Top 5 Mistakes in TIG Welding and How to Fix Them: Part 1 (Full Video in WELD™ app!)

[@omarfarsha5886]

I've done them all but not recently. Practice and hood time are super valuable. I've only gotten better by welding with my powertig as much as I can. Watching videos can only take you so far.

[@enginebae3471]

My very first time tig welding I spent hours watching videos and learning everything I could. I switched my machine around and made sure ever was perfect. I started my weld and my tungsten disappeared my cup melted and a blew a hole thru my metal and welded it to my table. All that cuz I forgot to turn my gas on 🤦‍♂️ 😂

[@Wonderland_Homestead]

Lol

[@MGoat76]

Thank you again. The tip about breaking off the end of a contaminated electrode solved the issue I was having. You guys are great.

[@whosaidthat5236]

I just started welding at a buddies house on another friends bumper he made, and this video helps a lot !All of us had had a few beers so I couldn't get a straight answer from them on what angles to hold the torch at , with these helpful tips my welds will go a lot smoother... since my welds looked just as good as their welds if not better, by the time I got to my 3rd 4" weld they said I was a natural... but I think they just wanted to be nice so I would do all the work and they could drink . Cheers and keep these videos rolling out

[@RT-eb6vo]

Very helpful, thanks. The polarity error at the start made me stop and double check, but actually this might be a good thing because it helped me reinforce the correct polarity order.

[@JohnLothe]

Love Weld.com and Mr. Tig. This is probably one of the best freely available welding shows online. Thanks for this guys over at Weld.com

[@Welddotcom]

+JohnLothe Happy to do it. Thanks for watching.

[@garrettjohnson1382]

Excellent tips and info sir going back to school for all welding courses after being out of school for 5 years something I truly love and talk about every day we really appreciate these great pointers thank you sir!

[@johngibbs872]

I have been a welder most of my life Iam 60 now did some tig but most welds was stick I love to watch u weld I was a welder in a power plant I did a lot of mirror welding

[@77yogurt]

Respect.

[@TherealMandingo]

John Gibbs cool what type of wire or electrode did use to weld the mirrors I know 7016 has a glass like flux. i guess it's a new funky type 🤔😋

[@offgridd]

Many thanks for sharing your knowledge, highly appreciated! Just started TIG wlding - have been soldering my hole life at electronics and dislike the splattering and fumes og MIG/MAG welding. Now I have to get rid of the grey colors that indicate too little gas or too much heat. If all under control. I will build my own movable racks for storing my batteries so I can roll them out of my house in case of misbehaviour.

[@keithpattison6763]

Mr. Tig, Learnt to stick weld at 13, from Grandfather. In later life, I learnt to do vertical ups and downs, overhead welding and Stainless Steel. Have done some Bronze welding and Oxy welding. I now have a Tig welder and nobody to learn from, so self taught. Watched this video yesterday and went out to the shed to make a special tool and decided to follow your teaching. Massive improvement in my welding, many thanks for great training videos.

[@ernestocastellanos6446]

Keith P. from Australia Buy a TIG welding book or a "Modern Welding" book.

[@scottcarr3264]

I'm with Ricardo Moreno, who said that Mr Tig "mispoke" at the begining. I'm sure he meant to say that he put the torch in the Positive (plus) socket, not the Minus socket.Because you need to DC tig weld with Electrode Negative.

[@argjavier]

I agree. The video shows torch on - and he says to put torch on +. I thought I've been doing it wrong but checked and I was ok. Moreover, my machine won't allow me to reverse the polarity because the torch lead has the argon pipe going out perpendicular to the lead and if I try to put it on + the argon pipe would crash with the control cable connector.

[@ArcAngel572nc]

You said it backwards too! Torch goes into NEGATIVE port.

[@joeldicion4350]

Yes he worded wrong. I was kinda questioning myself and how I set up my welder when I heard him say that lol. If you take a look at the welder he is in DCEP then it shows him removing torch from the red(+) port and putting it into the black(-) port.. so he has the correct polarity but gave a wrong explanation which hopefully people will catch on to before they start burning away their tungsten lol. But I do know of some Welders that are dedicated TIG welders that label the ports as red for torch and black for ground which you could mistake for straight polarity but is reversed to DCEN inside the unit somewhere.🤷🏽‍♂️

[@kevinhornbuckle]

These tips are very helpful. The demonstrations make it all clear.

[@ChevySS1968]

Thanks for all of your videos. Much appreciated by TIG noobs like me.

[@jasonlucas9469]

Tigging a root

[@petervang6493]

Hey Mr. Tig, you have good info about tig welding tips for first time like me. Thks

[@JosephMassimino]

Cup rolling is an advanced skill that was demonstrated on other videos. It isn't always possible to cup roll, but when it is, it is pretty nice to watch, and do.

[@mufassa1348]

ugh.. I bought one of those Chinese 3 in one machines to learn how to tig.. I made all these mistakes!!! and just now found out about using the correct gas! thank you for your videos. maybe one day i will grab the tig instead of the mig to do a job.. some day :-)

[@JetDriver1111]

great video...your bad welds are still better than my best ones !! Thanks !

