21 Tig Welding Tips That You Need to Keep in Mind

There are many ways to control the arc, puddle, final outcome of your weld. Here are 21 Tig welding tips that are essential to keep in mind. 

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More than Mig and arc welding, Tig welding asks for lots of more practice to be proficient in. Patience is a must. Each time you pick up a torch, are you excited? It is a challenge and really gratifying when everything is fine. 

There are many ways to control the arc, puddle, final outcome of your weld. Here are 21 Tig welding tips that are essential to keep in mind. 

1. Always Tig weld using the minimum power - When you start practising welding on thin sheet metal, say 1.5 mm thick. Without any other information on the metals, their thickness and others, the minimum current that will just sustain a melt pool is a good starting point. Tig welding is penetrative – getting that penetration is much in the technique and just secondarily on the power input.   

2. Cleanliness is a must - Unlike other types of welding, Tig welding requires a very clean surface to create a clean arc and nice welds. Make sure you clean the work surface really well before you weld. For aluminum and stainless, you are recommended to use a dedicated stainless brush for each type of metal you are welding on. You will find the more time you spend cleaning your work area before welding, the better final outcomes will be. 

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3. Choose the correct Tungsten - Depending on the surface you’re working on, you may need change out your Tungsten. Conventionally, green Tungstens are applied for aluminum and red for steels, but some people favor the red Tungstens across the board. You are suggested to try the ‘conventional’ use of each before making a decision. Also, make sure you use the right thickness of Tungsten. If it is too large, you will have to use too much heat to strike an arc and could risk burning or warping through the work-piece. Using too small of a Tungsten, you can damage it from being overheated. 

4. Touch the Tungsten tip, regrind - If you touch the tip into the puddle, you must regrind it. Otherwise, the arc will wander off course and the weld won’t be as nice and smooth as it should be. 

5. Keep up productivity - Make sure you avoid being distracted and interrupted. Keep spare, ready-ground Tungstens. Have all the pieces you plan to weld cleaned and ready. Also, keep lots of extra filler rod within arm’s reach. 

6. Grind your Tungsten correctly - Make sure you are grinding the tungsten correctly. Many beginners don’t do it right and have to accept the unpleasant results. Make sure you grind the tungsten length-wise and as even as possible. If you are not using a Tungsten sharpener, use a dedicated bench grinder to grind Tungstens on. If you use an all-purpose grinder, your Tungstens can be contaminated.

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7. 2º Tungsten electrodes are mildly radioactive. When grinding, wear a respirator.

8. Shielding gases for Tig are:

100% Argon – the most common gas

75% Argon/25% Helium – the next hottest gas

75% Helium/25% Argon – the hot gas. Higher percentage of helium in the gas can result in arc starting problems.

100% Helium – the real hot gas. Difficult to start arc. 

9. Your gas should be argon (not mixed) for aluminum and steel, and should be set between 15-20 cfh. If you set it too high, it will blow away from the weld. 

10. The bigger the rod is, the easier it is to feed. Use larger diameter rods (from 3/32” to 1/8”) when learning Tig if possible. 

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11. Rod angle and torch angle shouldn’t be the same. It’s because the heat will bounce off of your 

part and melt your rod before you want it to. 

12. If a ball forms on the end of the rod when welding, you are doing something wrong. The problem can be improper rod to torch angle or not being aggressive enough. When feeding rod, make sure you push the rod into the welding pool.

13. Mig and Tig wire are the same. That is, one can use Mig wire to Tig weld just in case.

14. Aluminum takes plenty of heat to weld. Don’t be afraid to raise the welding current. Welding with a ‘hot’ machine will allow you to raise welding speed. The ‘hot’ machine cum fast travel speed means less input of heat into the part and reduces the possibility of distortion and/ or burn-through. 

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15. Be at the welding temperature with foot pedal depressed ¾ of the way. The ¼ pedal you have left is in reverse. That technique enables you to gently trail off the arc at the end of your weld. Indeed, ending the arc suddenly can make the weld crack.

16. Weld stainless steel using gas lenses. The screen in the lenses allows much better gas coverage of welds. You can use gas lens to weld all materials. They also enable you to stick your Tungstens up to 1” out of the cup by increasing the gas flow. The typical gas flow rates are about 15 to 20 cfh.

17. Torch angle impacts penetration. The more vertical the torch is, the more arcs are directed into the part. 

18. Wear thin gloves on your rod feeding hand. You need maximum feel to properly feed the rod. Learn to feed rod out with your ‘pencil’ fingers and thumb.

