Personal protective gear.
Welding mask, this is a very important piece of equipment both for good visibility and
eye protection. While the arc is not as bright as stick or MIG, it produces a lot more
damaging UV radiation, so good eye protection is imperative.
A shield should be light weight , they come in a variety of styles and a good basic one can
be had for about $20.00
Lens selection is important as you need good visibility. There are 3 types of lenses,
Dark glass, the cheapest and least desirable. They do not show color and makes welding
harder.
Gold coated, more expensive than plain glass, but the best in my opinion, they allow you
to see in color and give good visibility. A #8 shade is good for TIG.
Auto-dark, they are trick, high tech etc, they are also expensive, need batteries and don't
afford the best visibility. You can't see color with them either.
Clear lenses, these go over the welding lens and protect it, they are cheap, and should
be replaced regularly, as they distort from the heat., decreasing your visibility.
Gloves,
TIG requires dexterity, a good set of leather TIG gloves is worth the $15.00 or so that they
If you buy leather glove keep them clean, don't use them to handle greasy or oily stuff.
You can also get cotton gloves, but they are not heat resistant.
Long sleeve shirt, TIG produces a lot of UV, thoriated tungstens increase the amount, ,so
wear a long sleeve shirt when welding.
Welding mask, this is a very important piece of equipment both for good visibility and
eye protection. While the arc is not as bright as stick or MIG, it produces a lot more
damaging UV radiation, so good eye protection is imperative.
A shield should be light weight , they come in a variety of styles and a good basic one can
be had for about $20.00
Lens selection is important as you need good visibility. There are 3 types of lenses,
Dark glass, the cheapest and least desirable. They do not show color and makes welding
harder.
Gold coated, more expensive than plain glass, but the best in my opinion, they allow you
to see in color and give good visibility. A #8 shade is good for TIG.
Auto-dark, they are trick, high tech etc, they are also expensive, need batteries and don't
afford the best visibility. You can't see color with them either.
Clear lenses, these go over the welding lens and protect it, they are cheap, and should
be replaced regularly, as they distort from the heat., decreasing your visibility.
Gloves,
TIG requires dexterity, a good set of leather TIG gloves is worth the $15.00 or so that they
If you buy leather glove keep them clean, don't use them to handle greasy or oily stuff.
You can also get cotton gloves, but they are not heat resistant.
Long sleeve shirt, TIG produces a lot of UV, thoriated tungstens increase the amount, ,so
wear a long sleeve shirt when welding.
Tungstens come is several diameters, 3/32" is good for most applications. They also
come in plain and 2% thoriated. The 2% are better, day last longer and don't crater, they
are not much more expensive than plain tungstens.
The tungstens are ground to a needle point and need to be reground when the point
dulls or you get weld on them, when they are dirty you don't get a good arc.
come in plain and 2% thoriated. The 2% are better, day last longer and don't crater, they
are not much more expensive than plain tungstens.
The tungstens are ground to a needle point and need to be reground when the point
dulls or you get weld on them, when they are dirty you don't get a good arc.
| TIG Welding 101 |
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Filler Rod,
There are numerous types of filler rod available, the most common is copper clad steel,
this is best to reweld a receiver as it will finish close to the receiver metal.
For practice I would recommend a mild alloy rod, it flows easier than plain steel. the draw
back for doing a receiver is that it will blue / parkerize a different color.
You don't want a thick rod, as it also acts as a heat sink, use about .050"
The most important thing when getting started is to have a bench and chair that you can
sit comfortably and rest your forearms on. this will help you get the hang of controlling the
torch. A steel top bench is prefferable, however a wood top will work if you set your work
on some metal rails to keep it off the bench.
The torch should rest in your hand in the welding position, lay the welding cable in your lap
and run it on your arm so the torch is in position by itself and you are not fighting the cable.
Getting started,
The tecnique for TIG is to strike an arc and move the torch in a small circular motion to
create a puddle of molten metal, the filler is dipped into the puddle and will flow to the heat,l
like solder. the torch is then moved forward and the process is repeated. the finished weld
should be behind the torch, you want to avoid dipping the electrode into the puddle and
touching the electrode with the rod. Practice will show the proper distance to keep the
electrode from the work, listen to the sound the welder is making it should be constant.
For practice, set the welder at about 4.5, and get some scrap plate to lay some beads on,
once you are able to maintain a constant arc and lay an even looking bead you can do joints.
It is important to weld on clean metal, so remove rust, mill scale etc before welding.
There are numerous types of filler rod available, the most common is copper clad steel,
this is best to reweld a receiver as it will finish close to the receiver metal.
For practice I would recommend a mild alloy rod, it flows easier than plain steel. the draw
back for doing a receiver is that it will blue / parkerize a different color.
You don't want a thick rod, as it also acts as a heat sink, use about .050"
The most important thing when getting started is to have a bench and chair that you can
sit comfortably and rest your forearms on. this will help you get the hang of controlling the
torch. A steel top bench is prefferable, however a wood top will work if you set your work
on some metal rails to keep it off the bench.
The torch should rest in your hand in the welding position, lay the welding cable in your lap
and run it on your arm so the torch is in position by itself and you are not fighting the cable.
Getting started,
The tecnique for TIG is to strike an arc and move the torch in a small circular motion to
create a puddle of molten metal, the filler is dipped into the puddle and will flow to the heat,l
like solder. the torch is then moved forward and the process is repeated. the finished weld
should be behind the torch, you want to avoid dipping the electrode into the puddle and
touching the electrode with the rod. Practice will show the proper distance to keep the
electrode from the work, listen to the sound the welder is making it should be constant.
For practice, set the welder at about 4.5, and get some scrap plate to lay some beads on,
once you are able to maintain a constant arc and lay an even looking bead you can do joints.
It is important to weld on clean metal, so remove rust, mill scale etc before welding.
