As you have noticed a steady hand is required. One tip especially for tacking things up is to adjust your tungsten back a little, so you can rest the edge of the cup on the workpiece. Then just rock the torch until you have the correct gap and hit the trigger. It's pretty easy to be steady this way. Also finding your way to hold the torch is key. I've seen a ton of different ways that work for different people. Being comfortable and having a good way to prop your hand is key. Experiment until you find something that works for you. I got a chuckle when you were using the tool grinder to sharpen tungstens. Then I almost fell out of my chair when you used it as a cutoff saw! :)
When your a rough welder like me, you will learn to fill, burn through holes, by small spot welds around edge of hole until you fill hole. Cheers from Melbourne Australia.
And for anyone reading this who also tig welds, get wedge collets. Either buy or make, they’re quite simple. But the payoff is night and day. No possible way to collapse the slits as they’re solid, meaning they always fully release when removing electrodes and are always easier to insert electrodes and get back to the job at hand.
I am not sure if anyone else said anything, but I ahve found that here in the USA that the diameter of the bottles i get when i exchange them can vary somewhat. I would recommend anyone else building a cart to just make a platform that is oversized so that it can accomodate a different size bottle in case you end up with one that is slightly smaller or slightly larger than the one your planned the cart around. As for electrodes, I will guess 57.
You're on the right track learning to weld ambidextrously. Ray Ludeman, my old instructor was a firm believer in welding competency in both hands for the simple reason you never know what handedness the work requires. With a little practice, the penetration, appearance, etc will be the same either hand, either direction. I've been TIG welding for 40 years and in that time I have NEVER, EVER dipped the tungsten. Believe that? Have I got a deal for you! Wanna buy a used car?
I've been scratching my head over what design to go with for one of these - I had NOT thought of getting an Ikea cabinet! Amazingly simple and cost-effective idea.
They are pretty flimsy. The other two I used I epoxied all the seams and joints together. I didn't have time this time. The only one with a load in it is the bottom one with all the stick welding electrodes. Will see how it holds up. Oh, and the IKEA ones are six drawers high. This one from Amazon is only 4.
@@RotarySMP does the weldment around the cabinet help any? Would MDF or similar as a drawer bottom address? I had thought of having a side-open alcove to hang a lot of stuff on (angle grinder and discs, mask, clamps) and using 1 or 2 drawers for marking and electrode storage.
@@christopherbill8537 The six drawer one I use for my Clarkson accessories, I epoxied a plywood base under the cabinet to add stiffness. I was also considering putting some playwood in the bottom of the drawers. That would also stop little bits falling out the laser cuts along the bend lines.
Consider looking for a small surplus/used Office filing drawer. I got one with a full height lower drawer (great for mask, leads, jacket etc.) and a pair of narrow ones on top for the little bits. I used one for mine then did a similar wrapped frame to hold it in place.
@@RotarySMP I'm not going to bet against you. I am pulling for you to succeed. We all have enough challenges. I just like the project and the workmanship. Take care, Ed.
Try resting the cup on the work, having it free floating is asking for you to dip the electrode in your weld. Either support your hand or the torch. Look up 'walking the cup'. Anyway awesome video as usual.
You can get connectors for the welding connections to go from one size to the other either direction. You'll find the CK Worldwide TIG torch a delight to use compared to the standard unit, it's so much lighter. When your using it, lay the cable across your lap which reduces the weight on the torch. All welding is fusion, ie melts the metal and it fuses together. When you don't add any filler is an autoginous weld.
Don’t really know the science behind it, but try holding the torch like a claw and pressing the button with your index finger instead of your thumb, don’t know why but I managed better welds after swapping and getting used to it
Been woodworking for years and welding is something ive been wanting to learn for a while. Cant wait to start making all those fun mistakes during the process of learning 😂
As a woodworker of many years (since I was a kid really), I recently picked up a cheap(ish) multiprocess welder from Harbor Freight, took an intro to welding class at a local makerspace, and have been practicing a lot. I would definitely recommend trying it if you are interested. If you are on the fence, see if a local makerspace (or similar) has classes you can take to try it out before buying into it, to see if it is something you want to spend money on (and to get some basic beginner instruction/ advice). They only taught MIG in the class I took, but I found it fairly easy to pick up. It is kinda like a metal glue gun. It isn't too hard to MIG weld something together to make it strong enough to use, but it can take a decent bit of practice to actually make the welds look neat and consistent. I have found the old adage to be true though, "Grinder and paint, make me the welder I ain't". I recently have tried some stick welding, and have found that I am terrible at that. I also would like to get a TIG torch for the welder (it only came with a MIG torch and a stick "stinger") and try to learn TIG. The slow methodical nature of TIG seems to appeal to me for some reason.
