first time tig welds

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Well I finally got my tig torch to go with my new dynasty 200dx today so I hooked it all up today and went to welding.   I played around with the amperage on the maching and started out at 100 amps but  settled on 80 amps with 1/16 ceriated tungsten on 1/16 flat bar. I've done lots of mig and stick welding but this is my first attempt at tig'n. I just set the maching for basic tig without all the fancy pulsing etc. that the machine can do. I figure once I get better at the basics then I'll have all kinds of time to play with the bells and whistles..lol  heres a few weld pics for you guys to critique. comments good or bad are welcome as well as suggetions for ways to improve my welds.The flat test plate with numerous welds on it was used to set the amperage and I already know it looks like a pigeon with the runs walked across it  Attached Images
Reply:More pics.......... Attached Images
Reply:The 3rd outside corner looks good. I was going to say, before viewing that one, that pushing your filler a little more may help but it looks like you have it !edit - Oh, make sure you're leaving your cup over the final weld area to avoid getting those dimples.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Your first welds look like you are not getting good gas coverage or getting some contamination...brown soot is an indication of that.  Tig needs a very clean surface.  It looks like you are also overheating the workpiece a bit.  This is likely because you are working on such a small piece and making multiple test welds.  If you are letting the workpiece cool between welds, then you just need to work on your amperage control (a common problem).  But, your T is looking pretty good.  The outer corner welds look like, in the beginning, you are putting too much heat into the edges...again, that's pretty common.  I still have that problem occasionally after 18 years.  By the 3rd outer weld, you are looking pretty good there also in terms of technique.  It looks like you might still have some contamination...MAYBE, that is...there is a sort of grainey appearance in the 3rd weld, but it may be just the camera playing tricks.All in all, it looks like you will be tigging pretty well in short order.  A few things  to keep in mind...anything you tig should be as clean as you can possibly get it, especially while you are learning the process.  It will eliminate lots of hard-to-figure-out problems.  Also, different metals require different cleaning proceedures.  Tig is a juggling act...practice is the best way to get better.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:looks good but time for improvement..turn the heat down maybe 10 amps and try to go a little slower and space the "dips" out just a little more...but all in all good job.....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:Thanks for all the tips guys  I cleaned all the steel well with an 80 grit flap wheel before welding. I cleaned the entire piece and not just the edges to be welded. After grinding I wiped the steel and filler rod down with brake clean.I may have dipped/touched the tungsten to the work piece a few times. Its hard to tell because it was hard to see (my helmet was set to 11). I tried shade 10 and was still having a hard time seeing so for the final outside corner I was down to shade 9 and could see much better. I did regrind the tungsten a few times during the welding especially once when I seen the "green halo" coming off the arc that someone here mentioned in another thread.I dont think I have the tungsten ground properly or something because I dont have a nice sharp arc. The arc looks like almost like ....hmmmmmmm....hard to describe....its not really a defined arc, just a wide glow about 1/4 inch thick maybe going to 3/8ths. It looks more like a glowing mass at the end of the nozzle than a defined arc. When I sharpened the tungsten the first time I did it on the flap wheel. The next few times I tried it on the chop saw just to dress it up a bit but the results were about the same.I know I should have a dedicated wheel for dressing the tungsten and will set that up today and try again. Im grinding the tungsten to a point and as far as the bevel, it looks like the typical "how to sharpen your tungsten" pics I've seen.I sharpened it longitudinally the way its supposed to be.I didn't put a flat on the end of it because from most of what I've read it isn't necessary. Maybe you guys could tell me if I should flat it or not?Should my arc look defined like a pencil point? From what I've read it should be much more defined than what it is. When I did the tee joing I really had to pour the heat into the steel just to get it to pool. By the end of the weld the entire tee was glowing bright red which I dont think it should be but I think this again goes down to my arc shape.I'll take some pics of the tungsten after sharpening and the stickout as well this afternoon and post them. Does anyone have a pic they could post that shows the actual arc and what it should look like?
