How to Tig weld: Part 1, introduction to tig welding

[@Trump985]

TIG is definitely the nicest welding process, I use TIG almost exclusively at home. Hell I’ll weld mild steel with TIG if it’s something I can work on inside. It’s such a clean process that you can weld in your living room if you wanted to. I’ll admit I’ve TIG welded my recliner mechanism back together in my living room more then once, don’t tell my old lady about that🤣!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Tig welding recliners is definitely a far better option than migging them in the living room 😅

[@beyondmiddleagedman7240]

GTAW. Oxy-fuel welding with an electric flame.

[@melgross]

Very good. Some people have problems with scratch and lift start. I always suggest getting a small, flat piece of copper, maybe 2 x 3 x 1/16” and put that on the metal right next to where you’re going to start your weld. Starting on copper will not have the tip sticking. Then drag the arc that tiny length to the weld and go from there. After you’re used to it you won’t need the copper any longer.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Great idea, that would surely solve a ton of potential issues.

[@TonyHorton-ip6bt]

Hi, Greg. I have been watching your show For a While I used to Bray's Torchweld and Meg weld years ago when I did body work. I've been thinking about getting back into welding. So I decided to get me a all-in-one welder. I decided. On the Volcano 220. I think it might do everything I want. Do you have any other suggestions or did I waste my money? I would like to know thanks.

[@melgross]

@@TonyHorton-ip6bt do you mean the Vulcan? If so, it’s fine.

[@PSG159er]

This is amazing. I’ve watched all your MiG, Stick and Flux-core videos and I can’t say how much I’m excited to enter your TiG series!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I will be putting out a couple videos a week on tig so there will be a bunch of good content. I will make sure to do a good job so everyone learns as much as possible 😀

[@jamesrichardson1901]

Looking to get into TIG. Your timing is perfect.

[@richarcruz7843]

Thank u Greg u are are our Blessing 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@Trump985]

I will add that you can weld aluminum on DC with argon if you use electrode positive polarity and a much larger diameter tungsten then you would normally use for the amperage your welding at. I’ve done it before and it works well.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

The downside to that is very limited penetration. I would assume it would work on thinner material but on something like 3/16th I would assume it would barely fuse the material at 200 amps. I will definitely try that out and see lol.

[@Trump985]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg You are correct, it’s far from ideal and it’s going to be a multi pass open root weld on anything other then sheet metal. However it’s something to keep in mind it might get you out of a jam someday. Certainly not a replacement for an AC capable machine!

[@Trump985]

I must add 200 amps is going to be hard to achieve, even a 1/4 tungsten is only good for about 130 amps on DCEP. Once again it’s far from ideal and you have to hold a very tight arc and it likes to wonder. You have to ball the tungsten. This process puts a lot of heat into the torch also so long runs are out of the question. Again far from ideal, but it can get you out of a jam.

[@wxdave5448]

Thanks Greg. I’d been hoping you’d do a dedicated series on TIG and here we are. I’m of only basic competence with the process and want to get into it more.

[@benjaminrich9396]

The next chapter begins.... :)

[@danielrottino6230]

I tig welded for a lot of years, this is the best video i have ever seen on tig welding for learning.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I will be doing a ton of tig videos and covering all aspects of it. My goal is to get the average person to an exceptional skill level. 😀.

[@michaelstuckey7730]

great video. just started learning tig. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@fr3dfixit945]

Just found your channel and subscribed. I bought a PrimeWeld early last year fully expecting to learn to TIG weld but life got in the way--it's still in the box. I think I'll be able to get started soon and will follow this series unfailingly and finally get started!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

The prime weld is a solid machine and you should have no problem following along with the videos I am going to put out. I hear you on having the welder still in the box, I haven’t opened up a flux core machine I bought for testing yet. Next thing you know months go by and it’s still sitting. Definitely get your machine out and setup 😀.