19. Get filler metal charts that will let you select correct rods for whatever materials you’re welding.

20. Let the Tungsten stick out of cup 1/4” to 5/16” when you weld high-amp aluminum. Otherwise, heat will radiate from the cup to the Tungsten and lower output, especially if the orifice is too small. 

21. Put a glove, wood, or something non-conducting on your welding table to protect your arms from shocking hazard. Sweat can worsen this problem. Rest your torch holding hand on a steady object for better results.  

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Those are some basic tips for Tig welding. If you have any tips to share, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment. 

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All around Tig Welding Process with Detailed Explanation

This article gives an overview of Tig welding process with explaining all minute details. So you can expect a better grip of this process after finishing this read. 

Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (TIG) is known as one of the two types of gas shielded arc welding process (the other one is Metal Inert Gas Welding (MIG)). Also, in the dual-shield mode of Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW), a gas supply is added along with self-shielding of core flux. That’s why FCAW is also listed in the gas shield arc processes. The principle of Tig welding process is based on the production of arc using the high melting and non-consumable tungsten electrode. That reasons why this process is referred to as tungsten arc gas-shielded (TAGS) (also, argon arc welding, tungsten inert gas, gas tungsten arc welding). Gas shielding is applied to protect the weld puddle from atmospheric contamination. Because those gases are transparent, the weld puddle is made visible to the welder. Tig process features:

Distinct features

• In Tig welding, no flux is used, then you don’t have to fear about corrosion due to flux entrapment. 

• No slagging, which helps with elimination of post weld cleaning.

• Because there is no spark and fumes, you can produce sound welds with perfect definition.

Non-consumable tungsten electrodes are used to produce an arc of substantial high temperature that helps melt the work metal. Air is driven out owing to the envelope of inert gas that averts the weldment, tungsten electrode and heat affected zone (HAZ) from oxidation. Unlike Mig welding, tungsten electrode isn’t consumed; rather, it gives arc to melt the additional filler metal. Filler metal is fed to the weld puddle. 

Normally, there are 2 modes of Tig welding: semi-automatic, automatic. In semi-automatic, the operator has to configure the current and gas flow settings, and then manually deal with the torch and filler road. Still, in automatic mode, the operator sets the speed of travel, arc length, gas flow rate, filler rod position, and then observes the operation and controls where it’s needed. 

First, Tig was introduced to weld magnesium to mitigate rapid corrosion problems. The technique was successfully applied to attain best results with no consequent corrosion. This process was introduced with distinct characteristics as opposed to other arc processes. For shielding, the gas flow rate can be controlled by flow rate and manifold. During welding, the gas flow not just shields the weld and filler metal but protects the torch. There is also a gas delay feature allowing gas to flow in the preset time, after the current has been shut off. 

Tig is used in both welding ferrous and non-ferrous metals with a wide range of thickness not beyond 8mm. Both AC and DC current supplies are used with the range from 15 to 350 amps. Using small diameter electrodes and suitable current range, this process is also applied in repair work and new manufacturing. Though it’s relatively slower than other arc processes, it creates high-quality welds with perfect definition in carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum. The DC source is used for welding stainless steel, carbon steel, nickel, copper alloy. Meanwhile, AC source is suited for welding aluminum and its alloys. 

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Equipment

Tig torch

Different sizes of torches are available for different current-carrying capacities. The assembly of Tig torch includes a switch for different welding operations. The torch casting holds electrode and gas nozzles. 

Additional features

Water cooling system

As you weld with high amperages, cooling is required. A water cooling system is installed where water is circulated through the torch to keep it cool. In the past, systems were connected with additional cooling system, but nowadays, it’s installed inside the modified equipment. The water flow is controlled either by torch or by foot pedal.

DC suppression

In aluminum and magnesium alloy welding, the surface oxide formation is the major concern. In aluminum welder, because the arc is formed between tungsten and aluminum, chances are that AC is converted to DC. That’s why a DC suppressor is employed to avert the conversion from AC to DC mode. 

Contactor

It puts the arc to be extinguished when delay shielding is needed for cooling purposes. This way, it not just protects weld but give means of safety to your welder. This process is also controlled by foot pedal and torch. 

Arc initiation

Arc initiation by touching the electrode with base metal can induce serious contamination problems and arc unstability. Clearly, tungsten inclusion can lead to localized hard spots. The transfer of the base metal to tungsten electrode can also induce contamination and consequently unstabilize the arc. In order for the electrode not to touch with your work piece, high frequency spark is created, which causes some ionization in spark gap. The current continues to flow as a result of this ionized spark gap. This feature also helps enhance the life span of tungsten electrode. Below are arc initiation methods that are often used in modern equipment:

   • Scratch start
In this method, the electrode is brought down to work piece, and gently scratched for arc initiation. As stated above, the slight contact can lead to the contamination problems. This method is taken only in the applications that contamination isn’t serious.