[@andystoolbox]

Thanks for the vid it cleared up my problem experiencing porosity on weld termination as I was slowly lifting the torch on lift tig to keep gas coverage. I will try what Jodi said to do and trail off on a peice of copper at the end of the weld.

[@alekyt442]

Super filmik !! facet mówi bardzo powoli i wyraźnie , bardzo przyjemnie się go słucha.

[@ronaldserocke9471]

An excellent educator

[@fadi4311]

Great Video! Explantion in detail. It is perfect for beginners.

[@Butterflylo328]

Thanks again good information reminder awesome video like always 👍👍👍👍

[@billebob98]

At the start of the video, he incorrectly stated which side to plug the torch into, but he did plug it in correctly (1:56) when demonstrating. For TIG, the torch goes into the Negative side. At least it does on my Everlast 315LX.

[@matthewmorin1984]

It does on pretty much all tig except aluminum which is welded with ac current

[@jacobwade2878]

matthew morin unless you are welding aluminum with DC and helium...

[@slickrick6399]

Some machines you can switch the polarity from the panel so you would put the ground in the negative and torch in the positive. Again that’s if you can switch polarity from the panel such as on the Miller Dynasty series. My Miller Maxstar 200DX doesn’t have that feature so I must switch the leads as you stated, torch negative and ground positive.

[@robconcep644]

Excellent video!

[@kiarapullen4298]

Just started Tig today and it was already blowing me 😩😂 I’ll get it though 👌🏾

[@justinhall8318]

Its a process that takes some time to get the hang of! But youll get it maam! Goodluck!

[@teis79]

And? Did you get it in the end?

[@spelunkerd]

Although I appreciate these useful videos, I am often confused by the way electrode polarity is explained on this channel. DCEN means the electrode is negative, the normal approach for most TIG welding. Why is it so difficult to explain?

[@WotanSauron]

Thank you! Totally agree I was saying in my head "well if the tungsten tip dissipates that means he accidentally had it on DC positive" but then he said he had it in DC minus... I'm like well you are wrong buddy lol.

[@leocurious9919]

Ground = Negative* = the thing you hold in ur hand Positive = the big clamp *That holds true in all of electronics. At some point u will see there are "minute" differences in grounds (like analog ground vs digital ground) and there meight be a negative rail too. But 95% or more its just ground.

[@fd9182]

Hi Spelunkard hope this helps...normaly 70 % of heat is carried on the Positive side (30% to Tungsten (Negative pole) in normal DCEN) so with DCEP (Reverse polarity) instead of the work piece being heated up the Tungsten (Positive) is burnt away to a ball point..Took me a while to get too..good luck with your Welding.

[@garyschroeder3242]

The way I remember this. Straight polarity the neg is a straight line. To weld in straight polarity hook your tig torch or stinger to the negative or straight line on the machine

[@DerrickFishes]

It's because you hook the machine up normally but when you set the machine on tig it reverses the polarity

[@eliasrudnitsky3884]

Thanks so much for doing these videos and sharing your knowledge with us.

[@jerryaubill5719]

Thanks for your videos..i like all the information you give.

[@alexanderstefanxandraswedi5835]

Great job

[@markallen200]

Wow guys, you found the sweet spot here. Great video!!

[@TheCoxrider]

my best comment is bravo and thank you very much. very useful

[@garyschroeder3242]

Here is an easy way to remember. TIG is done in straight polarity. Ok the negative is a minus sign "---- " basically a straight line. hook the TIG torch to the plug with the straight line. Helped peapol that I have taught to remember.

[@nailbanger489]

Tip number 5 was SUPER helpful. Welding certainly isn’t my trade so I have no training or schooling in it. I had no idea that the longer the ark the more volts required.

[@tronalddump8776]

🤔

[@squirrel6687]

Physics... Spark gap.

[@reachseyfresnoband4890]

im happy like you if some one say this machine is good to learn

[@ChevySS1968]

Good stuff..... thanks for posting these videos.... very helpful!

[@michaelwillis6520]

Normally i wouldn't disagree with mr tig but im pretty sure my tig welder is in dcen and it welds beautifully...

[@jonathanlittle3012]

when I first got my Everlast welder I made all of those mistakes! Much better now.

[@troymorrison3623]

Nice Video guys , merry Christmas and happy New Year to you all. Stay safe. Cheers From Australia

[@shaun2049]

Just doing college course tig thanks for the tips

[@waynepowell567]

Excellent video taking on the common and basic issues. Very much appreciated and great edification. Thank You.

[@ronaldomeivogel6777]

Very good information/instruction.

[@theguardianss11]

Im having problems with my tig. The arc seems to be traveling up the tungsten and making the puddle have voids and holes. I have my argon at 15 cfh and the arc isnt stable and creating red stuff on the part. my amps are set to 31 for thin metal and a close arc length. please help

[@shaun2049]

Great video dude

[@MegaherzZwei]

Regarding using the wrong gas....The outside of the gas shield is kinda dark orange and I'm getting some sparks as well. Does it sound like my gas supplier gave me argon with co2 in it by mistake?