[@theseldomseenkid6251]

*grin* Can you please do a video for our wifes: "Why your husband needs a Tig Welder". For extra credit talk her into one that can do aluminum.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Haha, I can say this. If you want to weld any common material (steel, stainless, aluminum) tig is actually far cheaper. With mig you need 3 gas bottles to weld those materials and the welder itself with a spool gun will cost atleast 600-700$, for atleast 1k investment. A 800$ tig machine and one argon bottle can weld all those materials, and it’s a stick welder too so you actually get two welders for around 1k all in. So in the long run it’s actually less money for more capability 😀👍

[@robert.santore]

Thanks Greg - I've been waiting for this series and am looking forward to it. I'm glad you mentioned TIG brazing, and hope to see that covered as well. I'm interested in being able to join dissimilar metals, as well as thinking more sculpturally and not melting the base metal. Currently KZbin certified for stick and MIG/fluxcore and looking forward to adding TIG to the mix.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Brazing with tig functions just like steel tig but with about 30% less heat. You also keep your arc directly on the molten bronze instead of the base material. I did one video on it a while back, but I will be covering it again. Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJLdl2idpq-qnNksi=JbDG9QK-Rh5aBp8D

[@tdublove9558]

Been waiting patiently for this episode. 😊

[@artharutunyan]

Amazing!! Can't wait for the part #2

[@beyondmiddleagedman7240]

In First! Tig, my second favorite process over SMAW.

[@Bobbyboogie]

Great Video! Can’t wait to see what’s next! Thank you!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem 😀👍. I will be trying to get out 2 tig videos a week for a while, the next one should be out by Sunday or sooner.

[@tallyman15]

Great introduction on Tig. Agree on spending more on a better machine. I started Tig welding about 1 year ago . Practiced almost every evening running beads. Build that muscle memory. I agree that Tig welding is very relaxing. Looking forward to this series.

[@fitch8363]

Thanks. I watched the whole thing even though I did a lot of research before I bought my PrimeWeld T225x and you covered stuff I didn't know. I'm definitely looking forward to the whole series.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I will have a ton of videos on tig, more than enough for everyone to get up to speed and doing good. The primeweld will be able to do most anything you would want and is far better than the Amazon special welders. You will have no issues following along with the videos 😀

[@biggeffory]

As always, super interesting and informative video without the waffle. As someone who’s just getting into TIG, thank you!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem 😀👍. Tig is the best. I will be working hard to make solid videos so you and everyone else can understand what’s going on and be able to build some cool stuff.

[@biggeffory]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg that’s what it’s all about, building some cool stuff and having fun doing it! Looking forward to the rest of the videos in the TIG series. Thanks again bud! 😁

[@RenegadesGarage]

Making mistakes with Greg.. My dad taught me how to weld stick, MIG and TIG in the late 70's. I was only 10 years (55 now) old but I just got it for some reason. I welded for a living for 20 years, first at the local shipyard and then for my dad in his welding shop. My eyes caused me to have to stop welding but I have been doing it on the side ever since. I will say I am way out of practice with the TIG. Still good with stick and MIG though.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No doubt tig would come back to you with practice. The modern mig welders are getting so good it’s hard to spend the time to get good at tig. Ultimately I bet laser welders will overtake tig. Similar concept but far easier and even better heat control.

[@_droid]

Anyone else MIG/stick weld right-handed but TIG left-handed?

[@chrismar8139]

I'll definitely be watching these. I am skilled in about every other process but still yet to practice much gtaw. I have a small 200A everlast lift tig.

[@chrismar8139]

Also, please remember some of us don't have high frequency.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

In the next video I will be covering how to start the arc with all of the methods and I will give a bunch of tips just for lift arc. Since you are skilled with other welding you will find tig to be far slower and much smaller welds. The biggest mistake most people make when going to tig after learning other forms of welding is they tend to try put down too big of welds. Tig produces very small welds in comparison to mig and stick. Keep them small and expect to move very slow in comparison to Mig and stick. If you get a handle of tig your options for repairing things will be unlimited. Definitely worth having as a tool in your tool kit.

[@jesusmirshabalderasherrera1643]

Una pregunta cre que sea grave en mi miller dinasty 300 me aparece en pantalla lo que dice error 1.4.3 ecseso de energía y la apago y me deja soldar un minuto y se vuelve a bloquear y a parece lo mismo y

[@mixpick138]

Great video! I've learned the basics of MIG, Stick, and Flux Core welding through you so far (and practice and fix and build things whenever time permits) so I'm prolly gonna' be sitting on the bench through the TIG lessons (the ol' budget, time and money, can only go so far). Bummer I won't be able to play in the game but I really enjoy learning new stuff and this is the place to do it! Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to the next installment! 🙂

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Glad to hear you learned a bunch from the videos 😀. Tig definitely costs money to get a decent setup. There are ways to do it on the cheap but they tend to not work as good.