   • Lift up
Here the electrode is brought down to contact with work piece at the initial point of welding. Torch switch is pressed, creating contact, and still no current is generated. When the electrode is lifted up, the current continues to flow and quickly increase to the pre-set value. This rapid rise is referred to as slope up.

   • Slope up
Slope up is the rapid increase of welding current to the pre-set current on the power source. Using the switch, the welder can set the time required for the increase of current to the selected amperage. This feature makes less contamination and reduces the risk of burning thin sheets at the initial point of welding.

   • Slope down
Slope down is the gradual drop of welding current to zero. It is defined as the time taken to decrease the current until the arc is extinguished. This feature is used for filling the crater at the end of the weld. Often, this function is operated with the support of torch switch and foot pedal.  

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Defects in welding

Electrode used in Tig welding

Tungsten is the high melting point metal around 3000 degree Celsius. In the Tig welding process, pure tungsten with its best thermal and electrical conductivity is employed. Nowadays, alloyed tungsten with 1-2% thorium and zirconium is used for better arc stability and enhanced electrode life. There are 2 types of alloyed tungsten electrodes: thoriated electrodes for DC mode and zirconiated electrode for AC mode. Also, noticeably, electrode diameter is determined by current polarity.

Electrode grinding is one of main concerns in attaining consistent performance in welds. Electrodes are ground as per application. There are 2 ways of electrode grinding: manual grinding and machine grinding. Machine grinding leads to consistent grinding. Care must be taken while manual welding. 

As with electrode shape, electrode is often ground to the required vertex angle. For the DC usage, the electrode is ground to the length of 1-3 x the diameter of electrode.

Point length of electrode = 1-3 x diameter of electrode

This way, the lower the current is, the longer the point length will be. Electrodes are normally available with the diameter range of 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, 4.0 and 6.4 mm.

For the AC usage, the electrode side is ground to 45 degree, remaining the front side to be flat. This offers the spherical shape as shown in the below image.

Electrode installation in torch is simple. The electrode is installed in torch, and held tightly thanks to grippers known as sockets. They can grip and hold electrodes of various diameters.

Gas nozzles

Those nozzles are made of high temperature ceramic materials for bearing high welding temperature. As stated above, some nozzles are equipped with water cooling system. Only the right choice of gas nozzle size gives better protection of weldment, weld pool as well as filler material. Different shapes of nozzles are available for different types of jobs. Small-size nozzles are available for confined areas while long shapes are available for deep-groove joints.

Gas lens

Gas lens are offered to prevent the turbulence of gas flow. Poor gas flow may not give quality shielding service; that’s why gas lens are used to give consistent and smooth gas flow, well shielding the weld puddle. Thanks to gas lens, electrode extension can also be attained for access to complicated areas.

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Master the Art of Welding Distortion Control with These 13 Practical Ways (Part 2)

When you weld on stainless steel or thin sheet metal, the parts are often warped eventually. You tried clamping down all the pieces before welding. But when you remove the clamps, the parts get warped. What can you do for welding distortion control?

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Welding distortion control

8. Plan welding sequence

A nicely planned welding sequence involves placing the weld metal at different points of assembly so that, when the structure shrinks in one place, it counteracts the shrinkage forces of welds made. A good example is welding alternately on both sides of neutral axis to make a complete joint penetration groove weld in the butt joint (Figure 2 (k)). Another example, in the fillet weld, consists of making intermittent welds by the sequences shown in Figure 2 (l). In those examples, the shrinkage in weld 1 is balanced by the shrinkage in weld 2. 

Figure 2: Distortion can be averted or minimized by techniques that defeat - or use constructively - the effects of heating and cooling cycle.

Jigs, fixtures and clamps locking parts into a desired position and holding them until welding is finished can be the most widely used means for distortion control in small assemblies or components. As mentioned earlier, the restraining force given by clamps raises internal stresses in the weldment until the yield point of weld metal is reached. For common welds on low-carbon plate, this stress level will be around 45,000 psi. One may expect this stress to induce considerable movement or distortion after the welded part is removed from the clamps or jig. Still, this doesn’t occur because the strain from this stress is really low as opposed to the amount of movement that would occur if there were no restraint during welding.

