New at Tig and Input Welcomed

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This is my 5th bead I have laid with my Everlast PowerTig 185. the metal is 1/8" thick 2" square tubing. I set the amps at 93, gas at 15, 3/32 2% thoriated tungsten, I used  3/32 er70-s2 filler. My 17 torch only came with a #4 lens and I do not have a foot pedal (yet). I am self teaching to trying and see what I can accomplish. I am a hobbyist only no production welding at all. Input is greatly welcomed!A Blue box coming soonEverlast PowerTig 185Hobart Handler 175Hypertherm Max 40
Reply:Looks ok, a little undercut. What's your goal with tig? Keep practicing!http://www.facebook.com/LockhartMetalArthttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Grumpy...44306259043484
Reply:Amps too low, cup too small.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Originally Posted by grumpycricketLooks ok, a little undercut. What's your goal with tig? Keep practicing!
Reply:Travel speed appears so slow that the bead almost looks like a wash coat.  I'd suggest working on feeding filler faster before turning up the heat.  Also suggest that on lighter material, you try to weld towards a tack.  It will act as a heat sink and help out with the inevitable heat buildup at the corners.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonAmps too low, cup too small.
Reply:A good rule of thumb with tig on steel is 1 amp per .001" of thickness. That would set you ate about 125 amps for 1/8". From there you go up or down slightly depending on joint configuration etc.With no pedal for amp control, you are left with mostly travel speed to control your heat ( as well as arc length and filler addition to chill the puddle, but right now when learning travel speed will be the thing to work with to keep things simple). I'd set the amps slightly lower so you can slow down to add heat, and speed up if you need to chill the puddle more. 115 amps is a good starting point.With your amps down close to 90, you really have to take your time to build the puddle. This pumps a ton of excess heat into the surrounding material and makes it tough to get the puddle to cool after you pass a spot. The small cup gives you limited gas coverage. So now you have a puddle that doesn't cool right away, plus a very small area of shielding gas, and you end up with gas coverage issues to a limited extent. It's easy to tell this from the "muddy" look of the beads. You don't  have that nice crisp stack of dimes you do when your settings and gas coverage is right.It seems backwards that more amps inputs less heat, but that's the way it is. It becomes a lot more critical when you start playing with materials like alum or stainless that are more heat sensitive..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:Can understand a newby's frustration trying to sort through all the information available.  The rule of thumb may say 125 amps but is that meant for a machine with a foot pedal?  Or maybe meant for nice comfortable positions?  Or large pieces with lots of area for the heat to go?  Or cool off time between re-starts?  The Miller calculator itself would set a heat of 105-135 for this joint but then it's technique's page tells you to use foot pedal to control heat.  What amps are you really welding at?  I've tigged an awful lot of boiler tubes from 1/8" to 1/4" wall thickness.  Amperage settings from 80 amps to 120 amps.  Maybe a little higher capping on a cold 1/4" but can't imagine ever needing 250 amps.
Reply:DSW- Thanks for the info. In the picture by the OP, is undercut where the base material dips down at the edge of the weld rather than the weld sitting flush or on top of the base material?JimMaxtor 150STH
Reply:Originally Posted by ixlr8DSW- Thanks for the info. In the picture by the OP, is undercut where the base material dips down at the edge of the weld rather than the weld sitting flush or on top of the base material?
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonYup, creating a stress riser.
Reply:Ixlr8, ..." I have been reading about undercut for 6 months"...,Wow!  What was the name of the novel?  Just joking!  Some times we experienced welders throw around terms that we presume everybody has in their knowledge bank; and of course not everyone has the same amount of language skill, experience or knowledge.  A clear picture of "undercut" is to switch the two words around:  " cutunder" or cut under.  One of the two pieces you are trying to join is cut under (like a stick of butter would look like if you took a swipe at it with a knife.  The under cut is caused by the area being heated and no metal (filler wire) being added.  Study the relationship of the filler wire with and heat input, direction/angle tungsten is pointing (of course it is pointing in the direction of travel but is it angled off to the left or right?), height of tungsten, how fast you are moving forward (travel speed) and how fast are you moving side to side of your joint.  Not to mention when and where you are adding filler wire.  May I suggest you get some metal, duplicate your joint, and take away or vary one of the many variables (I am sure there are others I haven't mentioned - like which part of you mouth your tongue is hanging out, or how many time you cuss and throw things per minute-Just joking!) listed above.  Example:  just add filler wire to the left side of the joint (what will happen?   You will see a build up of weld reinforcement on the left side to some degree.  Now point your tungsten at the filler wire as your are moving side to side on your joint and forward - you should see a nice even deposition (deposit of the filler wire you just laid down).Also keep in mind, that you don't always have to fill a joint in one pass - it may take several (or more).  If it takes two and you try to do it in one you may get undercut.I think the two biggest things that help me to learn to weld was:  1.  Ask myself the question, "What would happen if I ...."2.  Study the results of what I did!  3.  Remembering what the results of "What would happen if I...".  Number 3., especially as you get older, is the hardest of the three to do!  LOL!By the way, your first attempts at tig look really good.  I am thankful that handheld image recording devices were not around when I was learning to weld!Some kind of Big Blue constant current welding machineAnother smaller yet, Blue machine (it's got wire in it)
Reply:Oops, just realized that the weld I referred to above is Muks weld not lxlr8's.  How dare you try to still his compliment!  Just joking!  Good job Muck - now stop Mucking around and get to work!Some kind of Big Blue constant current welding machineAnother smaller yet, Blue machine (it's got wire in it)
Reply:Dale- Yes it was the OP's picture/work, but I had the question. I could only wish to lay down that good of a bead. Thank you for your explanation. Right now I am trying to transfer my mediocre OA welding skills to TIG and I am just trying to lay some beads down on some flat stock. Part of my problem is being able to see with my 60 year old eyes. I finally got a cheater lens that works fairly well, but I think I need to set my auto-darkening hood a bit darker as I am still having trouble reading puddle and arc length. Item 3 on your list is indeed the hardest as I only have a few hours a month, and not all at the same time, to work on it at this point. Juggling power with the pedal, arc length, travel speed and rod fill all at the same time is proving more difficult than I thought it would be. Again thank you for your help.JimMaxtor 150STH
Reply:Thanks Dale.  I am working hard to improve.  Have not had any free time this weekend to play around. But I plan ongetting back at it next week.A Blue box coming soonEverlast PowerTig 185Hobart Handler 175Hypertherm Max 40