[@Equiluxe1]

At the very beginning in the mid 40's tig welding was not even called that, it was called heliarc welding covered by patents. It was invented by Russell Meredith of the Northrop Aircraft Corporation in 1941 but development started in the 1920's. It was called Heliarc because of the choice of helium as a shielding gas. I built my own TIG welder in the mid 80's using a 400 amp three phase welding transformer and a rectifier pack I built up using some very big diodes the HF was provided by an old ESAB hf unit that consisted of a transformer driving what looked like an ignition coil with a bosch spark plug and capacitor that turned out to bre dud, the replacement capacitor was very expensive to replace, apparently the plates were made of pure silver separated by mica, but the unit worked and served me for about ten years until I could afford a proper tig welder. I found tig welding very easy due to having first learned to weld with gas back in the early 70's at the local technical college, the instructor said learn gas and all other processes will come easily.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Thanks for sharing the story and awesome you built your own tig machine 😀👍

[@maximuspareo]

Hello , Very well explain. I weld stick and very rarely mig but I want to learn tig. I live in europe , Romania and we have other brands . Because I have only stick machine I have to buy mig , tig and plasma. I find Stahlwerk CTM-250 ST 200A TIG + MIG / MAG + MMA + 50A CUT / Plasma . Is it ok ? Thank you very much and keep it like that.

[@schellycraft4290]

Hello. I also live in Romania and last year I bought a Primeweld tig 225x from the States, it was worth it even with all that shipping cost. Stahlwerks seems to be a decent brand, I haven't tried any of their machines, but they seem to have a good enough reputation. One thing to keep in mind: regular cups, without the mesh screen or gas lens will almost always produce grey welds on steel and stainless, so if you need to weld stainless, look into some gas lenses, you can't usually find to many in our country, but there are some. Also, in Europe, we don't really use a foot pedal for tig that often and I personally do preferr my foot pedal over a tig button. Hope this helps :)

[@sebastianleicht]

Stahlwerk welders are worth the price in my opinion. Especially the 7 years warrenty are a great Deal (I used their Service a few times and every thing went flawless. I don't know how the conditions are for romania, but as a european country it should be same as for germany. (you'll have to figure that out)

[@maximuspareo]

Wow thank you very much for answers. It help me a lot. I try to start a new activity , to do what I like. I like very much create unique items. For that reason I build an metal workshop , somehere near capital and I try to fill with tools that I expect to need it. About cup of tig welder , very interesting advice . Maybe we can talk more about subject. Thank you .

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I am glad you got some solid answers/advice from people with more experience with those machines and what’s available in your part of the world. I have no experience in many machines sold in other countries but I can tell you that for tig the best thing you can have is a machine that has a decent arc start and a foot pedal. Those two things make tig useable.

[@maximuspareo]

1. Foot pedal 2 decent arc start For first demand is simple : you see the pedal , but for the second demand? The seller always say what buyer want to hear... or it is enought the machine specification? Thank you.

[@ronaldbeasley4945]

Very good information. Looking forward to more in this series. I am self taught and run Lincoln 305G scratch start, yes it’s tough, yes wanting to get better. It’s a beautiful process once it’s learned.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Scratch is doable, if you can weld with it you can weld with anything tig. A simple HF start machine makes everything easier.

[@homeslice5174]

Hey Greg. I love your videos because you take the time to explain why things are the way they are, not just show us. In this one you heavily emphasize practice. Would it be possible for one of the videos in the series to be some practice routines, drills, techniques, etc? Essentially, how and what should we practice, and how do we measure improvement? That would help me, and I think a lot of the other new tiggers, quite a lot.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Thanks for the kind comments. I will have a whole videos on practice drills and what you will need to focus on to improve. I will definitely take your thoughts and mix them into some videos. In a conventional school you have assignments and grades, I will likely implement something like that into the classes. When teaching yourself to weld motivation, inspiration, and direction are critical in getting to where you want to be. It’s also hard to understand what it takes to get to where you want to be with skill, I will have to do some content regarding this as well 😀

[@Cptnbond]

Fun fact: The Swede Carl Wilhelm Scheele found and isolated tungsten in 1783. The name literally translates to a heavy stone.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Awesome, I didn’t know that. Considering how heavy it is the name is fitting lol. I wish I had a block of it to hold to see how heavy it is. I have held blocks of lead and tungsten is way heavier lol.