Reply:i had posted pics under the "2%" thread in mig and tig..check out the pics......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:I always put a small flat on then end of my tungsten.  For me, it seems to aid in arc starting, and helps prevent splitting, especially when welding with AC.  It works for me well, others dont' do it.  As far as the definition of your arc, the shape of the arc is directly related to the angle on the end of the tungsten.  The sharper your tip, the more your arc will fan out, and the less definition and penetration you will get.  The blunter the tip, the more defined the arc and the deeper penetration you will get.  Believe it or not, at the same given amperage and speed, the most defined arc and deepest penetration is obtained with a tungsten that isnt ground at all, but rather is flat on the end.  There are great pictures of that in the AWS Welding Handbook Volume 2 in the GTAW section.  Try going with a 60 degree included angle and see if that doesn't sharpen up the arc for you.Keep with the arcin' and the sparkin'I r 2 a perfessional
Reply:Hi Zap, thanks for the thread tip.I've been following along on that one since it started. Thats pretty much the way I've been sharpening them but it doesnt seem to work very well for me.Hi Kbnit, Thanks for your tips, I tried the flat on the end of the tungsten today and I found it much better for me to be able to see as well as it was a more concentrated arc that was easier to direct.I didn't get a chance to try any more tig on steel today. The neighbors kid came over with an aluminum inlet pipe for his honda civic and asked my if I could weld it. I told him I have all the equipment to be able to weld it but I've never tig'd aluminum so leave it with me an I'll see what I can do with it.I cleaned off a piece of aluminum I had and started to try some stringers on it. At first it wasnt working very well till I realize i should be on a/c instead of d/c  Boy....what a difference...lolSo I went thru and set the machine up from what I've read. I ended up with the following settings which seem to be fairly good but theres probably room for improvement.A/C high frequency impulsemain amperage 100back ground amperage 6060 pulses per secondpeak % time 40balance 75% electrode negativeA/C frequency 240rod is ER4043 aluminumtungsten is 2% thoriated ground to a point then a small flat on the endheres a bunch of picsOne the test plate the welds that are dark and really crappy are the D/C welds. Attached Images
Reply:Not bad for gettin started. All comments good input. I reccomend learnin one thing at a time. Try torch work with no filler first, get used to puddle control by torch angle and speed. Lap joints and thin outside corners are best to practice on. Tungsten (2%) axially ground. Easy way to do this, is to chuck it up in a cordless drill and sharpen it on a bench grinder. "Don't stir the puddle with the tungsten!" Also, there is something called chem-sharp (sodium-nitrite), no grinding required. Just short out the tungsten on a workpiece until it glows red hot about 1.5 inches up, then stir it around in the jar of chem-sharp. Perfectly sharp tip!Weldtek
Reply:more pics of intake pipe repair. Attached Images
Reply:Hi Weldtek. Thanks for your input and suggestions.I don't mean this to sound rude or ungratefull in any way but I've got 25 years of torch,mig,and stick in now so I think its time for me to step up to the tig
Reply:ungratefull? to us??  we are welders...no such thing.. lets try this ...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 my experience a good general rule when grinding tungsten is to have the taper 3 widths of the diamater of the tungster i.e if you r using 1/8th inch tungsten you want the length of the taper to be 3/8ths of an inch and the flat ground on the tip should be roughly 1/3 the diameter of the tungsten diamater. this seems to give me a much more stable are than the short angles do
Reply:I learned in school that you should try to "ball up" your tungsten when welding aluminum. Make your point on it, and then strike an arc on a piece of copper  (preferred) and wait til your tungsten gets a ball on the tip.??Miller blue star 2eLincoln 175
Reply:Originally Posted by FearcityINCI learned in school that you should try to "ball up" your tungsten when welding aluminum. Make your point on it, and then strike an arc on a piece of copper  (preferred) and wait til your tungsten gets a ball on the tip.??
Reply:Hi guys  Thanks for all the input. There seems to be alot of differing opinions as to how to grind a tungsten...lol. It seems like it could take a while to try them all, so I've started a poll to see what the general concensus of the fellow forumites is. Eventually I'm sure I will try all the ways there are but to give me some kind of order to try them in I figured a poll would be a good idea.It can be difficult enough when learning to tig, and having 101 different ways to grind a tungsten doesn't help much Don't forget to vote
Reply:I'll side with the Zap meister ............What works for you is whats important .. If it ain't broke don't fix it Washman
Reply:If you ask 10 welders how to grind tungsten, you'll get 15 different answers.  We all apprenticed under different masters of the game, and as we progress, we change and adapt what we've learned to become better.  To each his own, just keep making sparks.......I r 2 a perfessional
Reply:Originally Posted by kbnitIf you ask 10 welders how to grind tungsten, you'll get 15 different answers.  We all apprenticed under different masters of the game, and as we progress, we change and adapt what we've learned to become better.  To each his own, just keep making sparks.......
Reply:I couldn't agree more! There's only one rule about welding that's chiseled in stone. "The arc must lead the puddle." Everything else is someone's opinion. As long you get the results you want, you're there.Good Luck!Weldtek