9. Remove shrinkage forces after welding

Peening is one way to counteract shrinkage forces of weld bead when it cools. Basically, bead peening stretches it and makes it thinner, thereby relieving the stresses caused by contraction when the metal cools. Still, this method must be taken with care. For instance, a root bead should be peened never, due to the danger of either concealing or causing a crack. Generally, peening isn’t allowed on the final pass owing to the possibility of covering a crack and interfering with the inspection, and due to the unwanted work-hardening effect. Hence, the utility of this technique is limited, though there have been instances that between-pass peening proved to be the sole solution for the distortion or cracking problem. Before peening is applied on a job, engineering approval should be got. 

Another method availed to remove shrinkage forces is by thermal stress relieving (i.e. controlled heating of weldment to an elevated temperature, followed by controlled cooling). Sometimes 2 identical weldments are clamped back to back, welded and stress-relieved whilst being held in the straight condition. The residual stresses that would tend to distort weldments are, accordingly, minimized. 

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10. Minimize welding time

Because complex cycles of heating and cooling occur during welding, and because time is required for the heat transmission, the time factor impacts distortion. Generally, the weld is desirably finished quickly, before a large volume of surround metal heats up and expands. The welding process, type and size of electrode, welding current and travel speed are associated with the degree of shrinkage and distortion. Using mechanized welding equipment reduces welding time and amount of metal influenced by heat and, consequently, distortion. For instance, depositing a given-size weld on the thick plate with a process that operates at 175 amp, 25 volts and 3 ipm asks for 87,500 joules of energy each linear inch of weld (also, heat input). A weld with just about the same size produced with a process that operates at 310 amp, 35 volts and 8 ipm asks for 81,400 joules each linear inch. The weld created with the higher heat input generally induces a greater amount of distortion. Generally, the fillet weld size (in inches) is the square root of quantity of heat input (kJ/in) divided by 500. That’s why those two welds are most likely not of the same size. 

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Other techniques for welding distortion control:

11. Water-cooled jig 

Many techniques have been developed for controlling distortion on specific weldments. For instance, in sheet-metal welding, a water-cooled jig helps carry heat away from the welded components. Copper tubes are soldered or brazed to copper holding clamps, and water is circulated through tubes during welding. The restraint of clamps also helps reduce distortion. 

12. Strongback

Strongback is another helpful technique for distortion control during butt welding. Clips are welded to the edge of one plate, and wedges are driven under clips to force the edges into alignment and hold them during welding.

13. Thermal stress relieving

Except in special situations, thermal stress relieving isn’t used for correcting distortion. Still, there are occasions that stress relief is needed to avert further distortion from occurring before the weld is finished. 

Wrap up

A checklist for welding distortion control:

• Don’t overweld

• Control fit-up

• Use intermittent welds where possible and in line with design requirements

• Use smallest leg size as permissible when fillet welding

• For groove welds, use joints which will minimize the volume of weld metal. Instead of single-sided joints, consider double-sided joints

• Weld alternately on either joint side when possible with multiple-pass welds

• Use minimum number of weld passes

• Use low heat input procedures. That means high deposition rate and higher speeds of travel

• Use welding positioners to attain the maximum amount of flat welding. The flat position allows the use of large-diameter electrodes and high-deposition-rate procedures of welding

• Balance welds around the neutral axis

• Distribute welding heat as evenly as possible through a well-planned welding sequence and weldment positioning

• Weld towards the unrestrained part of member

• Use fixtures, clamps and strongbacks to maintain fit-up and alignment

• Pre-bend the members, or pre-set the joints to allow shrinkage to pull them back into alignment

• Sequence sub-assemblies and final assembles for the welds to be made continually balance each other around the neutral axis of section. 

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Master the Art of Welding Distortion Control with These 13 Practical Ways (Part 1)

When you weld on stainless steel or thin sheet metal, the parts are often warped eventually. You tried clamping down all the pieces before welding. But when you remove the clamps, the parts get warped. What can you do for welding distortion control?

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Indeed, all welders have faced welding distortion problem at one time or another. At first, the parts are straight and square, and after welding. Thinner materials are more susceptible because they have less stiffness. Also, stainless steel is more susceptible because it has higher thermal expansion and lower thermal conductivity than carbon steel. 

What is welding distortion?

Distortion in welding eventuates due to the expansion and contraction of weld metal and adjacent base metal during the heating and cooling cycle of welding process. Welding on one side of a part will result in more distortion than if the welds are alternated from one side to the other. During the heating and cooling cycle, many factors impact shrinkage of the metal and cause distortion – for example, physical and mechanical properties that change when heat is applied. When the temperature of weld area rises, yield strength, elasticity and thermal conductivity of steel plate reduce, whilst thermal expansion and specific heat rises. Those changes, in turn, influence the heat flow and heat distribution uniformity. 

