TIG welding tips for beginner?

[clemul]

My brother just picked up a TIG welder and I will have full access to it. I have no experience with TIG but I would like to learn as I have a floor pan job to do...can anyone suggest tips, tricks, practices and methods and materials from their own experiences with TIG? Thanks for any and all info...

 

[72Satellite440]

Tig on floor pans sounds like a pain in the butt but to each their own

heres a good site on tips on TIG http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tech_tips/TIG_tips/how_to_weld.html
I like the suggested angles on the 2nd page there^
Nothing but practice makes perfect

 

[moparpoor]

Go to www.weldingtipsandtricks.com They have a forum and videos also.My best advice is practice alot in many diffrent positions.Pick up 2%lanthilated tungsten good do all.Spend some time learning how to sharpen tungsten,you will be doing lots of it.Best piece of advice,take the welding know how book from the manufacture and throw that piece of **** in the garbage.

 

[dave5237]

I have been welding for a while. If you are set in your mind to tig. Use everdur. It is a type of brazing. It melts at 1866f instead of steel which melts at 2600f. Less heat mean less warpage. Strong as hell but wont rust either. I am not that old but my dad welded 36 years ( its a old timers thing ). Most of todays welders dont even know what it is. I personally would mig weld it though.

 

[Cranky]

Are you experienced with gas welding? Kinda the same techique. If you already know gas, then TIG shouldn't be hard to pick up but the links that were provided should help. There's a ton of vids on Youtube too.

 

[Big Jim]

TIG is a little fussier than other types of welding- the base metals HAVE to be clean for a good weld. I think the poster above was referring to 2% thoriated tungsten, it is a good general purpose electrode. TIG welds tend to be "softer" than MIG (easier to hammer/dolly on bodywork) Biggest thing is learning to control weld puddle. When I was learning I used to practice feeding the rod through my fingers until it became second nature, makes a lot nicer weld bead. When you grind the tungsten, taper should be about twice as long as diameter, grind in line with body of tungsten to give better arc stability.

 

[moparpoor]

TIG is a little fussier than other types of welding- the base metals HAVE to be clean for a good weld. I think the poster above was referring to 2% thoriated tungsten, it is a good general purpose electrode. TIG welds tend to be "softer" than MIG (easier to hammer/dolly on bodywork) Biggest thing is learning to control weld puddle. When I was learning I used to practice feeding the rod through my fingers until it became second nature, makes a lot nicer weld bead. When you grind the tungsten, taper should be about twice as long as diameter, grind in line with body of tungsten to give better arc stability.

Actually 11/2 or 2% Lanthanated is a replacement for thoriated.It last longer and works great with A/C and D/C.I like it better than pure tungsten for welding aluminum.Lanthanated is not radioactive like thoriated tungsten.

 

[clemul]

Thanks for all the replies, for the floor pans what would be the the preferred welding type mig, TIG etc.? Any welding floorpans general and specific info?

 

[Donny]

Are you a welder? Do you have any welding classes and education respective of this trade? Welding is not something that is 'just picked up' on the fly. Too often this world is welded together with inferior welds, which just rubs me raw! I also would not Tig weld floor pans together. Sorry if I sound a bit 'off', don't really mean to be 'mean', just that all too often we in this hobby don't set limits on our own expectations and abilities. I speak for myself; like I won't do interiors, final paint, oily and greasy engine stuff, electronics, because I don't have the skills or the time to do what's needed to learn those skills. I stick to what I stick to; and farm the rest out to the pro's. However, a few years ago, I was trying to do everything, minimizing others' skill sets and professionalism for my own 'I can do it myself' mentality. If I'm way off base here, forgive me! Hope your welder/welding experience is a good one!

 

[SPAULDO]

The best education you will ever get in welding is finding a real welder, or welders that you can actually set down with and watch his or her technique until you feel comfortable that you can duplicate what he's doing. Then let him watch you, maybe grabbing a hand or coaching you to speed up slow down or hold longer on your base metal edges? TIG is not for the beginner because both hands will be occupied and you will be concentrating on heat input and filler wire manually. Where as MIG will give you a more automated weld, where you can actually throw in some filler wire on bigger gaps and tack panels up way more efficiently than TIG. Try some .023 hard wire and a 75/25 gas mix and you'll be on your way. You can teach an old dog how to MIG weld in about 1 hour! If worried about burn through when plugging emblom holes or larger gaps, put a piece of copper or brass on back side of weld. Take your time and watch your heat input, HEAT WARPS SHEETMETAL!!! Weld preperation if TIG welding is key as stated previously, dirty pitted sheetmetal will give you undesireable results both in MIG but even more so in TIG.