[@Christopherbever]

Iv been buying all the small stuff to learn to tig, got a coupon kit with the filler rods, got tig gloves, got a table, and a bunch of other accessories…been looking for a used bottle of argon but jeez they are pricey where im at! Saving up for a primeweld 225 as iv been learning on my friends and it’s been fantastic. But im not going to get very good with one Saturday a month lol so I need one in the shop

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Argon bottles can be pricey. If you were local to me I could get you one for pretty reasonable. Depending on what company is local to you, it’s possible to buy a used bottle from someone that isn’t argon, and trade it in to get an argon bottle. That may open your choices up a lot. Keep in mind too, the 300/330 cuft bottles tend to cost far less per cuft than the smaller 125s. It also pays to use a gas lens so that you can reduce gas flow to save money. Around here a 330 cylinder is 75$ swap fee and lasts about 30 hours of welding at 10-12fh of flow. Definately worth that vs 44$ for a 125.

[@Daniel-uf1xx]

I prefer Tig over mig or stick. The other day I Tig welded our chairs because our fat butts broke them. Question… do you like using pulse Tig?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I will be honest, I virtually never use pulse. Pulse can help in fusion welds on stainless but beyond that I prefer to just dab. I will definitely do a whole video on pulse.

[@bobblick7963]

One additional tip, you'll need a good hood, the cheap ones will flash you at low amps DC tig, even if you set the sensitivity up so high that fluorescent or LED room lighting darkens the hood.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Excellent advice and absolutely true. It’s funny how a cheap hood has no issue with stick/mig, but many struggle with sub 60amp tig. Super frustrating for sure.

[@nealesmith1873]

Nikola Tesla would have had us wireless tig and stick welding long ago!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That would be nice lol.

[@AXNJXN1]

**Question for the ArcCaptain MIG 200 owners out there!** I start my Welding Certification next week. After having welded and self taught for decades, I'm looking forward to learning the diversities that this certification will provide but what I really want to get to learn is TIG welding, better. Your video and words of experience at the end are golden. I'm just wondering if the ArcCaptain MIG200 is a reasonable 'start' for that TIG process in being a decent starting rig? I have already bought it and have all the attachments but I'm not making very good welds but I'm okay with that at the moment. I would like to hear however if someone who OWNS this ArcCaptain MIG200 if they could share that this is or isn't that baseline of quality you mentioned in the last 5 minutes of this video to know if I'm wasting my time or should be looking elsewhere. I think it's just me because the MIG200 IMO, is an absolutely amazing machine and highly functional in it's diversity. I myself am extremely PLEASED with its performance from what I've seen on the other processes. Thank you for the video Greg, it was filled with tons of useful information as always you deliver!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I can’t comment on that particular machine, but I can tell you that tig welding is hugely skill of the operator. In comparing a cheaper tig welder to an expensive one, the main drawbacks are these: a cheap machine will start at 20-30 amps and will only drop to that amperage or a bit less after the arc starts. This is an issue on thin stuff because you will blow holes. Cheaper welders amperage control (foot pedal) tends to be off, not smooth, and the arc tends to jump in steps. This makes it tough to weld aluminum (on a/c if the machine has it) and it makes it hard to make the puddle the size it needs to be. Cheap welders typically start poorly with lift arc, better welders tend to have lift arc that works properly. If you are having rough starts, it’s likely a lot to do with the welder. If you can’t run a straight smooth bead it’s probably mostly skill level. A great example would be if I tig welded on a fixed amperage stick welder I could surely make 90% of a weld perfect. The start and stop would be rougher than a proper tig welders result but most of the weld would be indistinguishable between the two. As part of the video series I will be covering how to determine if it’s “you or the machine” that’s holding your results back. It can be very hard to figure that out when you’re learning. And I won’t lie, some machines hold back even beginners.

[@AXNJXN1]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Well explained, all received! Thank you much Greg.

[@rogernyman508]

Very informative, highly pedagogical and utterly fun, too.

