Walking the Torch?

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For a beginning Tigger- I've lately added scratch start Tig to my shop and it's awesome, can't wait to get a real machine.People mention "walking the torch" would someone describe just what you mean by this- is it the standard rocking and rolling I see in the books, or does it have another meaning? Is there a video available on proper torch motion?Thanks!Andy G.
Reply:http://weldingdata.com/WalkingTheCup.htm
Reply:great resource, thanks!Also got inspired to get on You Tube, there's a lot there, too.Question: If the stickout is adjusted right, can you actually rest the cup on the work in most welds? After years of MIG it feels odd to touch the work with the cup.
Reply:Really depends on what you're welding.  It's difficult on small diameter tube/pipe, coped joints, etc.  It's cake on just about any reasonably angled fillet weld or groove on pipe or plate.  There are often times where it becomes more trouble than its worth, though.
Reply:Forget the "walking the cup" stuff.Learn to weld the proper way or you may not get a job at some places.Some will disagree but if you use that method it can cause the ceramic cup to leave marks in the weld zone (discontinuities) and those are not good.Also it increases the HAZ affected area. Also the heat of the metal is right against the ceramic cup and cooling of the torch is impaired.If you did that in the aerospace enviroment you would not be hired.If you are a pipe welder you may get away with it, but pretty soon all the pipe welds may get x-ray's and that method could come back to bite you.When ever i meet a person that wants to impress me and they say, " can you walk the cup" or " I can walk the cup", I know they are beginners.Learn to TIG properly and you will always get hired.When someone says they are experienced remember that some people have done hundreds of weldments.Others have done hundreds of weldments PER DAY !!! For years.If you want to see good TIG welding look at aerospace parts or go to a plating shop where they do electropolishing of stainless steel and you will see weldments from many industries and you can get an idea of how well you need to weld.When you practice welding do not just weld beads on a flat plate. Weld a groove between two plates OR a T joint fillet weld.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:There is nothing wrong with walking the cup.  It's a fundamentally sound principle, and provides better consistency and control than free handing.  I have NEVER seen a pipe weld rejected from a "cup" inclusion under any NDE examination method.  Freehanding and walking the cup both have their purposes, and they're both completely different techniques depending on the application.I walk the cup on every single piece of pipe and heavy plate I can comfortably get at.  I freehand everything else, whether its a butt joint, lap, aluminum, stainless, etc.  Anybody who touts how great one is over the other isn't someone worth getting advice from, but they both have their pros and cons in their respective industry.
Reply:Is it me, or does Donald Branscom's advice always get negated? I am a beginner, so I always use the cup as a support in keeping my arc length as short as possible. I dont necessarily "walk" it, but I do rest it. I dont do aerospace work though, and its on car parts that are not under high stress, so some markings from the cup arent a big concern to me.
Reply:Donald Branscom,  You might want to check your facts before spouting off. I can see by your post you know very little about welding pipe.
Reply:In fact when it comes to food grade s/s I know of spots that will run you off if your caught free handing......Learn how to freehand first then onto the cup walking as you'll need to be able to do both.  If you end up on inch rate doing pipe you won't be mucking around with freehand.I'd rather be hunting........USE ENOUGH HEAT.......Drifting around Aussie welding more pipe up, for something different.....wanting to get home.
Reply:learn both methods. what happens if you dont learn it and an employer says hey we want you to walk the cup, thats how we do it here. different strokes for different folks but its always good to be well prepared going into a weld test.only thing worse than an ugly woman is an ugly weld
Reply:Originally Posted by ElementFeQuestion: If the stickout is adjusted right, can you actually rest the cup on the work in most welds? After years of MIG it feels odd to touch the work with the cup.
Reply:[QUOTE=Chad s;264712]Is it me, or does Donald Branscom's advice always get negated? QUOTE]It probably has something to do with the "my way or the highway" attitude. There is absolutely nothing wrong with walking the cup. In some joints and positions it can't be avoided - unless you happen to be a robot, or perfect.Fire!, Fire! Oh wait, that's my torch...Lincoln PT-225 TIGLincoln 175 MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by Donald BranscomForget the "walking the cup" stuff.Learn to weld the proper way or you may not get a job at some places.Some will disagree but if you use that method it can cause the ceramic cup to leave marks in the weld zone (discontinuities) and those are not good.Also it increases the HAZ affected area. Also the heat of the metal is right against the ceramic cup and cooling of the torch is impaired.If you did that in the aerospace enviroment you would not be hired.If you are a pipe welder you may get away with it, but pretty soon all the pipe welds may get x-ray's and that method could come back to bite you.When ever i meet a person that wants to impress me and they say, " can you walk the cup" or " I can walk the cup", I know they are beginners.Learn to TIG properly and you will always get hired.When someone says they are experienced remember that some people have done hundreds of weldments.Others have done hundreds of weldments PER DAY !!! For years.If you want to see good TIG welding look at aerospace parts or go to a plating shop where they do electropolishing of stainless steel and you will see weldments from many industries and you can get an idea of how well you need to weld.When you practice welding do not just weld beads on a flat plate. Weld a groove between two plates OR a T joint fillet weld.
Reply:Originally Posted by Chad sIs it me, or does Donald Branscom's advice always get negated?