 

[moparpoor]

I would mig weld the floor pan in.To tig weld a floor pan,your looking at a great deal of time in preperation.Especially if you are sectioning the floor pan.Your fit up has to be perfect and spotless clean.Not saying that I don't tig weld floor pans,just not an everyday process.It's not a beginner task!

 

[Donny]

In the US Army Metalworking school 44B, we mastered Oxy/Acet in the flat, verticle, and overhead positions, each position was countless coupons and countless types of welds, for about 2 weeks 8-9 hrs a day we did this, then, moved to Arc doing the same thing, same positions but using 6010, 6011, 7010, 7018, etc rods, this was about 3 weeks long, we could not move on to the next discipline until mastering these. Then, we moved into Mig, all the before mentioned methods, coupons and positions had to be mastered, then, add another week using the Mig gun with aluminum; same positions as before but with aluminum coupons. Then, after this process, we did Tig, same coupons, same positions, with steel, then, with aluminum. Let me tell you, it was threading the eye of a needle! BUT...I respect folks that went thru this training, the proof is in the weld!

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

I am with Donny here, you have to keep in mind one thing, welding a vehicle together is CRITICAL! At least the structure. MIG is the preferred method here, but still requires a lot of practice to gain the correct amount of penetration while limiting your heat effect zone. TIG is just not used for this type of work as it is way to fussy. Anyone tackling welding is well advised to invest in a little training... it is time well spent. As an example, I offer evening classes to beginner/hobbyists for restoration purposes! Check out your local community college.

 

[snakeoil24]

Tig is a refined clean weld that requires completely different skilss than mig. I would not use the Bronze silicone filler rod for floor pans. Stay with the steel rod. A floor pan will crack from using bronze. With concentrated welding the heat warp is much less with tig compared to Mig. This is like learning to solder. it heats, flows and moves on. The bronze filler rod is great for window frames, a replacement for brazing and filling rust outs where no structural stress is a problem. Avoid using a cheap 110v Tig machine your looking at a respectible Investment. Thorated stlus should equal the thickness of the filler rod. also you will grind the stylus with a dedicated grinder wheel. Remember to wear a mask and eye protection. The grind is a learning process and a balance between heat, Polarity and gas. You really need a foot pedal amd practice feeding rod with 2 fingers until you can do it with your eyes closed.

 

[clemul]

Thanks for all the info, my brother has a mig too so I'll probably focus on mastering that before even going near my car with it..thanks again for all the info and taking the time to share it with a fellow moparite...

 

[69redrunner]

I'm with Donny and the others on this one....As a Journeyman Steamfitter I went through countless hours of training and literally hundreds of weld and test coupons in a 4 year apprenticeship.

Fit-up and prep is key to any job. To TIG in the floor pan would take forever! Go with MIG. Or let an experienced welder do it/ help you/ show you.

 

[MoparBill]

TIG welding a floorpan for your first job is really jumping into the deep end. As others have wisely stated- I'd mig it. Wait until you get some good hours under your belt welding on the bench, and learning to sharpen tungsten, before you jump into that job. If you're gonna weld a floorpan with TIG I suggest a thumb controller not a foot pedal. A flex head torch will also come in handy. Practice filling small gaps after you learn how to walk the puddle and add filler material. You have to walk before you run.
Either way you go- spend the time for a good fitup, it'll make either weld process much easier!

 

[Donny]

One more thing, as you get better with welding, you will keep turning the heat up, getting hotter and hotter till it's a border line flirt with disaster and complete weld collapse, but, maintaining it is the skill, good luck!

 

[moparpoor]

Please don't shy away from the tig welder.Tig and mig are two diffrent animals.Take the time and become familiar with the tig welder and try.The worst that can happen is you will have a better understanding why guys like myself charge what we do for our skills!!!I have been welding for over twenty years and still learning and honing my skills dailly.

 

[snakeoil24]

this is so true

please don't shy away from the tig welder.tig and mig are two diffrent animals.take the time and become familiar with the tig welder and try.the worst that can happen is you will have a better understanding why guys like myself charge what we do for our skills!!!i have been welding for over twenty years and still learning and honing my skills dailly.

remember all the burns you could not speak better truth.