@@Beef4Dinner22 I am really enjoying learning to TIG. I like stick welding, and have never done any MIG. This welder had the wire feeder and a MIG torch, so I should try that as well. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
Nice job, every little mistake can be a learning curve. In my apprenticeship in the early 1970s our welding instructor had 3 typical sayings 1) "Puddles I want to see puddles". 2) "As long as your weld looks better than bird poo on a windscreen, it is a start". 3) "Useless, make me a cup of tea". I'd guess around 13 visits to the grinder.
Yeah, the really dumb think is that I thought of that, looked at it, misidentifed the the back end and welded them. Duh! I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
I would clinch those seams on those IKEA cabinets with some rivets. They'll last much longer. They tend to fall apart from metal fatigue due to the smallest racking forces.
my guess is 68 dips - but those bare shins got me off,so i am probably wrong there - a good project for practicing tig - inner and outer angles and some filler-welds - some of the areas i woud have turned down the amp a tad - and now when you got one - try the glasslens,it makes wonders
@@RotarySMPyour guess is as good as mine but I think it might be for mounting a dial indicator to a height gauge also in the bag with tig accessories there is an extension for a dial indicator and a contact tip. For the right angle attachment I think it is recommended to use a flat tip for the indicator so I included one for you. Glad you like the micrometers if you come across any of the same in larger diameter pls let me know as I would like to collet a set of them some day. Enjoy and keep up the good work.
I am building welding cart myself these days and I am installing table on it. I found it quite convenient to have it altogether - in the same structure., so was a bit disappointed with your decision not to have it For the table I am using two old table saw surfaces bolted together - heavy and flat. Anyway, great job, as usual.
@@RotarySMP Watching your TIG welding -I guess a lot :) . But I am even worth, so no worries :) , BTW - don't you have arc starter on this TIG welder ?
This produced a practical little cart, and a nice job. My cart came out too big (occupies too much floor space) but hey ho! First visit to your channel but it won’t be the last. And, oh, go on then… 22 dips and shameful trips! Les in UK
Get a stubby cup kit. Makes learning way easier because having a shorter cup gives you more control. A gas lens will let you stick your electrode out more giving you more visibility too.
Thanks for the tip. I have gas lens and stubby pyrex cups for the CK torch, so I am just waiting for the cable adapter parts to deliver. I didn't see your estimate for how many electrodes got dipped :)
@@RotarySMP never been much of a guesser. BTW, you want to grind your torch as soon as you dip. the longer you wait the more the base metal diffuses into the tungsten, ruining it. if you keep going, snap off the end and grind a new tip. trust me, the electrodes won't stay sharp nearly as long unless you remove the contaminated electrode material asap.
Nice cart - just about to make one myself. I used to spray all of the machine tools I reconditioned, but now I do everything with synthetic enamel (white spirit based Johnsons Smooth Metal Paint) and a foam roller - no overspray, a perfect machine tool finish, very economical and no need for a mask. I think my recent spindle bearing video shows the finish.
does that paint stand up well to coolant, and chips being blasted at it, like for a VMC enclosure?? I'm refurbing a VMC and I'm at the point where if I'm going to re-paint the base casting now is the time to do it, because EVERYTHING is off and it's all really accessible. I'm leaning towards Sherwin Williams Polane as I've heard good things, but it's rather nasty stuff
@@gorak9000 I use cheap hardware store paint, which is not resistant to anything. I dont like paint on the inside of machine cabinets, as it very quickly gets chewed up by swarf.
@@RotarySMP That's why I've heard you have to use a commercial polyurethane paint like Polane, or at the least a 2 part "tractor / implement" paint that's also polyurethane based with a hardener- supposed to be chemical resistant, and hard as nails, but the hardener has isocyanates in it (basically super glue), so you need a completely isolated remotely supplied respirator to apply it. Supposedly powder coat is even better for hardness and chemical resistance, but I haven't gotten any quotes yet on how much sandblasting and powder coating a whole VMC enclosure would set me back - and that doesn't really help for the base casting of the machine itself. I don't know too many power coat places setup to deal with 8000lb bits of cast iron.
10:45 but wait - just seconds before we are seeing a rather fine bind saw. That would ideal for making clean cuts on, er, bar stock! Nice result. I was going to suggest about 3 tips but seems I missed the zero!
