I began gas welding back in the seventies, and proceeded to arc and ended up taking a course on tig in the nineties, opening a machine shop for a motorcycle business. Learning oxyacetylene first was valuable, and I just was teaching the son of friends of mine, to tig this past weekend, as he wanted to "learn to weld". He's been one of the fastest learners I've seen, and this video is a very accurate, to the point demonstration of the most salient points, I got good value out of it myself, at sixty five. Thanks, you do a good job hitting the niggling details.
I appreciate this message so much. Learning keeps the passion for what we do alive and well, I always hope to be learning myself! I appreciate you watching so much!
funny you say that, as a younger guy (21) ive been welding for 5-6 years now and have had much better experience with the older tig welders than newer. That could be due to the company choice of welder though.
Hands down, you have the best educational series I've ever seen. I'm still a beginner and after making progress for a while I seemed to stall out. At least I'm no longer dunking the electrode in the puddle every 5 minutes! After watching this particular episode it's clear that I need to return to these 3 basics things you pointed out. I hope you continue with these educational videos!
Incredibly well done video, I’m in my second semester at TSTC in the welding program and we just started out TIG welding, basically every single one of the questions and worries I had about TIG welding were answered in this one video so I just had to leave a comment saying thanks cause this was very well taught and thought out and actually brings me excitement to continue my learning experience through TIG. Great video
Love the forearm idea, i personally use a hand prop. 1" stainless pipe polished up really well makes for very smooth gliding. Also i wear a tig finger with a nice fiberglass hand pad that makes for a very smooth slide. Helps especially on really long welds. I made my prop out of scrap in like 3 minutes. Adjustable like 24" up and down, and the bar itself is about 18". Clamp it about anywhere, and sets you up for some major success. Really makes those 24-30" welds a breeze. That said, theres nothing better than getting some serious hand stability practice in while kinda floating with your forearm resting. Def takes some practice but once you have it down, it comes in handy... can't always fit a prop near the weld. Love the channel bruh!
The first two tips are precisely why I've struggled. This video is great. I think this video, and knowing machine set-up (stick out, gas flow, tungsten type, amp generalities) are enough to get someone practicing effectively
The conformable thing is basically never something I have. I'm almost always welding around something big that can't be move to a conformable position. Amlost never a small thing on a table like what is in this video.
Used to do big electrical signs. Mainly SMAW. Some TIG when aluminum cracked. I be up 65 feet in a bucket , sign be hanging from a big crane. I be welding overhead while everything be moving all over. Lots of fun. Long time ago.
Being self taught in the late 50's, I wish I could have learned the rod feed technique. It's always held me back. I'm gonna practice this while watching TV. NOW my biggest problem is tremors. What a physical woodpecker.
I think the most important point made is: seeing clearly. Even all other parameters are off, if your vision is blocked for any reason, it takes a special person to continue and not mess up. Very good video.
I have done wire feed and arc for many many years and want to learn Tig, I think your videos are very well said and make a lot of sense. I think I just might go buy myself a setup and start and of course keep watching these videos for great advice
Thank You, I have done allot of training to get on top of TIG and I still struggle. My back ground is as a automotive panel beater and good with gas welding but TIG no so much. Your technics have made me improve so much as it now makes much more sense. Other trainers just keep saying practice and practice and I get that but if they don't indicate where you are making mistakes it gets very frustrating. Now with watching your videos the frustration is way less as I now know what to watch for.
You'll never be able to reinforce these 3 how to procedures to students but then the light will come on for most,thanks for all you do for the welding community🤗😎🤗😎
Thanks for the video! This is a great lesson. I haven't welded anything since 2008 but had a Miller Synchrowave at the time. The guy at the welding shop store, said to keep a ball at the end of the tungsten, start a pool, and orbit the torch and fill in low with the rod near the tip and keep everything moving. I got better through trial and error, but never "perfect". I'll keep this video in mind and practice these techniques when I get another welder. I have a few projects I'd like to use aluminum for.
Ok I been welding 16 years and it's always been hot and fast and im not great but i know enough to get by, BUT the fill and chill thing you do totally helped me out. Never stop learning people
I can think of how I feed the filler rod forward, but I’d have no idea how to feed it backwards like you’re doing in the video! You did it so smoothly for camera! It almost looked like how it would if you were actually welding it. Very impressed!👊 Awesome video as always.
Of all the guys I've watched you're definitely the most down to earth and honest. I've not seen a video of yours to date that hasn't educated or failed to impress me. Keep it up 💪
That’s makes sense. Nobody ever taught me. I’ve just been going and as soon as I start I always forget everything I watch. But that kinda made thing’s alittle easier to understand. Good vid.
