Poor Man's TIG Welding?

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Hi, I've been reading up on TIG welding recently. It's a whole new ballpark for me. My question is, would it be possible to do some scratch start TIG weld with no gas, No proper "Gun", if you will, and no cooling? My theory would be to use my 80 amp DC SMAW welder, Some tungsten tips ( $10 at HF), and a normal stick welding stinger. I don't expect these to look good or hold up, considering I'd be using no shielding gas. Also, I wouldn't do it a lot, just for the sake of trying something new.My main concerns are:Safety, I won't blow up something trying this right?Cooling, being so close to the puddle for so long, I don't want to burn myself, or the measly stinger!Lastly, would it even be worth trying, or am I just wasting money and time?Thanks for any input,Alex
Reply:Forget it, you must have a shielding gas[argon].
Reply:lol you must be REALLY poor.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Nope not a chance.Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:I've experimented along these lines for a little project, so I have a little experience. Results - you can heat and melt metal for sure, but you'll get nothing remotely close to a weld bead. But do feel free to experiment if it costs nothing - it is fun. But be safe...JasonXMT 350 MPA Dynasty 280DXSuitcase 8RC / OptimaSpoolmatic 30AThermco Ar / C02 mixerAssorted O/A gear
Reply:WOW  My2¢V
Reply:yup, I had a snowball's chance in hell at doing anything with it. Went the even cheaper way of just scraping the flux off an old rod, and all it did was stick. Now i realize how important shielding gas is!-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:why not use a stick in one hand and introduce some filler rod with the other, if you want to play around..
Reply:You'll burn the tungsten up in a heart beat, thats it.... no welding... anyone that runs lift/scratch has at least once accidently touched the tungsten to something grounded,or forgot to turn the gas valve on first, you will get an ugly burn hole and your tungsten will be all crusty.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Best to accumulate the TIG parts one piece at a time. Won't hurt near as much.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jake98why not use a stick in one hand and introduce some filler rod with the other, if you want to play around..
Reply:Wrong metal. Brazing rod is for OA use and not to be mixed with weld metal.
Reply:See if you can locate an old carbon arc torch, or build one. Pretty much the same thing except without the shielding gas. You'll have to run standard O/A rods to get the extra deoxidisers rather than tig rods. Attached Images.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:How hard would it be to build a carbon arc torch? Honestly, I never even heard of it. I'll still give brazing rods a shot tomorrow. Remember, I'm doing this just for fun. I'm short on metal to do any projects with.-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:Search maybe?From here...http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?p=551392And Google:http://www.instructables.com/id/Make...volt-stick-we/They also pop up cheap from time to time. I've seen and passed on any number of them at flea markets and yard sales over the years. Never had any need for one so I didn't bother with them much..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:Hmmm, now i'm intrigued. I think i'll build it tomorrow, got nuthin else to do! If it works, it may solve my problem as to burning out grinders trying to cut metal! Adding to my cheap-o ways, I'll take the suggestion of using the carbon rod from D cell batteries.-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:I can't find the link at the moment, but a field expedient arc gouger is explained in an Army welding manual.Essentially, you take a piece of auto brake line or similar, bend a short 90-degree in it, then attach it to your stick electrode holder so it directs air in the direction of your carbon the same way an arc gouger does. Connect air any way you like.It would also work with stick electrodes for crude cutting and piercing.
Reply:Originally Posted by ArcSpark96Hmmm, now i'm intrigued. I think i'll build it tomorrow, got nuthin else to do! If it works, it may solve my problem as to burning out grinders trying to cut metal! Adding to my cheap-o ways, I'll take the suggestion of using the carbon rod from D cell batteries.
Reply:Now I just need one of those things--------------------------------------------------------------www.becmotors.nlyup, I quit welding.. joined welder anonymous
Reply:^ That's the Youtube video I saw! Anyway, So far it's coming out good. I have to go buy some carbon rods, all the batteries I dissected were the newer "leak proof" carbon lined cells. Even if i can't cut metal without adding air pressure, Still seems like a fun project.i'll get some pics up in a bit.-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:Originally Posted by ArcSpark96^ That's the Youtube video I saw! Anyway, So far it's coming out good. I have to go buy some carbon rods, all the batteries I dissected were the newer "leak proof" carbon lined cells. Even if i can't cut metal without adding air pressure, Still seems like a fun project.i'll get some pics up in a bit.
Reply:Alright, today I finished it. Still have to get the rods (i'll give Frazzio's a look sometime, if their prices are good I could easily become a regular customer.Just for the fun of it, and for a simple test, Couldn't I use pencil lead. I know i'd have to strip 4-5 pencils, but it seems it would work for a test.I'll try to get pic's up later tonight. Try not to laugh too hard!-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:The torch. Attached Images-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:Just save up, it's worth the wait for a good tig. But since your asking I did the harbor freight stick welder converted to tig (but i used gas) and it was great for learning purposes, but it will leave you wanting more then you will spend more money on a better welder. So do it once and do it right.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Your prototype has a flaw. You will want the clips at a 45 deg angle to each other rather than the way you have them right now. Look at the pict I posted. the carbons form a V. When the bottom of the carbons touch at the bottom of the V you will get your arc. The way you have yours done, you'll get the arc, but you'll find it almost impossible to do anything with it. Take it back to the R&D room and have the tops of the handles cut at a 45 deg angle..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 ReaganCan you hunt grizzly bears with a BB gun?  fif you want really PO'ed bears which is what you will be after trying and failing at this bonehead idea.   For about 2 bills you can get the 140ST Everlast and its a dual voltage machine you can be up and running with TIG.  need a tank, gauge and Tungsten...   Great little machine to learn on and you can probably sell it for almost what you pay for it if you decide you want a real TIG machine later.   figure you will probably spend that much on your "half *** prototype" anyway...Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:I was having too much fun with MS Paint. Attached Images-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:Yes but they will stick straight out. That should make it pretty difficult to 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
Reply:To answer the original question, for posterity, here's what gas-less TIG looks like.  This is from when I first got my welder, with an (unbeknownst to me) broken regulator.__David Hillman
Reply:Looks like a steel bee-hive! Yeah, I had no chance, and I didn't even waste the money on the tungsten tips just to try my original idea. Neat to see what it looks like though.@DSW, One of these days I'm just going to try to find something at a yardsale or flea market.  Turns out my dad even had one when he bought his old HOME N SHOP Sears arc welder back in the 80's. He told me he threw it out.-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.