Brand new to TIG welding

I bought a 200dx and have done some welding.Going to be teaching myself and also doing a few free seminars at the local welding supply shop in my area.I have watched tons of youtube videos and got a decent idea on what I am doing I just need some more practice.Is there anything you would upgrade on the 200dx if you were me?Or if someone has some good videos to watch that would be great.I will throw up a pic of some 1 3/4 DOM 120 wall tube I did last night with using the trigger.I haven't used the pedal yet.I only had 1.6 filler rod so I know the weld is on the small side.I went and bought some 2.4 mm filler rod,some more cups and will be doing more practicing here in the next few days.I have been mig welding for a long time so its not my first go around with that.I will do some aluminum in the next day or so and throw up a pic of that also

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps4ac50a5d.jpg

For steel, I would get some 1/16" (1.6mm) tungsten electrodes, just because they're easier to grind and you're going to be dipping a lot. 1/16" isn't going to be much use on aluminium though.

The smaller torches are easier if you're a beginner I think, since you're not muscling with the torch so much. I've gone back to my WP18 as I've gotten better, and rarely pick up my WP20 now. I use gas lenses on both and only use normal cups when in oddball tight situations. The extra stickout you can get with lenses is more valuable than the narrow normal cups when dealing with narrow angles in stock. Extra stickout means more dips though.

Otherwise the only upgrade you need is to your seat time. No substitute. And don't try to weld without having something to "prop" on. No extra points at this stage from trying to lay down a perfect stack of dimes while hanging by your ankle with the work 2ft in front of you. It's like the auto-darkening helmet; propping just makes you better. And although it looks dumb, do trace out your weld path with the torch before you light up so you'll see what problems you'll run into.

Foot pedal - I still have my original one (not the real tall one, it's about 1.5" off the ground at the heel). I use the torch switch about half the time. Maybe more. But I can tell you that the foot pedal did not hamper my tutelage.

PS - I love 1/16" filler rod with steel & stainless flats fillets working with stock of reasonably small size (say ~ 3/16" and smaller). It's slow but I'm not trying to be fast. And the weld bead size is not really controlled by the filler size. If it's something like filling a hole than bigger is much better due to the cooling action of the rod. Personal preference is a big part of welding.

What do you mean by "dips"?

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Originally Posted by R RUSSELL

What do you mean by "dips"?

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Accidentally dipping the tungsten into the puddle.

Oh ok gotcha

I have the 200DX Dual Voltage Machine and added a CK9 torch with gas lenses and superflex hose. It makes a big difference because it maneuvers much easier than the torch that comes with the machine. Mainly, I use 3/16 in. tungsten but I have 1/16 in. tungsten for welding thinner material. I use the foot pedal that was included with the welder exclusively. I mainly use 1/16 filler rod but also have 3/32. I find the 1/16 filler rod easier to keep a nice puddle going.

MBfrontier, Did you mean 3/32 rather 3/16 in your last post?

Hi, Mike R.

Yes, I meant 3/32 tungsten. Thanks for catching the mistake.