Distortion causes

Why does distortion occur? The weld metal is deposited at high temperature, above the melting point of material. For steel, it is about 2,500°F (1,370°C). When the weld cools to the room temperature, it shrinks but the adjacent cold base metal restrains it from doing so, inducing high-residual tensile stress. The weld becomes like a stretched rubber band with the work-piece holding the ends. That’s why the base metal moves or springs back when the clamps that holds the work-piece are removed, distorting the part. 

The weld shrinks across its width, causing groove welds to wing up, or fillet welds to close up. When the welding shrinks along its length, it makes base metal twist around the weld. 

For weld distortion prevention or minimization, methods must be taken both in design and welding to overcome the effects of heating and cooling cycle. Weld shrinkage can’t be prevented though, it can be controlled. Below are some practical ways that welders can used to minimize welding distortion.

Welding distortion control

1. Don’t overweld

The more metal is placed in a joint, the greater the shrinkage is. Correctly sizing the weld not just minimizes distortion but saves weld metal and time. You can use a flat or slight convex bead to minimize the amount of welding metal in a fillet weld; proper edge preparation and fit-up can help minimize the amount of weld metal in a butt joint. The excess weld metal in a highly convex bead doesn’t raise the allowable strength in the code work though, it does raise shrinkage forces.  

When welding the heavy plate (more than 1 inch thick), beveling or double beveling can save a considerable amount of weld metal that translates into less distortion automatically.

Generally, if welding distortion isn’t a problem, choose the most economical joint. If the distortion is a problem, choose either a joint that the weld stresses balance each other or a joint that requires the least amount of weld metal.

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2. Use intermittent welding

Another way to minimize the amount of weld metal is using intermittent welds rather than continuous welds where possible. For example, for attaching the stiffeners to the plate, intermittent welds can reduce the amount of weld metal by up to 75% while still providing the needed strength.

3. Use fewer weld passes 

Fewer passes with large electrodes result in less welding distortion than a greater number of passes with small electrodes. Shrinkage due to each pass tends to be cumulative, thus raising total shrinkage when many passes are used. 

4. Place welds near the neutral axis or the center of the part

Distortion is minimized by giving less leverage for the shrinkage forces to pull the plates out of alignment. Both design of weldment and welding sequence can be effectively used for welding distortion control.

5. Balance welds around the neutral axis

Welding on both plate sides offsets one shrinkage force with another to reduce effectively distortion. Here, design of assembly and proper welding sequence are important factors, too. 

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6. Use backstep welding technique

In the backstep technique, the general welding progression may be from left to right though, each bead segment is deposited from right to left (Figure 1 (g)). When each bead segment is placed, the heated edges expand, temporarily separating the plates at B. Still, when the heat moves out to C, expansion along the outer edges CD would bring the plates back together. This separation is most pronounced when the first bead is laid. With successive beads, the plates get less and less expansion due to the restraint of prior welds. The backstep technique mayn’t be effective in all applications, and it can’t be economically in automatic welding.

Figure 1: Distortion can be averted or minimized by techniques that defeat - or use constructively - the effects of heating and cooling cycle.

7. Anticipate shrinkage forces

Presetting parts before welding can make shrinkage do constructive work. Some assemblies preset in this fashion are shown in Figure 1 (h). The amount of preset required for shrinkage to pull plates into alignment can be decided from some trial welds. 

Pre-bending, pre-setting or pre-springing the parts to be welded is simple example of using the opposing mechanical forces to counteract welding distortion. The top of weld groove that will contain the bulk of weld metal is lengthened as the plates are present. Hence, the completed weld, if having been made on the flat plate, is slightly longer than it would be. When the clamps are released after welding, the plates come back to the flat shape, enabling the weld to relieve its longitudinal shrinkage stresses by shortening to the straight line. The 2 actions coincide and the welded plates would assume the desired flatness. 

Another common practice to balance shrinkage forces is to position the identical weldments back to back, clamping them tightly together. The welds are completed on both assemblies and cooled before the clamps are released. Pre-bending can be combined with this method by inserting the wedges at suitable positions between the parts prior to clamping. 

In heavy weldments, the rigidity of members and their arrangement related to each other may give the balancing forces needed. If there don’t present those natural balancing forces, using other means to counteract shrinkage forces in the weld metal is needed. This can be made by balancing one shrinkage force against another, or by creating an opposing force through fixturing. The opposing forces may be other shrinkage forces, restraining forces imposed by jigs, clamps or fixtures, restraining forces originated from the arrangement of members in the assembly, or the force from the member sag due to gravity. 

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5 Tips to Avoid Porosity in Welding

Find out tips to avoid porosity in welding, making sure of your weld look and durability.