Super nice, functional, and most importantly...... mobile. Oh, and all that welding practice is paying off quite nicely. Loved the proud display of your daughters artwork. The t-shirt in honor of the occasion was also a nice touch. I'm fairly naive on why the unicorn became extinct - so, thanks for the lesson. 👍👍😎👍👍
22 tips x2 plus a few extra at the end, id say 48 dips. love the kart. and your wood bench was awesome too. One day ill learn to weld once i upgrade to metal work from wood :)
I like your idea for the foot switch, that will give you a bit more of a steady hand when finishing welds. I noticed you have quite a lot of stick out on your tungsten, there really is no 'correct' length and you will have better luck with avoiding the dip if you shorten it up and use the edge of the cup as a steady to help you control the distance to the puddle. Harder to see without a glass cup but also harder to dip. With it shorter you will get a little better gas coverage, and you may be able to dial back your flow to compensate and conserve a little. Once you have a foot control you will see how easy it is to close up holes in sheet, and to prevent them in the first place. The control you will have is for me what makes tig so great. Good to see your progress!
Thanks James. The foot switch will be simple on off, as this welder only supports that with a two pin connector. Once the power connector parts arrive and I canuse the CK torch, then I can use the gas lens and pyrex cup. I need to learn to stop the arc, move just far enough out to prevent it restarting, and press the button to get post flow. The welder has no control over it, and only gives about 1 sec. I didn't see your guesstimate on the dipped electrodes. :)
Nice. I found your channel from your comment on @watchweswork I built my own cart to hold my oxy/acetylene torch, stick and mig welders. Couldn’t find anything I liked and I am pretty proud to have it.
For some reason I thought you were building a GoKart .. that would be a nice project btw :) old weed whacker.. couple steel box tubes .. endless fun :)
At least 49 times. Don't be too ashamed though. I dip the tungsten at least half of that on a similar size project. I'm also still learning to TIG. Go and😢have a look at Tim Weld videos. He is quite a good teacher.
Well done, looks fantastic. And tigging with your off hand, hats off. Not many in the trade can. Good to see you're trying it all. And it was the best project to learn on. Great content, and Hello again from palmy north New Zealand
@@RotarySMP I'm not going to guess. LoL 🤣. Think I counted five or so in the video, but I don't want to guess for the total project. I still dip the tungsten occasionally myself, and that's after 30 odd years at it. It happens. Part of the journey
Make use of hand rest, you can just use some spare profile or something, slide you hand with torch on hand rest. Most of your problems are from free handing torch. Constrain it. As for a guess as many as you have tungstens x2. Will be a good idea to strap welder too, roll over something and it catapult itself to oblivion.
Thanks Eugen. I do that in my practice sessions, and on the easy welds, but should have clamped up some sort of arm rest construction for the awkward ones.
@@RotarySMP Also good thing will be to fix your torch angle, your hand draw an arc and angle changes all the time. Hole filling good skill to have, just lay beads on sides with medium heat and give it plenty of time to cool down. For big ones use stitch
Your welds are getting better. You do need to have more movement and work the puddle around more for a more consistent weld. 15 dips of the tungsten is my guess.
They are a great community. I have no idea what works and what doesn't on YT. I just keep plugging along at videos of the projects I want to make and see what happens. Thanks for swinging by.
@@RotarySMP you and me both. I haven't got the faintest idea what people want to see. I keep trying to vary my content to see if people watch for longer, or get more views. I have tried speeding through anything I think might be boring to viewers, but you just don't know what people do and don't like unless they provide feedback. I don't want to resort to clickbait style content like some people seem to thrive on, but I am trying to build a channel where people might learn something, over trying to be popular.
@@DodgyBrothersEngineering Every time I did something and thought "this video will really work" it didn't. My most popular video I nearly didn't bother editing, as there are already a million reviews of ultrasonic cleaners. I heard some where, you need at least one of: - magnetic personality - essential information - engaging editing and cinematography. The best channels have all three. Since I have neither one nor two, I watched a few Casey Neistat videos on the three act narrative, and try to edit my content to tell a little story each week.
@@RotarySMP I'm just editing my next video which should be up in a few days, but so far this one feels far more engaging than some of the others (only time will tell). I am really cutting out a lot of the stuff that has been shown before in detail to keep the flow of the video moving. Putting in small snippets instead of trying to show it all. While it kinds of feels like I am skipping stuff, history has shown me that if you don't keep moving people have a tendency to tune out. For me an average view seems to between about a minute and a half and two minutes. So this time I am trying to keep things moving, but breaking it up with other stuff. I have to admit that some people seem to just have that IT factor. Not sure what that is, but some people definitely have IT. I have recently changed my editing software so I think that alone has made my videos at least a little more interesting through new editing options. I try to make my videos tutorial / educational as I can. Kind of like if you were explaining something to someone who was there. I don't know if this is a great format, but I am making things because I need them, not to create RU-vid content. So for me I am trying to bring people along with me on the journey. Also I like to leave my mistakes in where I can, because I am not interested in having some kind of fake channel where everything turns out alright all of the time. I am trying to set a realistic expectation for anyone watching. Some of my stuff up have turned into funny moments so it has helped introduce a bit of humour. Some of my subscribers have commented that they think I am funny, but it isn't something I try to force. If something funny comes up, or if something funny pops into my head while editing I will add it, but if nothing funny comes to me naturally, I am not going to try and put fake funny in for the sake of it. So far nothing funny has happened in this upcoming video, but there is still time. Sometime it comes down to how I am feeling on the day.