[@chuck9490]

Awesome video, would love to get your thoughts on how to setup a small space (garage corner, or small shed) for hobby welding.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That’s something I haven’t covered yet, I definitely will do a video on that. Since I work in a small shed I have to do some things to stay organized. Definitely have some tips. Once it drops below 100 in the shed I will see what I can do lol.

[@chuck9490]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg That’s awesome thanks! Yeah the heat is withering right now. No hurries for sure :)

[@sergio_leone_]

Great explanation. Thank you.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem 😀👍

[@stephanied143]

you should use helium to see if it changes your voice .

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

It’s funny you mentioned that. I priced out a 300cuft cylinder of helium and it’s 500$ for a fill. I am tempted to get one to do a video on DC tig. If I do I will definitely “try” some lol.

[@andrewford80]

Thanks for this one mate. You do a great job

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

You’re welcome and I am glad you liked it.

[@thegarbagegladiators4735]

Dont do tig . My machine can tig. I have a torch and a petal and never used them lol. But...i am here to support this channel and watched the entire video. Thanks Greg!

[@tigxxl]

Does anyone have a fronius cu600 cooler? I'm building my own cooler for a magicwave 230i and I've already figured out how to turn on the pump and fan but I need a few pictures of the cooler harness to figure out how the flow and temperature sensor and coolant level are connected. Can anyone help me because there are no pictures or diagrams on the internet?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I wish I could help you on that. I know it’s fairly common to build your own cooler. If the magic wave controls the cooler like miller does (for On/off and powers the cooler) I would assume it would have either a main hot, a main neutral, a trigger hot, and a trigger ground. Or it would be possible it has just a hot and a neutral. You mentioned temp sensor, as far as I know most coolers don’t have a temp sensor. If fronius uses one to determine how fast to run the pump that really complicates things. I doubt they would tell you how it worked if you emailed them. It would be possible to reverse engineer it via using a variable resistor and an oscilloscope to look at what’s going on. It would likely be outputting low voltage to the cooler temp sensor and reading the resistance on the way back. It’s possible the cooler would do that itself and communicate via data cable to the welder rather than feeding a simple voltage signal to the welder like a simple temp probe. If I had that cooler I would gladly reverse engineer it for you. If you can figure it out your best option is to just use a stand alone cooler and plug it in separate. Far cheaper than fronius’s cooler and it will work.

[@tigxxl]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks for the answer. Maybe I'll explain a few things. The cooler from Fronius is definitely more complicated than the one from Miller. I had to buy their chip so that the wougle welder would see that the cooler was connected (200 USD). The pump itself is switched on by a relay (220V constant speed) in the welder and the fans are powered by 24V also from the welder (multi-pin socket for communication with the welder), as is the valve for returning the liquid from the pack, monitoring the temperature and flow and the level of the liquid. At the moment it is functional enough that I can weld 😎 (the cooler turns on after the arc is struck) but I do not have monitoring of the liquid temperature and an alarm about the flow blockage, which does not allow me to choose a more convenient cooling system (switching off at the appropriate temperature)😭. A bit like with a car, it runs but there is no air conditioning 😂. As for figuring out how it works, it's super easy with a multimeter or you can even read the descriptions of the cables if you have good enough photos of the harness itself. I just hope that by posting such a request someone will want to take a moment and unscrew 5 screws on the cu600 and take detailed photos, that's enough for me. Greetings from Poland. I'm waiting for the continuation of the series!!! 👍

[@tigxxl]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg And I put the comment here because I'm sure I saw a fronius torch in the ligt version. And I'm waiting for what kind of machine it will be from 😁

[@DigitalVideoFromOz]

You are very well spoken, but I think it's time to wash your shirt. 😂

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Haha the shirts get filthy. I just ordered some new ones so I will be clean for a while 😅

[@DigitalVideoFromOz]

Ha! I just subscribed to your channel after watching part one. I will watch the others. Don’t get a big head, but I have watched hundreds of Tig videos on KZbin, I did television news for my career so I know video and communications, I love your no nonsense, straight to the point delivery. You are one of the best on tig I have watched. Thanks for no BS, and just the facts without jabber. I will be watching for that clean shirt, and even without it, I’m still a fan.😉

[@ardennielsen3761]

37:04 precise welds? with a 3/32 E7018 using an old rusty 225AC Lincoln I can stack weld tacks on top of each other in the process of making 2mm diameter sear pins and such including welding 16 gauge sheet metal with 3/16" E6010 electrodes, 5mm rod 1mm sheet steel AC... same rods that built the golden gate bridge. TIG only for surface blending, air tax?