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Porosity in Welding: Causes and Preventions (Part 1)

There are many welders jobs now in the market and there need more people to fill the seats. Many countries tend to reduce the flow of immigrant workers though, welding industry has wholeheartedly welcomed laborforce with this skill. To this end, job placement agencies often play a good role in helping companies find abroad workers with certain qualities they need. Employers with an eye for productivity often expect your hires to possess those traits: dedication, hard work, ability to create quality welds with minimized defects – weld porosity, for example. Just the same as the cavity in the mouth, weld porosity worsens your weld look and the repair is sometimes frustrating.

Porosity in welding occurs when a gas – often oxygen, nitrogen and/ or hydrogen, or a contaminant gets absorbed into the weld puddle. This fault would cause weak, hole-filled, bubbly welds that don’t meet code and can even make pieces of the project collapse. That's why there is no alternative but to redo such faulty welds. And it will be the best if welders can save that work by knowing how to prevent weld porosity. Below are 5 tips that may help with weld porosity prevention, especially during Mig (Gas Metal Arc Welding).

1. Keep It Clean

The material surface must be dry and clean. Oil, moisture, rust and grease are big enemy to welding. They can find ways to mix with weld puddle when the welding temperature rises, trapping gas which leads to bubbles as the material cools down.

Keep an eye on possible chemical reactions that could also cause porosity if your material gets coated with paint, zinc or other laminates. The trapped gas might be in T joints when you weld on both sides. Specially, before you begin aluminum welding, clean the outside layer of oxide.

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2. Check gas flow

Watch for the flow of shielding gas. You will have trouble if it’s too low or too high. The power of the flow is associated with the air quantity disturbed at the weld site that contaminant can mix with weld puddle.

3. Check equipment

Make sure there is no kink or leak to the hose, which can affect your shielding gas flow. Ensure the hose isn’t contaminated.

Check your gun liner to know whether it is clean and properly sized. Employ the contact tip of right size on your weld gun. Sometimes, the tip of your weld gun can be clogged, then make sure to check.

4. Maintain calm conditions

A breeze seems nice in a workshop that welding temperatures can surpass 2,500°F, but turns out to be bad for welding. Instead, keep calm conditions. Watch for strong currents and air flows, the arc length. If the gun is further away from your weld site, the gas shield can become weaker. This makes gas and air to seep into weld puddle and bubbles often appear.

5. Take it slow and steady

In Mig welding, the wire feed should seamlessly come off the reel. Check to see whether your wire feeding system has an easy-to-adjust brake and set the appropriate tension for the wire not to coast. When welding, take it slow and steady. Any haste can often induce weld porosity as the wire feed malfunctions can decelerate production.

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Tig Welding Aluminum Tips That Will Help You Tremendously

Helpful tips for Tig welding aluminum that you can refer to for higher weld quality.

The outside corner joints is a crucial part of your project whether it’s Tig welding aluminum tanks, overflow reservoirs, fuel cells, or expansion tanks for supercharger.

Often, the outside corner welds and the press brake bends contribute to a well-built tank. 

Below are tips for putting together aluminum tanks that can be really helpful for your welding work.

Tips for Tack welding aluminum without filler metal 

Often, this kind of tack welding would be finally cracked. Still, if you notice corner tack welds in this video, the sharp corner of the end caps along with the little radius in the bend would give a good way to tack without filler metal since it is the corner that becomes filler metal.

You know, most of those in welders jobs work by themselves when building a project. Then a lot of time, they have to weld without filler metal. While it is not encouraged in most books, you know, books don’t weld. That’s why it’s useful to seize how to tack weld aluminum this case.

You can sparingly do it. You may get 1 or 2 tack welders without filler metal for holding the part. Meanwhile, get some more tacks with filler rod. Even then you should return to add the filler road to the first tack welds since aluminum tack welds can be not strong enough.

Tack weld aluminum without filler

Transformer Vs. Inverter

In this project, Roy applied an Inverter Tig welder with the frequency set at 120hz or so.

For transformer Tig welders – older technology, the frequency is normally 60hz.

120hz sure focuses more on the arc, 60hz works nicely, too, for such a job.

It may be a different story if we were talking about aluminum at .030’’ thick.

But for aluminum at 3.2 mm (.125’’), the ball on the electrode tip and the wide arc cone, indeed, can help melt the outside corner joint’s corners.

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Helium?

Just about every time Roy welds the aluminum at 11 ga thick or more, he likes some addition of helium. 

Jody Collier, his friend, used a mixture of argon and less 10% helium. Still, such a small percentage can make a significant difference.

While Roy employed the Tig inverter, Jody Collier used the Lincoln Tig 175 for arc shots in the video.