@@DodgyBrothersEngineering Nothing I can add to that. I guess some of our content is such a niche of a niche of a niche that there is only a very limited audience.
My welding bench needed about 12 tips, so I'll guess the same for your cart. I tried grinding both ends, but that didn't work well (they would get blobby and I couldn't remove them from collets) so I ended up cutting them in half. There are short back caps that let you get in tight spaces too. Edit: watched to the end. Mine didn't have axles :)
if it's getting blobby you're either using the wrong size electrode or you're waiting too long after contaminating the electrode. The contaminants diffuse up the hot tungsten lowering the melting point the longer you weld with the dirty tip. When you touch, stop right away, flip it around, and continue. If you can't flip it, break off the blob with some beater pliers. The blob is not good electrode anyways.
Massive improvement with your torch handling, more consistent in keeping distance, and I am noticing you hand is more steady. Keep at it :) At the same time, I do still think the inability to have a foot pedal, and control the amperage as you go is inhibiting the whole process. There must be something that can be done about that... In any case excellent job :)
Thanks a lot. I have the foot pedal on order. Should be here this week. Just a simple on/off, as there is only a two pin connector. I would need to hack the welder and add a second pot in series to get foot amperage control. Might do that, but want to keep the warranty alive for a while, in case there is an early component failure. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
@@RotarySMP That doesn't matter much to me :) And certainly less than what I had back when I was at your level :) But let's say 25 just to play the game :D
@@RotarySMP i think that the warranty for that particular welder probably doesn't matter that much; it kinda isn't a super duper great welder and you are probably at this point deep enough in that you'd get a better one next time ;p
Great project; it seems to be welding cart week! FYI, not sure if you use these, but there are reading glass inserts for welding helmets. Might help with touching your tip so often? Helps me when I stick weld.
Thanks Brad. I am wearing reading glasses under the helmet. Only need 1.5x, but they make a big difference. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
@@RotarySMP fair enough, 25. I don’t TIG weld-yet-so don’t have any other practical advice. I know the pros make a big deal about bracing and collapsing hand, fingers, etc.
@@bradthayer6782 Yeah, it is when I got out on a limb, like those axles, that it really fell apart. I guess I should have made up a temp arm rest with clamps and bars.
Una recomendacion. En las esquinas donde van las ruedas se debe soldar una placa para que la esquina que queda en el aire pues tenga soporte, ademas no se deben soldar las bases de las ruedas ya que es preferible usar tornillos autorroscantes, saludos desde Colombia
All of your tungsten electrodes are a dull, dark and matt grey color - that is because the post flow of the gas after the arc is extinguished is too short. The electrode needs to be protected by the shielding gas until it cools down a bit - between 2 and 8 seconds normally, depending on amperage. The best way to find the exact time is to start on the high end and work your way down until the electrode starts oxidizing again. It does use argon, but you get a better arc with an electrode free of oxide.
Thanks Stefan. Unfortunately, this welder has no control for pre and post gas. It seems like it only gives about 1 second of post gas. I wonder if there is a circuit board pot which could adjust this? Shame there is no manual and no info out there on this machine. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
That's a very well made video. A joy to watch. And, of course, the welding cart too. Maybe I should come over one day so you can teach me how to make videos. And I think it's not important to know how many times you dipped the tungsten. It's more interesting to know how many times you didn't :)
Hi Rusty. My technique for video is, if it bores me when editing, I speed it up. If it is still boring, I cut it. :) And I try to cut out all umms, ahhs, pauses etc, and then do J and L cuts to hide the choppy editing as much as I can. While shooting, I try to change around camera angles all the time. The studio stand helps there a lot. There is a good video out there some where (cant remember which one) which said to look for - an establishing shot, a medium shot, two close ups, an unexpected angle and something else I forgot. It really helps for the edit. Almost half of the dipped electrodes were on the axle bolts and those little triangle bits I didn't show which closed out the top of the front uprights. I can see that I just have to make up arm support with clamps and tubes, as I cant free hand without constant dipping. Still like to here your guess: :)
Thanks Julia. I was surprised to see that Amazon had the same system but 4 high. Nice to have the option of 6 or 4. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
Love the video mate. Just a few tips froma welder. You need less stick out that spit initially is lack of gas coverage because youre tungsten isnt fully in youre argon flow. Also the tungsten needs to be as sharp as possible. Also try and get comfy youre dipping because you cant maintain a steady position with the arc i find resting my elbow on a mig glove on the bench helps because youre elbow can slide at same height from the work peice. . . I did my level 3 last year after never tigging. I passed but i work with a guy whos been doing it 30 years, my welding has come one massively in the weeks because of him. Just get somebody whos shit hot to watch you and that will be a game changer.