I hold the rod the same way i am a master tig welder good video you def know what u are talking about. Comfortable is one of the most important things in welding.
Feeding the filler has probably been my biggest issue to the point I've been tempted to get a filler pen because trying to slide it through my hand always makes me dab at the wrong angle and spot when I practice during down time at work
Most Excellent video! I bookmarked this as my #1 place to start reviewing TIG welding key fundamental basics, because I don't weld often (hobbyist). So I am practically starting fresh every now and then. Thanks for the great info and tips.
Your videos are both entertaining and informative. I always look forward to watching your videos. Old, new… whatever. Camera angles and video quality is great, which makes it easy to see the details you talk about. You repeat things a lot, which in my book is a great thing. I love every aspect of the infor you provide and how you provide it. Fill and chill!! And I want a t-shirt!
To slide easily get a piece of pipe that fits over a pipe clamp pipe remove the adjustable end of the clamp put pipe on it & clamp it to either work piece if possible or to a table if that's an option the pipe slides pretty easily.
Great video. I’ve been welding for years doing restorations I just bought my first tig. These tips will really help me get a jump on learning! Well done and thanks
I use anchor style but i like walk around edge of table. like use filler hand to stabilaze and move torch hand to new position and then filler. Every bead is practice try figureout what went wrong and where. Sleeping enough is essential :D Started today notice dropping molt. Darn I was micro napping mid of bead :D
Great stuff Dusty! I don't get to tig weld much anymore since starting my own smoker building company and add content creation into that......love watching you're channel though! FILL AND CHILL 😎 brother!
Instead of a battery I got a 12v dc power supply for a PC off Amazon and wired it up. Cost like $20 U.S. Biggest issue i had was all the wasted heat going out the exhaust. And clean it out once in a while. My exhaust builds up crud over time. I just bang on mine a few times and blow it out with air.
If I have good material I never preclean anything. If it’s really dull looking I may wipe it with denatured alcohol. Other than that I let the AC high frequency do the job. (Retired nuclear welding inspector here)
I'm 64 years old and started welding in the 7th grade shop class. I'm a retired boilermaker union 647 Roger's mn. I bring in 7,000 racks a month. Oh, and retired at 55! Check it out. Learn how to stick weld before you start tig welding unless that's all you will be doing.... . .
Thanks for the amazing information Dusty! I want to start tig welding, I've only mig and stick welded before. I can see this information is gonna save me a lot of time and frustration! Keep up the great work!
Bravo nice. One thing tho. In work environment you don't get to be comfortable all the time and some pieces are hard to see. I've had to weld bent like a pretzel for quite a few things where you have to reach in between and around corners over my head to weld blanks into very tight machines. It's exhausting and the strength in your wrist is tested. I've train many people who ended up better than me and it's very satisfying and in the same token I've trained people who never got the hang of it and felt terrible that I couldn't help. So bravo. I always say even after 30 years of welding I still learn something new. Thanks.
Watching this video and how you place the rod to fill in the right spot was great. Have a question are you left handed or right handed as I'm seeing you hold the torch in the left hand?
I find for me, the hardest thing right now, is setting up the machine properly, knowing the amp and all that is fine, its all the other settings. could do a video on that.
I do long x-ray welds where sliding my torch hand is critical to aviod unnecessary stop/starts. Learn to slide your torch and rod arm, you will be better for it, and so will your x-ray results.
Pacific Arc TIG Welding.. I'm having a problem seeing the end of the tungsten and my puddle clearly. Also is the TIG torch and the lead supposed to get hot? Almost too hot to hold with gloves never mind laying the lead in your lap or over your shoulder. I welded for a living in 90's but apparently I am very rusty and need a lot of practice and a little bit of advice..
One of the things I was taught and still do is, is taking the weight of the torch cable. I find the weight of it can sometimes affect the weld. So I just loop the cable around myself and the torch can now move with little resistance. In addition to being comfortable I would rank this as being #1 even in some positions or the job you are doing, being comfortable is not an option so it's getting the best you can get even if you are stood on one leg and maneuvering around multiple clamps to get to that weld
Don’t wrap the cable too much around yourself. That’s dangerous. I know how annoying the cable is. Some torches have heavy, covered cables. Unless you’re in a heavy industrial setting, that’s not needed. Torches with one extra flexible cable are much easier to deal with. The cable is light. But if you literally do wrap the cable around you with a full turn, the cable increases it’s inductance greatly, and you have that traveling through your body. You won’t get electrocuted from that, but it affects your body negatively.