And you can hear the difference in arcs due to different frequencies set though, the finished welds turned out truly similar.

Aluminum Tig Outside Corner Beads

(Above information and video are taken with credit from Jody Collier.)

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How to Mig Weld Aluminium Using Spool Gun

Mig weld aluminium using spool gun can sometimes be easy and sometimes can be a big difficulty. Read more here to grasp tips of avoiding soot and other helpful tips, know how to smooth this welding process and create the quality welds that you will be proud of.

Specified below are Mig welding tips and techniques that can work best along the way you weld; rather, the information will help you with Mig welding aluminium using spool gun.

The time you start learning about Mig welding aluminium, to get lots of contact tips is one of first things you should do.

This is more significant than you may think as tips suffering from a burn back due to aluminium melting to the tip are inducing to reuse, but can give you more trouble if you do.

To this end, aluminium isn’t similar to steel. Usually, we work on steel reusing Mig tips, which isn’t a big deal. Still, it’s another story as far as aluminium comes. Aluminium Mig wire is far softer and more prone to wire feeding issues.

It doesn’t mean that we can not re-use them. But it would take some more work to get rid of aluminium, drill out the tip, and ensure the hole is evened out without inhibiting wire feeding. To say nothing about the fact that any burr of tip can result in inconsistent arc or burn-back, which just frustrates the whole affair.

Each of contact tips is about one dollar, and that’s not costly enough to need a loan but also not worth the irritating inconvenience they can bring about from trying to re-use them when you have any burn-back.

So you are suggested to save your burn-back tips in times you have no other alternative or when you have time to re-dress them using a drill, sander, or oxy-fuel tip cleaner.

What induces to black soot when Mig welding aluminium?

Mig welding Aluminium - Sooty weld (Photo cr: Jody Collier)

Black soot is aluminium oxide, which is bizarre since aluminium oxide is considered white in colour while something related to small particles of soot makes it change the direction of light in a way that it turns out to look black.

The carburettor set too rich also causes soot. And it’s due to inefficient burn.

The inefficient burn can result from inappropriate settings – for example, excessive wire speed. Also, it can be the consequence of insufficient argon shielding from poor torch angle, a leak or inadequate flow at the flow-meter.

Sometimes, it takes certain trial and error to figure the settings that result in a soot-free weld. 

As seen from the video, the man had some issues with the Hobart spool gun.

After some trouble shooting, he figured that the pattern of gas shielding was bad, which causes the black soot.

It adds up after learning so, and he added a scotch brite piece for a diffuser, and things go better as such.

Helpful Mig welding tips for those that they concern:
9 Helpful Mig Welding Tips for Brand-New Welders from Pros
8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

Gun angle?

A push angle helps a lot when it comes to Mig welding aluminium.

That is mainly because the push angle would place the argon shielding over the arc as well as other hot puddle areas that will be under oxidization if being improperly shielded from the atmosphere.

Still, what if the weld position or position of other objects inhibit the use of a push angle? Then just pull. But rising a bit the gas flow rate sometimes works.

And sooting isn't a big deal all the time. For multi-pass welds, you will want to brush the soot all over with a stainless wire brush.

Why preheat?

Preheating thick aluminium (Photo cr: Jody Collier)

Aluminium is electrically and thermally conductive, which means it quickly scatters heat.

That isn’t a problem in case of Mig welding aluminium 1/8" (3.2mm) - 1/2" ( 25mm) thick. 

Still, a preheat is highly encouraged for truly thick aluminium. A preheat in the range of 200 to 250f can help a lot this case whether you’re Mig or Tig welding aluminium.

What is the best stick-out when Mig welding aluminium?

Short stick-out would be used for short-circuit Mig. Still, spray transfer is applied in case of Mig welding aluminium. A short stick-out this case can burn up the tips whilst a longer stick-out (about 3/4”) would work better for the spray transfer.

What is the best type and size of wire to use?

4043 is preferred over 5356 when it comes to general work. In most cases, 4043 gives better flow and less sooting.

Still, sometimes, 5356 is called for because of anodization of post weld. Or perhaps this wire is defined on a drawing.

What should be the diameter of wire?

A good rule of thumb is to employ the largest diameter of wire.

In this video, the man was employing .035" ( .9mm) wire as it was the largest size of tip he had. 

But for 1/8" (3.2mm) and above, he often likes to use 3/64" (1.2mm). The wire of this diameter appears to be more consistent and robust for general spool gun work.

(Above information and video are taken with credit from Jody Collier.)

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9 Helpful Mig Welding Tips for Brand-New Welders from Pros

Useful Mig welding tips and hints that new welders should take note of...