Thanks lot Mike. I appreciate you taking your time to analyse my technique and give me feedback. At the start, while the joints to be welded were flat on the table it went okay, but once the bird cage grew, I couldn't fine support for all welds. In hindsight, I guess I should have been clamping some scrap as a temp arm rest for every one of those welds. I didn't see your guess how many electrodes got dipped :)
@RotarySMP im gonna say about 10 to 12 mate i know when i started i was allways dipping the tungsten, drove me mad. Im being taught to walk the cup and it definitely makes getting a consistant bead easier
I'm going to guess 27 dips. TIG is a ton of fun, and I can't wait til you have it down well enough to always have at least one clean electrode in the box at the end of a project
Morning, Afternoon! You know what's making me laugh? Your oven. Why? Well, I'm ashamed to say this but my brand new metal working oven has also been sitting on top of a small drinks fridge in the corner of my kitchen unloved and unused for over 12 months. You've galvanised me to pick that thing up and move it down to its spot in the basement. Thanks, mate! Oh, and thanks for saving that last unicorn, it gives me hope that if I do start dating again I'll stumble across that unicorn, somehow, maybe ? 😂
There's nothing wrong with a little bit of tippy dipping, we've all done it, I remember obliterating a whole pack within a week of starting my apprenticeship. If I make make a couple observations, firstly for what you're welding and the currents you're using consider using some 2.4mm electrodes, the 1.6mm ones will lack durability and perversely, at your amperages be less focused. Another observation is be cautious with magnets, they'll make the arc stray so try to have them as far away as possible from where you're welding. As someone else suggested as well, for tacking extend the tungsten (You can generally stick out as far as the radius of the orifice, a little more if you swap the collet holder out for a gas lens), rest the cup, and personally, I like come into contact with the metal, then lift/rotate and initiate the arc, it just gives some feel and stability to the task. Also, good job with everything you did, especially finding ways of propping yourself up to move the torch smoothly, I even spotted a probing pinky :P Finally, atleast in mild steel, always try to add some wire as autogenous welds can be brittle and prone to cracking, try to use filler fitting with the 40A/mm rule you already know, but round it down, I'd for example at 100A be looking at using 1.6mm filler as 2.4mm wire will chill the puddle too much, but I also have the luxury of my employer giving me carte blanche with my wire choice, so work with what you have, adapting to that is like, 90% of the job. Keep at it my guy, practice makes perfect and you're certainly barking up the right tree.
Thanks for your time and detailed analysis. I already have a box of 2.4mm electrodes ordered, so they will be going into service this week I hope. I didn't see your guestimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
Ich sage 42, aus Prinzip😂 Ich kann dir gerne paar Tips zum Wig schweißen geben, „trust me I am an amateur“ (This old tony) 1. Immer im 4T schweißen, den Taster am Anfang gedrückt halten, dann siehst du erstmal wo der Lichtbogen ist und im Startstrom schmilzt noch nichts auf. 2. bei schwarzem Stahl, egal wie gut du die Verzunderung abmachst, immer mit Zusatz, das beruhigt das Schweißbad. Dann hast du auch keine Poren. 3. dich selbst und den Brenner immer so positionieren, so dass du in den Lichtbogen bzw. ins Bad guckst. 4. Lass die Magnete weg, das zieht den Lichtbogen zum Magnet… 5. Wig Handschuhe tragen und ein Lederkissen (oder ein Mag Handschuh) zum Arm auflegen, dann brauch man eigentlich nur noch das Handgelenk bewegen. 6. den Brenner immer so drehen, dass man nicht gegen den Drall vom Schlauchpaket arbeiten muss. 7. das schlauchpaket was am Arm hängt immer möglichst kurz halten, z.B. über die Schulter, auf den Schoß oder die Werkbank legen. 8. Manfred Welding gucken👌
Servus Lukas. Danke. 1/ Dieser Gerät hat kein 4T, kein ramping, kein Pre-gas, fix 1sec post gas. 2/ Danke gute tip. 3/ Ist bei die erste Welds einfach, aber als der Käfig fast fertig wird, find ich das immer Schweriger. 4/Oh, ja gute punkt. 5/ Sind bestellt. Der idea mit dem Lederkissen ist toll. Ich habe schon eins. 6/ Wird auch erleichtet wenn die Verlangerung für die CK Brenner fertig ist. 7/ Ja ich habe am Anfang es von Recht kommend gehabt, habe aber jetzt meistens am Schoss beim Üben gelegt. 87 Danke, schaue ich.
