds dumb, but so am I.2. I always see the "stack of dimes" or "U's" in TIG, but if the puddle is flowing well (again), do you always have to rock forward, then back? Or is it acceptable to run the bead smooth? Remember, I am using scratch-start TIG on steel only at this point. I'll post some more pictures and questions later, but just trying to figure this out. Attached ImagesBurt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:start the arc..keep the arc length as short as possible..see the puddle start..watch the puddle grow..feed the puddle with filler from the opposite side as the torch is on.... move the torch and start the next puddle..if im keeping the arc length real tight as i feed filler i will move the torch back  away from the puddle a wee bit  because as the filler melts the puddle will swell and can reach out and phoque the tungsten..
Reply:Most of the time you will want to use filler. Filler does several things for you. One it adds material you need to make up for open areas in joints and to add joint reinforcement. Also the filler usually has a higher strength than the base and this offsets any metallurgical changes in the base metal due to your weld. The filler usually also has additives that help remove some contaminants from the weld.Pretty much figure you need filler all the time. It's not a hard fast rule, but it will probably cover everything you are doing right now. The only reason right now to run puddles with no filler is to get a feel for what the arc and motions are doing with the puddle and not complicate things with filler. this would be beads on flat plate, not joints. After that, you want to use filler..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan