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TIG


JZH

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So, I got a TIG welder, so now I can weld steel, stainless steel and aluminum.  It's a Parweld 202, so a hobby rig, but one that has a decent reputation and price.  I wonder how much practice I will need before I can weld my 5251 sheet alloy undertray together?  :happy:

 

It seems that there are a lot of tig welding tips and tricks videos available online, which is going to be very useful, I'm sure.  To the garage!

 

Ciao,

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When it comes to mig or tig welding, some people get it, some people don't.

Once you get the feel for it, it's like riding a bike, it never goes away.

You don't just look at the weld, you feel it.

The smoother you can feed the wire or rod, the better the finish product.

You can actually feel the arc and the material moving from electrode to work surface.

I've actually met plenty of people who have said they can now weld because they have a welder, I've found this seldom to be the case.

Practice makes perfect, have a go.

It is a very valuable tool.

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I used to work in a shop that built the aluminum pipe towers that go on sport fishing boats, they are built usually of Schedule 40 anodized aluminum pipe.

 

They had 3 guys in there that could do perfect welds (all the welds show in the finished product) without trying, lots of practice and great skill level.

 

I would see the job applicants come in.  The owner would put the guy at a table with a pile of scarps and a TIG machine "lets see what ya got" and walk

away.  New guy would usually end up with a pile of crap, going to welding school doesn't do much if you are not a welder in your soul.

 

So, yes, practice all the time but it may never come. Buying a new Martin guitar isn't likely to get you onstage right away.

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Very zen.  My previous welding experience has been limited to achieving almost passable results with nearly no practice, so I'm hoping I can be similarly phenomenal with the new kit... :unsure:

 

Ciao,

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  • 3 months later...
  • Member Contributer

I've always enjoyed TIG... if you're fairly ambidextrous it helps, since you are basically doing two semi-independent operations... one hand is controlling the torch, the other is feeding the wire. The best advice I can give is to stay relaxed. If you find yourself doing things like sticking your tungsten and getting frustrated, take a break, maybe have a beer... I've known some truly talented individuals who couldn't pass a drug test without cheating.

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