@@RotarySMP OK hab das Video über Schweißgerät noch nicht gesehen, könnte dir ein Merkle Tig 160Dc anbieten, leider mit kaputtem Inverter. Da kannst du die wichtigen Sachen einstellen. Wäre doch auch ne gute Video Reihe das zu reparieren 🖖
I'll guess 36. Also some tips for you. Try to remember to let the post gas run out. When you pull the tungsten away while it's still hot you end up with oxides on the tungsten even when you haven't dipped it. If you do dip it grind all of the contamination off the tungsten. Push your tungsten back in a fair bit and then you can rest your cup on the work to stay stable. The left handed weld came out good because you welded back towards your eyes and therefore could see what was going on. Always try to angle the torch away from your eyes so that you can see the tungsten tip, puddle and where your puddle is wetting out to. If you're looking for full penetration you will have to bevel the joint.
Thanks for your tips Damien. I appreciate that. I am still fighting that stick welding muscle memory to break the arc by pulling away. Post gas is not adjustable on this welder. It is only about 1 sec. I need to practice stopping the arc, moving back just far enough to not restart it, hitting the button to flow more argon.
@@RotarySMP one last thing I forgot to mention, if your welder has 2t / 4t settings with ramp, start learning to use the 4t setting with ramp down now rather than later. Start off ramping down to 50% and adjust accordingly. Saves you blowing holes at the end of your weld. Or go a foot peddle. I'd say if you can't adjust post flow then you may not have this luxury though.
@@damienboase9520 Thanks Damien. Your guessed right. There is no 2T/4T. Just a simple on/off switch on the torch: No pulse, no ramps, variable current on the footswitch.
I can easily see me welding with my TIG setup in this video. My biggest problem welding with TIG and/or MIG is being able to see the welding path. If I can see the weld path, I make great welds. Otherwise I veer off track and have nice looking welds that are not over the actual joint... Practice fixes that...I hope... Thumbs Up!
I highly recommend an item called a 'Tig Finger' a heat resistant fiberglass(?) cover for your glove / finger so you can track your torch hand along the work piece closer to the arc. Also I think you're holding the torch a little bit too close, it's hard to tell. I used to weld stainless steel commercial cooking ranges back in the early 2000's and I would stick or touch my filler to the tungsten regularly, and I'm certainly not an expert. You'll get better the more you practice ! Keep it up ! Stick Guess: more than 1 less than 20 (hehehe)
Thanks. I need to get a better pair of gloves and will get a tig finger at the same time. Yeah, I think you nailed it that I am probably too close much of the time, except when I drift too far away... I do a lot of that as well.
Only thing is if you grind off both ends of the tungsten then you lose the colour off the end and you forget what type it is (I use thoriated for steel and lanthanated for Al)
@@RotarySMP I did a little welding in steel (I made a welding table out of square hollow tube that used to be a clothes line) but then I jumped into Aluminium. That was a nightmare as it magnifies all your mistakes. Plus when you dip the tungsten it coats it in Al (as well as making a horrible black smudge on your weld). So then you have to snap the tip off and regrind and reball again. Grrr. I went through a lot…
To explain - I have been making these Laser dinghy cradles for my friend. They cost $700 here in Australia to buy and I can make one for about $120 in materials. I’ve made a few now and they are getting better but I still suck at welding :)
Gees that was hard to watch! For future reference put all the four bits of metal down and measure the diagonals. When they are the same you are square THEN tack - recheck possibly tappy tap tap with a hammer to get back to square then weld making sure you down over heat a join and it deforms through expansion.its SO much quicker doing this. I reckon TIG would be good for you to use!
Thanks Ray. I did do those checks, but if the camera angle was bad I edited it out. That was TIG. Oh, you mean I should try MIG probably. Yes, this welder as has MIG, and I will give it a try, but since TIG is harder I want to learn it. I didn't see your estimate for how many times I dipped the Electrode :)
I find the pyrex cups useful to keep the electrode touching the work surface.. at least you have a bit of a guide. You said you started off with 11 and both ends and need to do it again? Let say 23?