I'm a professional welder, and your cables should never be draped over your body. EMF, electrocution, entanglement, cuts and scrapes are the risks. Most people aren't aware you're supposed to cancel out the EMF by taping your torch and ground leads together for as far as practicable. It's in all new machine manuals. If you get a cut in the cable and it touches your neck while touching ground, yikes. If your cable is over your shoulder and someone walks by and trips on it, or is snagged by a forklift, the torch pulls out of your hand and whips you right into your face, or pulls you off your stool. Great way to lose teeth or fall on hard or sharp things. Cables also like to collect chunks of slag and sharp bits of metal. This is why you never handle cables with bare hands. If slung over your shoulder, you can slice your neck open. While EMF effects your nervous system, I have witnessed all the other accidents I mentioned.
Going to openly admit, my description isn't the best, if the set is on my left and I'm using a stool for bench work the cable is just behind me over my stool, if it's on my right and I'm on the stool same thing but going across my legs. If I'm moving around and the cable is swinging free (so to speak) then it could either be going across my right and over my left shoulder and back into my right hand or my right arm is supporting the cable weight. It all depends on what I'm doing
@@SwampthingDUK The better way is to use a clamp and tape the lead to it. Then just clamp it to the table, piece, etc. Holds the weight and protects you.
I wish you would do carbon steel beginner program, in my opinion it is much more realistic to start on carbon steel rather then aluminum or stainless, its much easier to weld and when beginning easiest to learn the beginning techniques
I saw you holding the torch and thought that's an interesting way of doing it. Then I realized I was holding my fork the same way. Now I can't repeat it. Also, I've often wondered if its better to have the torch or the filler rod in my dominant hand. My conclusion is to get comfortable with both. Also also, there is so much muscle and visual memory to learn that just practicing the simple things does a lot for being good at the more involved situations.
@@wannabejeeper Whichever feels more comfortable. I find it best for me to put the torch in the hand that allows me to start to one side and weld towards the center so I can better see what's going on.
Every, and I mean EVERY time I try to slide.... I wreck it. I made a little Lego car that rolls so I don't have to slide and to help break the sliding habit
Keeping filler hand stationary helps sometimes but it is a bad habit, I have noticed that in pipe welding it is most useful to keep both hands mobile otherwise it messes with feeding and arc angles and most importantly keep feeding the rod... The thing is this is a very easy habit to get into, it takes maybe a week at most to get comfortable at it, but it is a very quickly perishable skill, you need to keep practicing it even if it is not necessary, especially if it is, because once the real challenge comes in your way you will regret not learning it.
Are the extreme closeups of the arc, weld pool and filler rod being fed shot in slow motion? Things go faster for me. Maybe I'm using too much amperage.
Good video. Id add in 1 really big thing. Always do a "pre heat" to get the moisture out of whatever youre working with especially aluminum you get a better puddle right off the bat, better penetration and a cleaner weld. it doesnt have to be a crazy preheat a simple tiny propane torch works just fine.
#3 is a problem for people with very little natural tension in their core and upper body. While leaning forward, they have to rely on their arms to support the upper body. If you tighten your core and engage your back, your arms can move freely for perfect results. If you can't do that, hit the gym, or do some easy home workouts.
This is the second video Ive watched. I'll admit aluminum is different. Do stainless, then steel, then nickel, then back to aluminum. and do it fast, production Dictates.
I wish i could see good enough to weld. Ive tried sooooo many times. Lack of depth perception and basically needing super strong reading glasses makes it super hard.
I got an everlast 185ev running the factory torch.. Would you recommend getting something more comfortable to hold? The torch it came with feels like the noisy cricket off MIB I learned this with mig, but I typically just stick my pinky out and use that to stabilize my hand against the workpiece or table (my hands have a shake to them.. I had to learn to work around that - I can freehand, but it causes way more strain in a full day because I'm not only controlling the torch but also having to work to stabilize my shakey hands so it isn't bad enough to effect my puddle/arc) All the old timers I met told me with welding there is no right way to do it as long as the job gets done right (meaning it doesn't matter how you accomplish a quality weld, as long as it's quality) - but that there are habits that do make it easier to be consistent
What advice do you have for the length of the filling rod? Is it easier just to cut it in half or should I just leave it at the length it comes out of the packaging?
I would add another tip ... practicing puddle control. Starting and maintaining the puddle in a stationary spot without blow through. Keeping the puddle within preset boundaries. This practice would be done without filler rod. These exercises should be done using a foot pedal and finger control. This way your puddle control is on point before learning to add filler rod.