[@leonlowenstadter9223]

How would that information help others to learn TIG welding?

[@jamesitube]

I got an ArcCaptain ACDC machine about a month ago and now I'm pretty much done welding a 2m x 1.5m steel frame for my upcoming CNC router. My welds are not consistent but I'm really happy with how they're looking in general. Only way I got that done is I've intentionally skipped learning how to feed more wire with my fingers and how to use pedal - I just use the pulse function and pause if I need more filler wire. I can add those other things later. But man is it difficult to weld with two hands in some inverted position, going into a closed corner underneath the frame! Also have to use the torch with my left every once in a while because can't reach otherwise.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

It is tough to weld out of position with tig. There are a ring of ways to weld poor access locations with some tricks. All of them require the filler rod hand to be able to do what needs to be done, which takes a while. Being relaxed is huge, and feeding filler enough to get really good at it. No doubt there are a thousand dipped tungsten’s before you get good at weird out of position welds lol.

[@JonDingle]

A brilliant tutorial young man. The biggest problem I have with Tig is not doing enough of it in order to build a good skill level. I find the arc is always small so I need to wear reading glasses which is annoying and then feeding the filler rod is a tricky technique. I need to learn more and your videos will no doubt help me a lot. I can do it in a fashion but your guidance will give me some top tips. In a funny coincidence, I was asked only yesterday to repair an alloy wheel for a BMW car, I refused to even look at it citing unknown materiall make up, danger to life if the wheel fails, my lack of high end skills and the risk of it not working anyway. Knowing or being good at welding is great, but you need to know when to turn jobs away too!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No doubt turning down jobs is part of life and in many cases is the smart thing to do. I have done a lot of aluminum wheel repairs, and they generally weld ok. If the wheel is a very thin forging that’s machined I will pass. The issue is if the base material was heat treated welding it will cause a change in the heat treatment. Most commonly the material will be brittle in the heat affected zone. No doubt tig can be hard to master. What I found is the light output is the best indicator of arc gap. Training your brain to understand how much light you should see at a given amperage and using the light output to determine gap negates how good of eyesight you actually need.

[@TheMiniMachineShop]

Hi Greg, how timely I'm just starting to learn TIG welding!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Glad to hear it, I will have a ton of videos for tig and surely they will help you out 😀

[@TheMiniMachineShop]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg FYI, just bought it and one great welder for the beginner Everlast PowerArc 161STH

[@asjahan7748]

nice one, looking forward to your future tig videos, always looking for new tips. I have always found welding to be relaxing, hood down, in the dark just you controlling a 11,000 degree arc melting metal. with tig you can go full zen master mode, who needs tai chi, yoga meditation, well until you empty the argon bottle.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

When the bottle runs out reality comes back 😅

[@TorBoy9]

Oi vei!, It took me so long to learn stick, that this tig process sounds very daunting. Thanks for the explanation.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Tig is rough to learn but it’s not as hard as it looks. I am not joking, it literally just takes doing it enough so that you don’t have to think of what you’re doing. When you have to think of everything you’re doing it’s simply too many variables to control at once, just like learning to ride a bike. Once your brain takes over and does most of the work for you tig becomes easy, just like riding a bike or driving a car.

[@bjorker40]

Excellent tutorial as expected…I’ve also welded all processes professionally for 35 years including much stainless tig in food and pharmaceutical industry and still loved this video and how you explained the bare bones basics perfectly.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Thank you for the kind words and thanks for your 35 years of welding 😀👍

[@jackowens9440]

I loved the video I am in welding school now don't think I won't to take the tig class we have scrch ark welders in shild flux cor now will be in mig about a month from now I think I will hang it up after that I love your teaching I can understand things better all most watched all your videos

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Scratch arc is definitely a rough way to tig weld. It’s doable but it’s tough. Glad to hear you liked the video, there will be a bunch of tig videos rolling out. I will still do other processes videos too 😀.