Uhh i’m not grinding both sides as one looses the indicator ring fine if you only have gray but i have pretty much all the colors and as such get pretty unlucky with using the wrong tungsten as i put the stuff in any box back guess laziness..
hmm. I don't recall having that much trouble with dipping on the tig welder i made years ago. i never used filler though, maybe that made it easier. also i may have just held the tip further away with more or less current as aproperate.
something a lot of welders do is they cut the tungsten into 2/3 pieces and sharpen both ends, then after keeping all the ends in a pot it gives you more ends to play with
Thanks Andy. I have cut a few in half as I only have a mid length torch stinger for the CK. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
Thanks Christian. I already ordered one. It should arrive this week. This welder only supports on/off. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
@@RotarySMP Well then, if you are not satisfied witht the one you have ordered - or need more 😉 My guess would have been 21 but I forgot to answer before watching the video 🙈
@@Elektronaut Thanks for the offer. I think once I have more hours on this welder, and have used the warranty, I will probably mod it to wire a foot switch poti in series with the front panel one.
The torch that came with your machine looks like it has a screw on dinse 13 to dinse 9 adapter. Try to turn the knurled end on your connector and see if its pops off. I know some cheaper machines often did that to promote higher amperages but at the same time, cut costs on the TIG torch that gets provided with the machine.
Did you have a lot of weight in them? I epoxied all the joints together when I made the first two, but didn't both this time. Only my bottom drawer is heavy with all the stick electrodes in it. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes :)
Good progress on the TIG work. I'm always kind of suspicious of that much oxidation on the electrode. I'd guess there's not enough argon flow, the post-flow is too short, or your material is dirty (or you dipped, hard). Looking at 24:40 when you were doing the hooks, you seem to have excessive electrode stickout for that sized cup. stickout
Thanks Paul. This welder doesn't have a pre or post gas control, so I get no pregas, and only about 1 sec of post gas. Once I get the adapters to connect the CK9 torch, I will be able to use the gas lens and large pyrex cup. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
@@RotarySMP 42? I think i heard the answer in the video? 1 sec seems extremely short. Maybe blip the trigger to prolong? Also, you should still get a foot pedal.
@@paulsomero Thanks. Douglas Adams is proud :) That is a good idea. Move back just far enough to not restart the arc, but use the trigger for post flow. I should have thought of that. The foot pedal is on order, but also is only a switch. The Welder only has a two pin connector.
@@RotarySMP wow that's an incredibly spartan machine. Not having the ability to modulate current is going to make for some tricky welding scenarios. Just getting the on/off motion away from the hand that also has to aim the arc will help, though.
@@paulsomero At the moment it is under warranty, but once it get gets a bit older, I might look at hacking it to put a second footswitch pot in series with the the faceplate current control.
I think you should get real pedal with potentiometer, so much more control. Easyer to fix blow thrues also 😂. And with alu its a must have anyway. I have same CK, its great. I weld bike frames with it.
This welder only supports an on/off switch. There is only a two pin connector. I might mod it to wire in a second pot in a foot switch, but will wait till I have some more hours on it, and am sure I dont need the warranty. I didn't see your estimate for the number of dipped electrodes yet :)
One thing, or maybe two or more... The tungstens should not change colour that much... Your gas coverage is somehow not adequate... Either you have a venturi effect somewhere before the torch head which is drawing in air due to a ``leak`` which is highly unlikely, or your gas flow isnt high enough... around 8.8liters per minute is my general optimum for most work... The electrode can go slightly gray and fade in shine as you use it, but it should not go black or blue or anything like this... Dipping can cause such oxidation for some reason, and you should chuck the tungstens in the drill and give them a polish with a 400 wet or dry paper for metal... I generally polish my electrodes now and again, as i like them shiny, but this black crud will mess up your starts and cause some minor contamination, which will further force the tungsten to oxidize as it works, so you cant just regrind the tip, polish that crap off... Its nothing major for hobby work, but if you want to have a great time welding, every part should be clean, bright and clear of any shit before you start a weld... Also, when you ``polish(sand)`` the tungstens, give them a wipe down with acetone, and wipe the filler with acetone before you use it, you will be amazed how much shit comes off the factory packed, fresh and ``clean`` filler rods when you wipe them outta box before use... Again, for regular steel welding, you can never wipe the filler down, and you wont even notice it really, but if you do, you will notice the puddle having much less of those ``shiny`` glowing spots that are swirling around as you are moving the puddle... There are always some, as you have some copper cladding on that filler and some minimal level of impurity anyways in the base metal, but its a good practice... Just like blasting the base metal with a propane torch until you see that film of water steaming off... Its amazing how much water you can reveal that was bound to steel surface when you heat the metal up... It again, matters little for general scenarios, but again, the weld puddle will form nicer, easier, and will behave nicer and will flow better... You cant just grind down the piece and wipe it with acetone to remove moisture, as it binds to surface as soon as its made by the grinding implement, you have to heat the piece up to around 120C to fully evaporate all bound moisture, and as said, if you play with a torch a little, you will see just how much water gets revealed, especially on larger plate surfaces and thicker stuff that generally draws condensation better onto itself in cool rooms... Regarding the cable fittings, the 35-50 one, you have to grab with soft jaws by the brass end and pull it out, on the side of the hex is a setscrew that retains the ferruled cable... The other connector seems to have an unthreading top section that once removed will allow you to take the cable out of the adapter in some way... You could have just swapped the connectors on spot... Keep that in mind if you ever drop something heavy on the cable and damage it closely to the adapter, as you can just shorten the cable by that little, refit the ferrule and the adapter in minutes... I had to do so with my stick welding cable as i dropped a 45kg tube with a plate on the end, which of course severed the cable on the spot, but it shortened my cable by mere 14cm, so i dont mind, yet i woulda had to have bought a new cable, as nobody services them... I didnt know that the adapters are so easily removed and refitted, but i took a day and learned, and saved around 50 bucks in so doing... Regarding tungsten dust, gray, turquoise and some other tungstens arent radioactive, and as electrodes go, they are mostly pure tungsten, no binder, so those which arent enriched with radioactive elements are quite less bad for you than say endmill dust, as this again, is supposed to be mostly pure tungsten, not cobalt matrix tungsten carbide which i think is why you said tungsten inhalation is bad form... Cobalt is damn bad, carbides are bad, radioactive dust is bad, but tungsten in rod form is just undesirable... Pretty much no worse than steel dust or any hard particle dust for that matter...Not that im advocating snorting lines of hard metal fine powder, i just think i noticed that you were regarding it much like carbide tooling, which it differs from chemically... And you can ``tack`` weld and thusly fill large holes with no support... After its done, you just blitz it with no pulse hot pass and voila, what once was a gaping hole is now a flat nice surface... It takes some practice, but you can literally 3d print with tig by hand with the tack method... Of course, you understand that i dont mean 3d print in a nice and machine like manner, but you can generally approximate any shape with filler on tig and then machine it to shape afterward... You can approximate rods of hss with toolsteel filler and turn and grind your own drills or specialty tooling like dovetail cutter by welding a mushroom tip onto a hss bar and doing thereafter all that you need to anneal it, machine it, harden it, quench and grind it, as an example... You can approximate a huge bolt or cylinder for a huge nut and again, work it down into shape from whats essentially a faux cast steel/3d tig printed steel... Its madness, but it can save your ass from buying madly costly tools or other specialty stuff for the price of a pack of needed filler and some time and argon... Dont underestimate tig... Its by far the best welding method, if not the slowest and most demanding... All the best! Steuss P.s. That second micrometer box, the last thing, that was a little known artifact which came into existence as a direct result of people being machinists in this world... Its a machinist crack pipe... Its a few speedholes just for the cool factor... You gotta look cool while you pull a speedy puff o`crack...
Hi Camillo, Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience. I am really enjoying learning TIG. I do a practice seesion most days. As you say, very challenging. I didn't see your guesstimate on the dipped electrodes. :) This welder has no pre gas, and only a fix setting of about 1 sec post gas. I need to learn to start away from the work to get pre gas, then move in till the HF starts the arc, and at the end stop the arc, move out far enough that it doesn't rearc, and hit the button to get post flow. I'll polish all my electrodes. I also order a box of 2.4mm electrodes, and will try them too. Thanks for the explanation of the importance of cleaning everything. If I look back, my first tests I did with everything clean, but got lazy, and got more crud in the welds. Good reminder. I opened up the Dinse of the CK, but there is an integrated coaxial argon hose around the copper cable, so the switch was not trivial, and I decided to make an adapter cable. Hopefully those bits will arrive early this week and I can make that stub cable and start using the CK. I have gas lenses, and pyrex cups for it, so I look forward to trying them. I try to avoid metal dust in the lungs. If I am getting black boggers, then I am being careless :) Cheers, Mark
Oh good, you saved the unicorn! 👍 Meanwhile, I’m glad on your behalf that you built the cart. It’s astonishing how much time and cost goes into the business of organizing a workshop, but it’s generally worth it. 🧐 I see just one dip-estimate comment so far about the number 13, and it avoids guessing that number on the grounds of innate un-luckiness. Given that electrode dipping is itself a bit of bad luck, I see a certain correlation. Therefore I’ll guess the relatively small number of 13. You’re welcome. 😁
