Gettin' TIGgy wid it...

Date 03-12-2018 01:23

Got my first TIG welder about 3 weeks ago. Have been MIG welding on and off for several years...shadetree mechanic. Anyway I am struggling with the concept that I had seemingly conquered in MIG welding, i.e. creating a single pass fillet weld using, standard parameters, that will pass the hammer test...

So far it's "no go" with my TIG welds as they appear to be breaking at the weld joint. Specifically, I am trying to create a fillet weld with 1/8" to 1/8" mild steel.
Gas: 100% argon
Gas Flow Rate: 20CFH
Amperage: 115
Polarity: DCEN
Electrode:3/32" tungsten 2% Ceriated Ground & Annealed
Filler Rod ER 70S-02 1/16"

I am attaching a view of the weld joint area after it was subject to hammer test...It appears, to me anyway, to show fusion, but maybe not enough penetration?

One question that pops up is why do welding calculators suggest a MIG machine require more amps, 160 or so, to weld the same thickness with, say .035" MIG wire? Should I even expect a TIG fillet weld on 1/8" steel to pass the hammer test with a single pass weld?

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 03-12-2018 11:21

The rule of thumb is that you need 1 amp for every .001" of base material. ie. 1/8" (.125") = 125 amps

It's tough figuring out what it is that I'm looking at in that picture. I'm going to guess that the bright portion is the fractured weld metal?
You need to get a puddle melted in the base material and then add filler as needed to maintain the size fillet weld that you are trying to achieve. Check out http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com
Jody also maintains a YouTube channel under the same name....lots of good arc shots and videography showing two methods of adding filler...dipping and lay wire

By kung fu panda (*)

Date 03-12-2018 23:30

Yep the brighter portion is the weld.

I have watched many of Jody's videos. I was wondering if you know if he ever did a hammer test to any of his welds? I have seen him etch them but not stress test. Do you know of any videos, his or other's, that you have seen them do hammer tests or similar to?

By RomanMet Date 03-28-2018 00:16

maybe it is the deposit angle and review the recommended parameters (data sheet) to weld this material in this diameter