Requirements for Performing TIG Welding:

Introduction:

In order to understand how to perform TIG welding in your welding garage you need to firstly understand what welding is and how it works in general. The basic background knowledge is very important initially to start practicing anything for that matter. There are no shortcuts to become a perfect welder. It is a mixture of both theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge that makes a man perfect in anything he pursues. This holds pretty much true even in the case of welding. Welding is an art which cannot be perfected within a single night. It takes immense experience and practice in order to master the art of welding.

The whole concept can be simplified as the art of the joining two or more metal or alloy pieces with the help of a molten solution which solidifies on cooling to form the bond between them. Thus it is a very crucial ingredient of heavy manufacturing and steel and iron has revolutionized our lives by allowing us to create sturdy objects or things which we put to use in our everyday life for our survival. It has made survival much simpler than what it was few centuries ago and made life more simpler allowing man to be more intellectual and creative to make at most use of it. There are many different kinds of welding. TIG welding is one among them. There certain requirements and procedures that ought to be followed in order to practice TIG welding and perfect it. Let's look into them.

TIG Welding:

TIG welding is an abbreviation for Tungsten Inert Gas Welding. It is commonly used for welding thinner pieces of stainless steel. Stainless steel is very predominant in kitchen crockery and it can be found in almost every household. Thus every year manufacturing industries manufacture several millions of stainless steel goods. The tungsten electrode produces the weld in order to do the necessary. The inert gas such as argon is used to shield the welding area from contamination. TIG welding is the most complicated form of welding to learn and it requires greater skill. But it allows greater control to produce better welds and beautiful finish to the products manufactured by TIG welding procedure.

Let us look in to the requirements of TIG welding:

1. Machine Settings:
Your welding machine should be set to DCEN (Direct current electrode negative) also known as straight polarity for any work piece that needs to be welded unless they material is either aluminum or magnesium. High frequency is set to start which is found built in nowadays in inverters. Postflow should be set at least 10 seconds minimum. If A/C is present it is set to default setting that coincides with DCEN. Set the contactor and amperage switches to remote settings. If the material that needs to be welded is aluminum polarity should be set to A/C, A/C balance should be set to about 7 and high frequency supply should be continuous.

2. Shielding Gas:
TIG welding uses the inert gas for shielding the welding area from contamination. Thus this inert gas is also stated as shielding gas. At all cases it should be argon and no other inert gas such as neon or xenon etc especially if TIG welding is to be performed. It should be set around 15 cfh. For welding aluminum alone you can make use of a 50/50 combination of argon and helium.

3. Torch:
TIG torches come in two types. You have air cooled TIG torches and water cooled TIG torches. They also come in different sizes. For better control smaller sized TIG torches are the best unless you are highly experienced and you have mastered the art of welding. These torches also come in different ampere settings. A 250amp water cooled TIG torch is much better than 100amp TIG torch as it is comparatively smaller.

4. Electrodes:
For TIG welding it is understood that the electrodes you use to perform TIG welding should be made out of tungsten element. It should be highly sharp and pretty clean. Thus see to that you always maintain it well in your garage. Clean it properly and regularly with the right cleaning materials. Preferably for performing the TIG welding art a belt sander or a 4.5 inch sander would suffice better. If you are welding aluminum work pieces you just need to round the tip with sander. Tungsten electrodes must be throiated. 2% thoriation is more than enough for welding almost anything and everything. Thorium is radioactive and for protective measures you can also make use of 2% lathanated electrode to weld everything. For welding anything that requires less than 90 amps of A/C current 1/16th tungsten electrodes are good enough. Current supply measuring above 90 amps requires 3/32 tungsten electrodes while anything beyond 200 amps requires 1/8 tungsten electrodes.

5. Welding Rod:
There are three different TIG rods you could use for TIG welding. 90% of the times you can almost weld anything. Normally the 308 welding rod is used for welding stainless steel, E70S2 for mild steel and 4130 or 4043 models are used for welding aluminum. Most times these rods are more than enough to perform TIG welding. However, there are specific welding rods for specific applications and usage. You need to follow the guidelines and understand what kind of application you are performing which requires the necessary TIG welding procedure. Based on that you need to choose your welding rod.

6. The Technique:
So far you have seen the requirements to perform TIG welding. It doesn't just end here. There is a pattern in terms of technique and postures that you need to follow in order to perform TIG welding. This gives you better control and expected results and at the same time also protects you while you are at it doing the procedure. Hold the torch like as if you are holding a pen, lean it to about 10 degrees, tip of the tungsten should be lifted to about 1/4 inch of the metal, wear your welding helmet and press the pedal. Once the arc is established increase the heat by pressing the pedal. It should all be gradual and smooth in terms of the transition.

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