TIG welding & tungsten question

[Seth Swoboda]

My dad & I just got a Miller syncro wave 200 TIG welder. I have been practicing welding with it. What size of Tungsten and filler rod do you guys use for say 18-20ga sheet metal welding?

[kelley's restoration]

thinks small when it come to the thin stuff
1/16 or 3/32
but i am just a rookie when it comes to sheetmetal tig welding
tk

[miss victoria]

I use 3/32 red ground to a point.

[d.j. moordigian]

1/16"-2% and .035 wire welder wire. 3/32" tungsten is to large. I also have
.040 tungsten for light stuff, both 2% and pure.

Dudley

[Seth Swoboda]

The only tungsten that came with the torch was 3/32 orange band. Dad is getting an assortment of tungsten sizes, band colors & the coresponding collets.

I was practicing with the 3/32nd orange band on some 1/8 inch flat stock. Seemed to weld that pretty well with no filler rod needed.

What about filler rod? What size? From my rookie experience, heavy gauge metal like the 1/8 in doesnt need filler rod, but I can see that 18-20 ga would need filler rod due to less material being welded.

[d.j. moordigian]

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Rod. E70-S6, 1/16". The only time I DON'T add rod is when I fuse SS gas tanks on the
seams

[Seth Swoboda]

d.j.

What kind of amperage do you set your machine on when welding light stuff like 18-20ga? I can't wait to get more tungsten and keep practicing.

[d.j. moordigian]

Uhhh........good question. I don't have a meter on my welder.....say 20-30 amps
as a guess. Use the wire welder rod, lots of tacks and short welds, about an
inch long. Do a few welds, let it cool, then STOP and LOOK at what the metal is doing.
It moves!

Dudley

[Seth Swoboda]

Originally Posted by d.j. moordigian

Uhhh........good question. I don't have a meter on my welder.....say 20-30 amps
as a guess. Use the wire welder rod, lots of tacks and short welds, about an
inch long. Do a few welds, let it cool, then STOP and LOOK at what the metal is doing.
It moves!

Dudley

Ok, used that method years ago when MIG welding the rear quarter panels on the 67 mustang to prevent the panels from warping because of heat.

[30cabriolet]

.040 tungsten

A good rule of thumb for amps is 1 amp for every thousandth of thickness of the metal.

Get yourself a roll of .024 ER70S-6 mig wire, cut into 2 foot lengths then chuck up the wire in a drill and, while holding the other end with pliers, spin the wire with the drill to straighten it out. The -6 is good for welding old rusty metal and whatever is in it keeps the weld from splattering, so I always use filler rod.

[Kevin in NJ]

When welding you need to correct shrinkage as you go along.

This is much easier with TIG welding butt joints. Assuming you do not have any blobs. You do some welds to tack the panel in place. As you do the tacks you do hammer on dolly hits to correct the shrinkage and keep the joint in line. The amount of tacks and shrinkage correct is dependent on the panel shape.

Then as you TIG you do some short (under 1") welds jumping around to keep the heat distributed. Then do some hammer on dolly hits to correct shrinkage as you go along. When you get some practice in on panels you get a feel for how you need to run the welds and the stop to correct shrinkage. Done right you will have a panel that is in line and just needs some filing to level the seam. I also use a file to check the panel for high spots as I go, part of the sense and feel you develop as you learn.

A for amps you do not care. You have a foot pedal and you do not need a lot. Typically you lay in the foot pedal to get the weld started and then back off as you have the heat you need. As you move into new metal you need a bit more heat so you get this hand foot coordination. You move into new metal and press some and then back off while you move the puddle. You also may have some circular motion to heat both sides.

Keep in mind I am no pro at welding and I am totally self taught.

One last thing. Always look at the back side to make sure you have full penetration and have not been too hot so there are grapes hang off.

[d.j. moordigian]

Kevin is correct. He's better at explaining the proses than myself.

[Seth Swoboda]

hey fellas, thanks for the tips. This helps tremendously. Now I just need the old man to deliver the tungsten and filler rods so I can get some serious practice in.

[BCCHOPIT]

Originally Posted by Kevin in NJ

When welding you need to correct shrinkage as you go along.

This is much easier with TIG welding butt joints. Assuming you do not have any blobs. You do some welds to tack the panel in place. As you do the tacks you do hammer on dolly hits to correct the shrinkage and keep the joint in line. The amount of tacks and shrinkage correct is dependent on the panel shape.

Then as you TIG you do some short (under 1") welds jumping around to keep the heat distributed. Then do some hammer on dolly hits to correct shrinkage as you go along. When you get some practice in on panels you get a feel for how you need to run the welds and the stop to correct shrinkage. Done right you will have a panel that is in line and just needs some filing to level the seam. I also use a file to check the panel for high spots as I go, part of the sense and feel you develop as you learn.

A for amps you do not care. You have a foot pedal and you do not need a lot. Typically you lay in the foot pedal to get the weld started and then back off as you have the heat you need. As you move into new metal you need a bit more heat so you get this hand foot coordination. You move into new metal and press some and then back off while you move the puddle. You also may have some circular motion to heat both sides.

Keep in mind I am no pro at welding and I am totally self taught.

One last thing. Always look at the back side to make sure you have full penetration and have not been too hot so there are grapes hang off.

^^^^^^^
Well Said...