[@sebastianleicht]

Very cool topic! I really like TIG but I dont use it very often because it's low speed (and my lag of skill😆) the Tasks i use it are: 1. Roots that have to be sealed propperly like the eod of a excavator trackadjuster to it's base 2. Very fine work that my wife has to agree with like furniture 3. For "difficult" material such as aluminium, stainless and even cast iron 4. TIG-Brazing 5. For the pure fun of it - I really like how this process runs. Altough I'm at the very beginning of that learning curve and have to sharpen my tungsten und grind out that pore approximately every 10 minutes. I'm learning and waiting for that moment when ot all falls in place. This video was very helpful. You took all the things I already knew but put it into the right place and perspective. Can't wait for the next Video!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

There becomes a point where grinding tungsten’s becomes very infrequent lol. Everything will click together when you’re able to train your brain to use light output as an indication of arc gap. Once you’re able to do that and your hands move smoothly due to repetitions, you will have everything work together. Tig truly is one of those things where there are to many variables to manage at once, so eliminating as many as possible is how to make good welds. As skill improves many variables become automatically controlled.

[@sebastianleicht]

That is exactly how it "feels". The one thing I'm really struggelimg with is the filler material. Actually I'm doing a hybrid thing combined dipping and feeding. This needs to much attention that I should better spend on my arc gap and torch movement. Of there is a good trainingmethod I would highly appriciate if you could show in a follow up Video.

[@Boodieman72]

It does have the same disadvantage as MIG in that you can't weld in windy conditions.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That is correct. Its ability to weld outdoors is very limited.

[@dondotterer24]

Thank you! I bought an AHP 200X. Have not used it yet. I need to learn. I did research for about a year before I bought it. $900.00 Shipped. I talked to the manufacturer and they told me to buy it from thier Amazon store or one of thier few distributors only and buy it when they get a big shipment in and the price will be lower.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

No problem. The AHP will be a good machine to learn on, and you will have no issues following the videos I will be putting out on tig. The AHP and primeweld are both solid machines that offer most everything you would need to do great welds with.

[@markdeitchman8938]

I have owned a AHP200x for several years now. I think it was $700 new at the time. for your info, watch out for the tig torch cable wearing out over time. my cable developed some cracks and holes, even though I kept the machine in my garage, and not used much. took me some effort to figure out why my welds were contaminated, as the cable had to be positioned/bent in certain directions for the cracks/holes to open. I replaced the torch cable with a higher end one, and it works great. also, the foot pedal sucked, so I upgraded that too. I think I saw the newer AHP201x now has a better torch cable, and an upgraded foot pedal. otherwise, I have been very happy with the ahp200x. hope this helps

[@dondotterer24]

@@markdeitchman8938 Thank you. Mine came with the better foot pedal. Not sure about the torch but it has a flexible head on it.

[@BugeyeBob-zt6ne]

My brand new Yeswelder has "lift start" it is almost impossible to use when trying to weld sheet metal because the tungsten always sticks and lifts the metal up. Not good when you are trying to do but welds or tacs. The only way I can get it to work is "Roll start" where I touch the tungsten to the metal at a 45 degree angle then roll the tungsten up to a 60 or greater degree angle to break the tungsten loose.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That’s unfortunate that it works like that. True lift start more or less has a low voltage sense circuit that tells the welder when the tungsten touches, then once the tungsten breaks contact it starts the arc. By the sound of it your machine has a live tungsten at full power (much like scratch start). One thing you can try to do is to leave an arc gap between the tungsten and the base material, and take your filler rod and swipe it between the tungsten and base material. You might be able to start the arc without the tungsten sticking.

[@BugeyeBob-zt6ne]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Thanks, I'll have to try that trick of using the filler rod. I read someplace that it's only supposed to be using 5 amps to sense with, but I suspect it is much more than that. I'm going to get into the menu, it might be the sense amps are adjustable and just come from the factory jacked up high. I learned tig welding years ago using an ancient Westinghouse AC welder with a High Freq addon to it. I was welding up holes in an aluminum boat I was restoring. Seemed so easy to do back then... (19 years ago...)

[@TadpoleTrainer]

Hey Greg

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Hello 😀

[@TadpoleTrainer]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg thank you for teaching me the phrase “sometimes you gotta piss with the pecker you got”