Had a play with a TIG set yesterday.
Turbo Mini Forums

We're doing a design and make at uni and yesterday we had the workshop induction (milling, turning, benching fitting and welding).

fortunately i've done my apprenticeship and dabble quite a lot so ended up with some spare time at the welding since i was fine migging (btw, the setup i used was 100times better than my own and produced perfect weld! wasnt an overally expensive bit of kit apparently).
I asked if i could have a dabble at tig'in and the bloke was more than happy to show me.
Certainly different but good fun. hoping to do a bit each week and take my K1100 rocker cover in for modding.
Much harder having to use the pedal and both hands whilst welding!
still all good fun, and hopefully a place to get a few bits done over the next year or two!

Have you done gas welding before?

I found tig much easier, even though you need to use the pedal!

Was it a proper auto-start etc?

Alex

AlexF

yeah proper auto start etc. ancient thing the size of a mini! lol! worked well though.

nope, never done any gas welding, only mig and arc.

after 5mins it was coming along nicely but didnt have much to practice on.

I havn't had much time on the tig, the one I use has a trigger on the torch which I find very easy to use.

Team Racing

good ain't they!

I use the torch button most of the time, but for thin stuff the pedals well handy, using its a bit like rubbing you head and tummy at the same time. You soon get the hang of doing the 3 things at once though.

biggest tip i can give is keep everything clean, wire brush thogrogly in one direction.

When i went to Vmax I spied Stuarts Tig, that was fooking massive too, looked a bit like one of those 50's fridges.

Edited by Joe C on 24th Jan, 2007.

double...

Edited by Joe C on 24th Jan, 2007.

i would ove to learn to tig.
i know how to gas weld and mig weld but im no expert!
im sure il master mig welding by the time im finished with the mini though lol!

My build thread..

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=542985

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

Ditto for stainless welding, i go over the line with a carbide burr in a dremel, its just runs together soooo nice. Nice sharp tungsten too, iveo nly got a scratch start DC unit no foot pedal, can still do this -



Clean Clean Clean!!

J

On 24th of Jan, 2007 at 08:20pm blown_imp said:
Ditto for stainless welding, i go over the line with a carbide burr in a dremel, its just runs together soooo nice. Nice sharp tungsten too, iveo nly got a scratch start DC unit no foot pedal, can still do this -



Clean Clean Clean!!

J

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

looks to me like there is a little filler rod in there. To be fair that is a nice weld and from that picture it looks like the filler rod has been used only where it is need and then been introduced gently. I'd be proud of that joint...

Every day is a school day ...........

How fast and how expensive ...... the same question...

What would cause the arc to "flutter" for wont of a better description ?

Welding aluminium, it tends to do this on me. The arc isnt always as directional as I'd like either, or is that just normal ?

Dirt ? not enough current ?
Im just cleaning with a stainless wire brush.

I also seem to have used a huge amount of gas...Size Y Argon bottle already gone, and IMO, not a huge pile of welding.
That said, I was having regulator issues as the one they supplied me seems to be poo. I have a floaty type flow meter now though.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

Do you have a flow meter?

I bought one and found that I only need a just audible amount of gas, also the flow needs checking every time you start up, I gues tha atmospheric pressure affects the regulator.

also i've had the flutter due to too much gas flow, especially welding in corners.