first project

Date 08-17-2007 00:49

well after reading the posts and just tinkering with my new tig machine i finally got around to building a nice hand truck setup to hold my welder and argon tank. i bought a 30 dollar hand truck from harbor freights and used some 1/16 steel i had laying around. i strapped my tank with an old dog collar, it works great. i had a good time working out all the adjustments of my machine. i am using 1/16 2% thoriated tungsten. i have noticed a tear drop shape on my tungsten after a while, dont know what that is yet. can anybody describe a good method for welding thicker to thinner metals like say 3/16 to 20 gauge? thanks everyone

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 08-17-2007 03:59

The tear drop sounds like You are using too high amperage for the size of the tungsten and melting it.

By thomasyyz (**)

Date 08-17-2007 12:21 Edited 08-17-2007 12:30

that or the metal has a zinc coating. If you don't see sparks it's not clean.
Get rid of the dog collar and put a clamp with a butterfly screw, will be alot better if you have to hoist it to the area where you have to work:;

By Tommyjoking (****)

Date 08-17-2007 18:35

3/16 to 20Ga? Steel right? It should not be too much of a prob a little preheat of your 3/16 (just get it warm 250-300F) will help you wet it without burning up your 20ga..... Fillets will be tougher so try to keep your arc on the thicker piece much as you can. Another thing you might try is a copper backing plate behind the 20ga to help with heat absorbtion if it gets to be problematic. You can get away with quite a bit of stickout (tungsten beyond cup) running DC to reach those tough spots and get the arc where you want it.

The teardrop shape on your tungsten : Is it behind your point? If so then you have dipped it (or touched your rod) and it has sucked up some steel and is contaminated....notice a green tint to your arc? If your teardrop is at the very end of your tungsten then you more than likely have overheated it ...maybe too fine a point ground on it. 1/16 thoriated is pretty small for 3/16 consider using 3/32-1/8 for that thickness...if you decided that the tip of your tungsten melted....try grinding a a shorter less sharp point on the tungsten...hold it about 45 degrees off your grinding surface and try that.