My first TIG practice and some questions

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I finally got set up to do tig this weekend and ran some practice beads on some 1/8" flat bar. The last 2 pictures are 1/4"x2" flat bar that were cut in half to see the penetration. I used 1/16"&3/32" Ceriated tungsten ground to a point with a flat on the end. The filler was 1/16"&3/32" also. I had the machine set from 100A-120A. I started the arc, let it heat the metal and pushed the puddle forward to add filler. The puddle did not look very large like in stick welding and if I dipped the filler in the very front of the puddle it came off like droplets of solder. Should I tilt the torch forward some more or keep a longer arc and dip it in the middle of the puddle? When I finished up I noticed that I misread the regulator and had it at about 30-35 C.F./HR., could this have been cooling the metal and not letting a large puddle to form? Should I put something under the piece to keep the table from sucking the heat out of the weld? The torch became very warm after 2hrs of on and off welding so I think a water cooler and new torch might be in order. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Chris Attached ImagesLast edited by Chris T.; 05-27-2013 at 11:11 AM.TOO MANY TOOLS & NO MORE SPACE
Reply:Turn the gas down to between 12-14...Adding filler should flow into the puddle..NOT be like drops of solder...Try adding filler from the side instead of directly into the middle..It will flow where it is supposed to.Nothing beats lots of practice...So much of it you get sick of it....zap!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:In general you aren't doing too bad.Puddle size is based in part on amps, travel speed, torch motion ( no motion vs a circular motion for example), distance of tungsten from the work etc. Any or all of these will change the size of your puddle. I usually have new students play with each variable independently  running beads with no filler, so they get a feel what each one does. 1st set the machine at say 125-140 maps for 1/8" steel. Then keeping travel speed and distance from the work as constant as possible, play with the pedal to see how changing your amps changes the puddle. Then set the machine at say 100 amps and floor the pedal to keep that constant, while you vary either travel speed or the distance the tungsten is from the work while keeping the other constant, to see how these change puddle size. I usually have the students do these drills for about 30 minutes or so to get a feel for all of this. In practice while learning, I just have them use the pedal to control puddle size at 1st to keep things simple, but the drills show them that other things can also change this as well.As far as the filler "dripping" My guess is you already have the torch canted over too far. Tipping it more will just make things worse. You want the torch fairly vertical, say canted 5 to 10 deg tops off vertical. The more you tip the torch, the more heat you throw out front of the puddle, and the hotter your filler gets before you can get it to the puddle. Think of the heat coming out of the torch like a hose. The more vertical the "hose" is, the less "water" gets out front.I also see signs you fouled the tungsten several times and didn't stop to regrind. All that rusty dust on the piece tells me this. As soon as you dip, STOP! and regrind. I know it's frustrating, and in the beginning it will seem like you spend more time grinding than welding, but you will get better as you improve.As far as cutting to show penetration, if you aren't running amps for 1/4", that's pretty much pointless. If you don't have enough amps, you simply aren't getting good penetration. To do 1/4" you really need to be up in the 200-250 amp range on average, way more than the average tig person is equipped to put out. Stick with 1/8" or less while learning. With 1/8" to say 16 ga, you are thick enough to soak up excess heat, but thin enough to know when you are too hot. New guys work best with 1/8", and as your skills improve, you can step down to 14 ga and 16 ga to help fine tune your heat control..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