I'm a habitual lurker, but thought I'd drop in to say that I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. In every single video I learn something, and I laugh (or at least roll my eyes). Keep up the great work!
I really appreciate the humor and comical transitions like the one inch punch- makes me laugh, or at least groan uncomfortably, every time! I thought up some new transition ideas last night while I was boiling down some DigiKey reels to extract the resistors. The thought of an archaeological dig site for long lost parts or a chemically-driven reaction to produce complex machinery appealed to me. Maybe I'll have more once I've managed to solder the resistors I extracted using my microwave...
I love how you include those shop life hacks like the Tungsten electrode scratch technic followed by the internal pressure increase to create the perfect material separation. Only pros know those tricks and you make that accessible to the layman.
As a licenced stick/tig/mig welder for over 20 years. And fast paced production welder for the last 10 years, come sunday i grab a stick welder an meditate. Slow, soft, comfortable. It's like smoking a pipe, it takes its time and that's it. Mig makes it fast. But tig makes it beautiful.
its been 10 years since ive done any stick welding. but i work in a precision machine shop, theres not a lot of stick welding needed for Mercedes, BMW, BASF, Bosch, and the military. and then about 6 months ago they send me to Continental Tire to stick weld support beams in for a platform i built my boss picked up as a favor for a friend of his. going from mainly tig/mig welding back to stick is not like riding a bike lol
Agreed. For building stuff in and for the home shop I go for the mig since it's easy, fast and looks good and I'm dealing with 1/4" thick metal max. For repairs or thicker material though I reach for the stick running 7018 DC electrodes, a lot less work. However, I've been thinking about the tig for aluminum but I just don't do enough aluminum and those aluminum brazing rods work well enough for light repairs.
You are speaking to my soul with regard to the desire to be able to fix everything and the psychosis that drives accumulating tools. Keep up the awesome work, sir.
I watched this vidjyo wearing headphones, my son sitting next to me gaming. When ya aired up the square tubes i was laughing so hard, apparently too loud he looked at me like your old and not supposed to laugh that hard. He gradually looked at my screen then said show me latter. So thanks for that. Whatever it takes to teach them right. Thanks for that.
@@nicksworkshopp you keep on watching and learning and go hands on when your folks feel your ready, crafting things from scratch is being lost. But I feel there will always be the need for them some things just can't be duplicated by a machine. Merry Christmas.
@@raymondmucklow3793 when my grandpa passed he passed all his tools and his shop on to me I’ve been trying to learn what the tools do and how to use them right
lol I was like "what the F"??? Seriously though, that IS possible although I think you'd be better off using water not air as water is non-compressible. (look up hydro forming).
I've been a welder for over ten years and don't need to watch this but this production value is top notch, funny and calming to enjoy after a day of work.
You're not the only person that suffers from the psychosis of wanting to be able to fix anything. I started as a small electronic repair technician and ended up with enough equipment to fix most problems up to BGA reballing (which ended up costing me a lot). And now because of primarily your channel and some others I'm an apprentice machinist that just recently bought their first Mill. I was always interested in mechanical things. After seeing the process and how things were made I wanted to learn more and be able to do it myself. I was starting to hate my old job as a programmer and not the CNC kind. I wanted to do something something completely different and I'm not sure I would have switch careers if it wasn't for channels like yours. I still like programming for myself but as a career it was just driving me insane and now I'm doing something I enjoy. thanks
Tony - Thanks for another fantastic video! There is so much to like here - good, solid, helpful information, pleasant and entertaining verbal delivery, excellent sound quality, superb control of lighting, and clever, innovative editing. I can't wait to use your 'Scribe with Torch, and 'Break with Air Pressure' technique for making mitered cuts on steel tubing. I had no idea that worked so well (smile)!
I want to send you a great big thank you. On one of your tig videos you suggested ignoring filler rod and concentrating just on the puddle when you are learning. I have been trying to teach myself tig welding and was having a rough time of it. That one suggestion helped me so much, that after a few days of practicing that way, I was able to make my first decent weld with filler rod. Sometimes when you are first learning something there are too many things to concentrate on. So simplifying the task is a big help. Thank you, thank you. I've still got a lot of seat time yet to be able to tig as well as I mig, but you helped me get over the high spot.
Yeah I’ve never written you. But you are an amazing part of my life. Started welding at 16. 69 seven eights now. Can weld with everything. Jack of all trades‘s including family doctor. But I love my Tigue welder. I got a $$135 box welder to carry around in the truck. I love 7013 sticks they can do lotta easy stuff. But the Tig is my favorite. I can’t tell you how important your humor and teaching is to getting me through these rough times. Thanks for being there for all of us. Tyler
I've been rewatching (see: binging) the TOT welding videos over the last few days. Tonight I get home and pull up YT and head for the TOT channel and this gem is waiting. As Tony says How serendipitous.
