New Guy first experience Tig welding

[vettebob]

I fired up my micro tig 185 today for the first time what an experience this is. It will definetly take practice. I must have dipped the tip in the weld pool at least 60 times and melted it and reground it. It took me 3 hours to do what I could have done in 5 minutes with my mig welder. I finally figured out my gloves were to thick. I changed to a pair of mechanics gloves and what a difference. My first project with the tig is to build a welding cart to accomodate it and power plasma 50. It will probably take a week at this rate to build it but I figure the only way to learn is practice with it. Bob

[Steve]

Get yourself some tig welding gloves. The gloves should be tactile enough to be able to pick up a dime when you have them on. I like to try several different ones on and take a dime with me to pick up. If it is comfortable and easy to pick up that dime, then they are a good glove to have.

I use only one glove whenever I am using filler rod as I like to be able to feel the rod when I am feeding it into the weld. But, I often get a little sun burned when doing that as the light from the welding area is pretty intense.

Practice if you can on aluminum. Get yourself a piece of 1/8 inch thick aluminum and just start laying beads. Then after filling it up, lay beads on top of beads. It will allow you to get good at aluminum and you will be surprised at how easy steel and other metals become.

I like to build things that I can sell so that is what I practice on. No sense practicing when it costs me money so I practice on things I can sell.

[CGCINC]

Another thing to try is steady your torch hand by either resting it on the piece your welding or extend your fingers to slide them along the work piece and that will help to support and steady your hand. If you hold the torch out in space when you are first starting, you will dip the tip over and over!

[vettebob]

Thanks for the Tips

[CGCINC]

And also, I'm finding that most of the stuff I do, I could use a MIG welder on and be done much faster, as you said...
It's nice to have a good TIG machine but there is a time and place for each type of welding!