Holy Tig!

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Howdy,I am a total newbie when it comes to Tig, but tonight, I fired up my new Maxstar 140 and laid my first beads.  Strange thing was, I was plugged into 110v outlet, burning threw .125 plate like nobody's business.  Beads all looked ok on the top, but the backside was like melting icecream.  Gas is set around 22-25cfm, and the thumb control was not even all the way to max.  1.  Is the 1 amp per .001" thickness rule not true with Tig?2.  Is the back of my workpiece a true gauge of penetration?  If I am burning through eighth inch plate with 85 amps or less, how thick can I go?Oh yeah, 3/32 tungsten, no filler.Thanks for all of your help.  Being a newbie is tought these days.  I don't have regular access to a professional to help me learn these things just yet.  Much appreciated.Scott
Reply:Hey welcome, I'm a tig newbie as well.Isn't it cool?- John
Reply:Very cool indeed.  Mig was so sloppy, I was immediately turned off.  Tig is quiet, clean, and I can actually see my puddle.  Nice.  Now all I need to do is figure out how to use it!  I'll post some pics this weekend.
Reply:90-110 amps should be ideal.  If you're having trouble burning through at 125, you probably need to move a little faster.  Do you have a pedal?  It really doesn't matter what you set the amperage at if you have a pedal because you can change it during the weld if you get too hot.  Today I was welding 1/4" aluminum to 16 guage.  I set the welder to 220 amps, but most of the welding was actually at 160ish amps because I only ran full throttle at the start.  The travel speeds were very high, you might want to run a little less current and a slower travel speed.Last edited by 76GMC1500; 11-15-2006 at 12:30 AM.
Reply:the 1 amp per .01 is just a base line to start at. travel speed and joint prep will efect the actual amperage used as will matereal and the focuseness of the arc. as you will find on longer runs you will need to reduce the heat as you go due to residual heat in the matereal. also its best to run a lil hot and use filler to cool the puddle, the finger control will help greatly as you progress.TIG truely is great fun and verry relaxing compared to MIG or stick.76GMC1500he has a finger controle summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:Didn't see that no filler was being used.  That's you're problem.  You probably keep adding heat to bridge the gap until it burns through.  Throw some filler on there to bridge the gap when you first see the metal start to melt.
Reply:Photos:  no filler, two hands on the torch: Attached Images
Reply:Last one:  One handed, no filler.  My god is this thumb control heavy on the torch.  I can barely keep my arms from shaking. Attached Images
Reply:thats why most prefer the foot controle.practice is the only answer for TIG  summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:you need to add filler 70-s2ChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:My my, everyone takes such nice pictures nowadays!If you don't have the time to do it right, then you definitely don't have the time to do it over.
Reply:The digital revolution!  I will never go back to film.
Reply:Your gas flow should be around 16-20 too.  And yeah, use some filler
Reply:Originally Posted by climber111.  Is the 1 amp per .001" thickness rule not true with Tig?
Reply:Started some filler tonight.  Not too bad.  I still need to figure out how to adjust when things get too hot.  The thumb control is great, but I have some pretty thick gloves.  Gota get some thinner cotton ones.  Scott Attached Images
Reply:you should clean off the scale first, also if you are not using a gas lense you probly need to stay with your first gas settings. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.
Reply:Did some tube welds last night.  Cut them up and found penetration lacking in some spots, and too much in others.  Tubing is a bitch!  I attribute part of my difficulty to tube-fit, and mostly to lack of experience.  But not totally unsatisfied with how it looks.S Attached Images
Reply:looking like a real goos start there keep it up, it will get better with time and practice, fit up is much more important in TIG than in MIG just as cleaning is. summer is here, plant a tree for mother earth. if you dont have time or space, sponcer some one else to plant one for you.feel free to shoot me a PM or e-mail me at [email][email protected] i got lots of time.