@@257796 Humor and Irony. You misread the Comment. Notice the Likes and Tony's Love icon. Sorry you didn't get it. I think This Old Tony is a genius, sort of.
Unpaid repair work is just how I vent my stubbornness. No matter the peril, through hell and tiny parts, I ride into battle and proudly bellow, "Whaddya mean it's under warranty?"
Tig is perfect for a small garage cramped with stuff you don't want to put on fire. No sparks flying unless you forget to turn on the argon. Also a big plus for the wedge collets.
That does it. I'm buying an AC/DC Tig. ToT's TIG preference and the comments on here about a home workshop like mine is convincing. I can live with an Argon cylinder in my attached garage, but an Acetylene cylinder has always made me shy away from pulling the trigger. I dont need MIG speed and I like the neatness and versatility of TIG, and I'll still have the brute force of stick if ever needed.
As a retired 30 year welder. Mostly doing tooling, prototyping, and good service, I can say there is TIG welding, and then everything else. While I would encourage anyone to try TIG welding whenever and wherever possible, remember, there is a high degree of skill that goes behind bring truly proficient. Like most good welders, he makes it look quite easy. Good luck all.
Jason Doege I don't even need to pull up that clip, because I know exactly what you're talking about! I can at least show my wife that I'm not the only one!
AND tools give you the opportunity to correct the design faults that manufacturers include in some items . . . . like not enough gussets in chairs for people with extremely muscular glutei maximi!!!!!!!!!!!
Great video, as always. I was raised on stick/Mig, but fell in love with TIG once I got into machining and wanted cleaner, neater welds. +10 on the wedge collets. I think Jody us starting to carry them, but they were initially hard to find (& I wasn't waiting on shipping from China) so I made a 1/8” & a 3/32". They're awesome & have never been sorry.
I've pretty much retired after 27 years of welding, mainly TIG. About 12 years ago I welded 99.9% pure silver for a silversmith who had made a very large cross by casting it. I used a doe grinder to open up some casting holes and filled them with silver wire he brought. Because of the low electrical resistance it take a whole lot more power than one would think lol.
Thanks for the "careful what you weld, the fumes might kill you!" tip. I'm 'very' intro level just bought a cheapo stick welder and did not know that. I owe you much, as I live and breathe!
Now now, we all have a preference over the other. Where TOT does some amazing explaining, AvE cracks some odd twenty dick related euphemisms and speaks mainly in strange anglisms in French. Just lay back and enjoy that beer. Let us all just enjoy our beers and their beautiful enginerding.
Juho Viuhkola, oh, I wasn’t trying to get deep. I just meant that today’s donation from AvE was a fair bit shorter than This Old Tony’s. Nobody’s got the authority to tell anybody which fella is dropping the best nutrition on us!
I was a maintenance mechanic at a chemical plant for 40 years, did a lot of stick and tig . welding, most of what I enjoyed was aluminum and titanium tig welding, enjoyed the video, bought back memories.
I've learned something very important today while watching this. Do not attempt to drink your morning latte (I work evenings) while watching one of Tony's videos, when sitting in your tow truck you spent 3 hours detailing before the boss does your spring cleaning inspection. you will find yourself frantically trying to clean the windshield, the dash, the instrument panel, the steering wheel and the floor again. On a brighter note I have a lead on a possible lathe and mill I don't know what I need them for but after watching all of your videos I have come to the conclusion that we all need a set.
My sentiments exactly, it is not whether or not I want to fix something but rather I want the ability to fix something. Says the guy who owns two overflowing roll-a-ways with chests, two closets and a garage and a half full of equipment and materials and wondering now just where can I put that lathe and mill ... Great video, it really puts things into perspective.
Such timely info. I've been trying to decide on a TIG welder for a few weeks now (still not finished...). You make TIG look so wonderful. Damn you TOT, for parting me with my money!
Tig welding looks so easy when you do it, and the result looks awesome. That's not at all how my experience of tig welding have been. I don't weld that often and I'm currently very pleased with my small DC mma inverter.
@@ThisOldTony My anglegrinder and paint makes me the welder that I'm not. Sometimes I consider upgrading my welder, you have convinced me to go the tig rather than the mig route when I get around to finally do the upgrade. I'm currently mostly a woodworker, but I really want to improve my metal fabrication skills - your channel is a great place to learn and get inspired. Thank you very much for the time and effort you put in to it.
Being ABLE to fix things, but not CHOOSING to fix things moves the needle from "hoarder" to "eccentric procrastinator". It's a distinction that I hold to dearly. And multiplying the number of things that I'm never going to do is strangely satisfying.
Thanks for actually walking through the basics Tony. Most people build on assumed knowledge. Which only adds more confusion and defeats the purpose of learning. Keep it up please 👍.