Pocket tips and hints help out a lot along the process welders do their welds. Both managers and welders expect a quality welds approved by inspectors and without any customer complaints. That’s why helpful tips collection is often highly appreciated. It will be more appreciated if they are from the experienced, skilled and successful persons. Below are some useful Mig welding tips from pros that newbies can get to enrich their welding knowledge and hone their skills.

Try to become a successful welder by persistently learning skills, pocketing tips and working hard.

Mig welding (also, Metal Inert Gas Welding) is considered a welding technique that the filler metal is a supplier of power current and maintains arc. Thanks to inner gas – commonly, Argon, the arc would be shielded from air access. This process would combine two pieces of metal using a consumable wire with an electrode current connected.

1. Keep 1/4” – 3/8 in stick-out all the times. The stick-out acts as the electrode extending from the tip off your contact tube.

2. For thin metal, always apply a smaller diameter. You can employ a larger machine and a larger wire for thicker metals.

3. Always employ an appropriate shielding gas. CO2 commonly makes a good penetration into steel welds. Still, for thin metals, it can be too hot.

4. Only have Argon in use when you work with aluminium.

5. There are 2 typical types of wire when welding on steel. When working with dirty or rusty steel, use the ER70S wire.

6. Most control the weld bead. Always direct the wire toward the weld pool’s leading edge.

7. Always try to point the gun possibly straightest whilst you are welding.

8. If possible, you should weld using both hands, which will enable you to work with the guns kept steady.

9. Always keep your wire dry and clean to avoid any contaminants that can worsen your welds.

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8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

Make use of those tips to better your MIG welds!

While being trained at school, more experienced after practical work, Vietnam welders are also encouraged to draw lessons along the way and utilize welding tips to smooth their work process and perfect their finished products. There are useful tips as related to Mig welding that welders can make best use during their work.

1. Always begin with clean materials

To work with contaminated or dirty materials is the fastest to ruin a weld. Take it a note to always clean up the workpiece you are about to weld and ensure the metal is really clean and contaminate free. Examples of things that can contaminate the weld include rust, corrosion, old paint, grease, oil, or just plain dirt. Better the weld by getting it off.

2. Use the best possible welding wire for Mig welding.

This will pay off in better welds. Then get the best possible wire you can afford. Of course, you can save money buying inferior wire. Sure there is plentiful rubbish out there in the market, but it won’t last long. Your welds will just end up being poor quality and having to be redone later.

For Mig wire, always find the one with nice copper coating, accurate dimensions and without being oversized at any point along its length.

3. When you can, always use an auto darkening welding helmet

You sure will pay a little more, which will make up for the extra time you would earn to grind and redo your work. Rather, it takes some more pay to avoid lag time and have better weld. Using an auto-darkening helmet, you will kill the lag time from when you begin your weld, to when a standard helmet is flipped down into place. That very brief moment of time can make you lose track of your welding path and cause lots of extra worker afterwards because you have to grind, redo your work.

4. Always use the Earth clamp

As the welding process is just like a high voltage electric circuit, any circuit break can induce welding problems. A good clamp with a strong spring just prices around $20, and is worthy of money. One way for eliminating those circuit breaks is using a good Earth clamp, and making ready for the metal underneath by sanding off any corrosion or paint.

Bear in mind that a bad ground is one of the biggest Mig welding problems. Always ensure that your clamp comes with a good, clean ground surface for clamping onto; otherwise, you will be in trouble before you get started.

5. Get a good tip for Mig welding

You need a good Mig welding wire for good weld production. Also, you need quality contact tips. There are many cheap contact tips on the market these days; the internal surface of the tunnel that the wire feeds through can be rough or uneven. That can result in fickle or unstable welding arcs, inconsistent wire feeding, and other problems.

6. When Mig welding, use the right shielding gas

You can use directly CO2 when Mig welding though, a 75% argon and 25% CO2 mixture is rather much standard in the welding industry.

7. Have the Mig welder set to the right polarity

Just remember that when Mig welding, polarity is associated with the type of welding wire you use. If you use bar wire, you will need reverse polarity electrode positive for a good weld. For flux core welding wire, you will need reverse the polarity.

Because Mig welding machine doesn’t include a switch for polarity change, you will have to do this manually.

8. Use a good anti spatter compound

If welding is done with flux core wire, welding spatter is part of the process. Still, you can decrease the spatter for cleaner welds by using a good anti spatter compound like LPS aerosol 02116. Another upside of the LPS compound is that it is water based and non toxic, then unlike some cheaper compounds, it won’t do any extra damage to welder’s health.

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