I'm taking TIG welding at my local college, and I need some tips. When I add the filler rod, it seems I always add too much or not enough. It will make a "mountain" of bead, or it will be really flat. I also find that the filler rod seems to melt into and stick into the metal. It's kind of frustrating. Also I'm always contaminating my tungsten, and having to grind it down. My fault though, I guess I just go too close to the metal. Any tips for me guys?

 

Go slow and learn it as you go. Takes a steady hand, and LOTS of practice. As they say, Rome wasn't built in one day!

 

Yes practice. You will find that sweet spot some day and then you should have no problem throwing a weld down. Remember with TIG you have total control of all inputs, so try different things, such as 1) adding more heat and keeping your filler rod farther away to allow less in or 2) use less heat and jam more filler rod into it. 3) Try holding the tungsten at different distances from the weld pool and also 4) Try sticking the tungsten from the torch at different lengths.

Those are just a few things that Im sure you are doing but just keep experimenting. Like I said, you will find it eventually and then you will have no problem. Have fun and good luck gettin it down.

 

Try holding the TIG Torch at a 10 to 15 Degree Drag Angle and Filler Rod at an angle 10 to 25 Degrees from work piece. Tungsten should be no more or less than 1/8th to 1/4 from work piece. Decrease heat when adding filler. Also try and find a clean stone when grinding your tungsten or a stone thats only used for tungsten.

 

Practice, Practice, Practice... It will come with time.

Personally I learn by observing. Try to find a good TIG welder in your class, or the instructor and watch the mechanics of their welding - timing, distance, etc.

 

Well, I seem to have found an okay method, but I'm still undercut. I need to add more filler to the bead...and thanks for the advice, guys.

 

If you are paying for the college course, ask your instructor..it is what he is getting paid for....

 

In my evening TIG class, I found I needed to practice for about 30 minutes each class before I got the hang of TIG back again. Of course, this was after a 45 minute commute in rush hour traffic to class after working all day. But would kind of start out doing the same steps we did while learing. First just run a bead with no filler on a flat piece of clean steel. Then run a butt weld with no filler then on to filler on a flat piece. Maybe run 10-20 beads of each type. Lots of trips to the grinder (we used a dedicated belt sander for the tungsten tips).

 

Do you have the right electrode? Thoriated or ceriated for DCEN?
Adjust your tip so it just barely touches the filler when both rod and torch are at the production work angles (if you're doing fillets, and of course that's when the torch is off).
Try turning the heat up a little more and using a 3/32 rod. Get a puddle just starting to form and just barely move the filler forward into the arc. Leave the filler at that angle and don't feed in. Just work the arc side to side (or up and down depending on orientation). Since you turned the heat up, start moving faster than if you were colder. Just "push" the puddle where you want it with the arc. If you're too fast it will ball up. Too slow and you'll get an ugly color on the weld and excessive heat.
Practice, practice, practice. Watch what the puddle and profile is doing and what you did to make it do that. You'll be able to figure out what to do and what not to do. Also, be sure you've got your head in there so you can see what you're doing.
Since you're not feeding filler in you should have just enough material to flow into a nice slightly concave profile (if doing a fillet). And with the tip where I described the filler will puddle under the tip without sticking.
You might want to experiment with methods of manipulated torch movement.
Your instructor should be able to help you out, if not then he's hardly an instructor.

 

practice man, more and more practice.

welding is one of those things that can't be tought by a book.