What a great show. Been watching you for years and a friend asked me what he should buy to get into welding. I’m a welder so I talked for a good half hour and made it back to camp. Your video I just shared with him sums it all up. Thanks Tony.😆
Sharpen your Tungsten in both ends, so you have an extra bullet without leaving your comfy chair. Gets rid of the paint after a bit aswell, but you will have to store it in a way so you know what kind it is. Just a thought.
Cute little minilathe. Your videos tot are very worth any amount of time viewing once because it has great “learnabilties” and once more just because it’s funny too.
Tony, thank you for revisiting this. TIG is slowly crawling into radar one day and your opinion means a lot indirectly and through phenomenal humor and editing
I'm homeless and broke, i have limited data on my crappy old phone, but by God do your videos make life worth living. Even us bums are high tech, we can watch a little screen and feel like everyone else, a modern marvel.
Been tig welding aircraft weldments since 1979. I've upgraded equipment three times since. My new favorite add on is my Miller wireless foot pedal. Makes a big difference when working on tube fuselages. One less cord to drag around. The new invertor welders are awesome.
Tony, we all love tig welding, no need to soapbox. I'll let you continue though. Edit: nice build Tony! Also, for the love of God, aspiring welders, don't go near zinc or galvanized steel. Metal fume fever may only lay you out for a day in low doses but it'll be one of the nastiest days of your life.
I always mechanically or chemically remove the zinc layer on the rare occasions i have to weld galvanized steel. That feeling when you think you have it, and all of a sudden the pool just explodes and a blob of metal sticks to the tungsten tip is just marvelous.
@@bogdan_n lol I know that pain. I remove it as well, then wear a respirator, under a vent fan, on the moon. When I got sick from it, I was new to tig welding and the shop owner threw me a bunch of fittings to weld. The were parker fittings and did not look galvanized at all but under the arc you could see it burn off just a little bit. Needless to say, I was getting griped at to hurry up the whole time and by the time I finished the sixth one, I knew something was up.
And if you're ever laid up with fume fever, go drink a lot of milk. I'm talking about a gallon. And buy an extra gallon for when you run out. It helps a lot, speaking from experience.
thanks chap.......I'm enjoying your banter and learning soo much in all metal....even at the tender age of 64....cheers. have a pop on me . regards Phil
Hey! I’ve been subscribed for 3 or 4 years now and I gotta say I LOVE the channel. My dad is a 40+ year tradesman in machining and I’m going on my 16th year. Been doing it since I was 10 so it’s all I know lol. Anyways, I catch myself every few months or so scrolling down your channel on a lazy day and rewatching your videos. Just want to say keep up the good work! My dad and I love watching your videos. -Tom P. S. Any update on the mini lathe? Been thinking about getting one for the odd jobs around the house. Way better than driving to my shop every time I need a funky washer for a project. And are you still wanting to do the CNC conversion? If so I can’t wait till I see how you pull it off!
I have to say, this channel is one of the reasons I still love mechanical things so much. You, sir, make me want to start looking for some machine tools, and just start making.... stuff. Also, thank you for the great laughs, always a great way to brighten up the day!
I love ur wife too lol without her help I wouldve never understood how square hole drill bits work... Or whatever they were. U moved em from lathe to mill... TOT ROCKS
Nice finger nails aren't for welding because every time they slide into gloves they scrape - up the nasties in the gloves. Looks to me like he grinds down them nails with the grinder . It's more better hygiene. 👍
I have thought long and hard on this one, and before I bought an ACDC unit I would have agreed. Think of it this way. You can weld DC aluminium, in the same way that someone can have horizontal relations with their mom, dad, sister or brother but spend some time and money on the right stuff and you won't have to compromise on a welding situation.
Hi Tony, I often watch your videos and love them all but I really love your sense of humor how ever you put it across. I have the same humor as you but people are not quick enough to understand ; if you understand what i mean. I call it "talking in leap-motives"!
What are your thoughts on them stopping production of red tungsten. It's always been my favorite and to be honest I'm not a fan of the new purple stuff.
The red tungsten electrodes are radioactive, not enough to kill you. But grinding them without the right safety gear is definitely not the best thing for your health. At my work we use the gold once only. I have never welded with the red once but I get really good results with the golden electrodes.
@@jakobh9122 I've tried the gold and it's not bad. It's just that the red tungsten has such little radioactivity it seems strange to shut down all production of it.
@@billm.8592 you can still find them on Amazon. We even have some at our company, maybe they are banned at the place where you live. In Germany you can find them, but luckily they are not that popular. Furthermore the simple radioactivity of these electrodes are not that bad, but if you grind them and get the radioactive dust inside of your lungs it is really not good for them.
As a DC only TIG guy (because I didn't have the money for AC/DC in the day), and long-time welder, I loved this video! I did know most of the facts you presented, but not about the better collet types! I also LOVE the humor, really good!