[@donleejr7624]

THANK YOU MR.TIG .I'M A MASTER !TO SEND MORE INFO WHEN YOU CAN.

[@jaimehidalgo2060]

Could you talk about the fog when you weld stainlessteel. what happen with your heald. i mean the importance to use vacum to reduce metal gases when the weld is on..

[@ericdebisz9458]

8:18. Is it safe to say that the 25-75 mix left that dark brown soot around the weld? Would running the mix gas vs 100% argon affect the tungsten? Could/would it cause a serious discoloration almost causing the first 1/2" after the tip to turn dark grey almost black? Or would That strictly being on the wrong polarity?

[@brainfarth]

#1 CFH too high #2 wrong size filler #3 weld speed #4 inter-pass cleaning #5 drunk

[@Welddotcom]

+brainfarth We'de love to show the affects of the various mistakes, but I think the safety nazis would come after us if we tried to demonstrate #5...

[@brainfarth]

You cant have fun at work anymore. They fire you for all sorts of little things like firecrackers in welding nozzles, O/A garbage bags exploding behind people welding, lighting the guys pant leg on fire while his hood is down, welding his wrench down to a table, ect..

[@williamarnett1968]

brainfarth that would be fun! Especially #5

[@budd1814]

safety nazis......... funny funny

[@3PumpChumper]

I actually weld better with a half to 1 beer buzz. Then it goes downhill pretty quick. Apparently tungsten stick welding isn't a thing....who knew?

[@JesusTorres-bd3lg]

Great video I learned something new today

[@raguspag55]

Question , you called it "Straight Polarity" when the torch is on the negative electrode and ground is on the Positive end?

[@coollasice4175]

Great vid, Mr. Tig.

[@hasanthaliyanage6221]

ඒක පට්ටනේ කලින් දැනන් හිටියේ නැනේ මෙච්චර එකක්.

[@garybendickson7262]

Gary B I like the comment s on gas flow I have never pushed much more then 30 But that is going thru a big gas lens & I pulse a lot of the time on a Miller Dynasty

[@FansSports]

Nice! Subscribed.

[@Tuffjobs]

I’m getting a green flame with argon and blobs instead of dimes?

[@alleonidovich2571]

Just bought Esab215ic and trying to setup aluminum tig weld but it's not lighting up?!? Its connected to 120 volt AC outlet. Set up my gun to negative lead just like the manual calls for and positive lead to ground aluminum that I'm welding. I got the argon gas correct and can hear it flowing. I even cleaned the aluminum really well but no spark. Cant seem to get it going! Someone said on KZbin to weld aluminum your settings must be AC not DC but I can't find that setting in this machine. Running out of ideas. Help!

can tig do vert & overhead & how does it compare to wire feed for aluminum ???

[@jeffs.5882]

Not only is the polarity part of this video wrong,but on the torch angle portion, the big problem is melting off your filler wire so that it drops off before you're ready to add it. I wonder how long it's been since this guy welded in the field(if ever)

[@shawnsemple6033]

So, I was welding 4130 chromoly and had the ground directly to the work, however I didn't realize that the inner shaft had poly bushings and my ground was on the outer shaft surface. Long story, short! As it goes, it found the path-of-least resistance, which happened to be a stainless braided line and it melted the inner core and torched the stainless. The question that I have is, do you think the damage stopped there? The line was connected to a turbo, the concern is damaged bearings and seals etc. TIA

[@6364Chevyguy]

If you have an Everlast multiprocess 206 welder the only time the ground goes into the negitive terminal (labeled TORCH) is when you are stick welding.For Tig and Plasma the ground goes into the positive or WORKPIECE labeled terminal.

[@eddiekawecki2510]

Well presented, very informative and to the point with nice close up shots! Happy New Year. Ed K. Cleve. Oh.

[@RicardoMorenonx]

DC TIG Welding is carried out with the torch negative and the work positive. That is DC EN or straight polarity. So the first 2 minutes of video are completely wrong.

[@ROTEsimplemachines]

+Ricardo Moreno Electrode negative- yes the torch is the cathode for those ambitious electrons: -"A conventional current describes the direction in which positive electronic charges move."

[@timmwhite9218]

+Ricardo Moreno You are correct, but on a tig specific machine the connections at the machine are strangely marked negative for ground and the torch/gas/water out/water in leads aren't polarity marked! When I first went out in the field (from being in shop all of the time) many decades ago, I was trying to weld a 2 1/2 inch s.s. coupling into a hole bored to size through a 20 inch steel blind flange. I had my tig torch hooked up, my 1/8" 309 s.s. fill wire, and I started to ( I thought!) weld it up. However it was on a Saturday and myself and the security guard were the only people on site. I had trouble and put everything up till Monday and went back to the hotel. Imagine how stupid I felt on Monday when the welders explained to me that I had the leads backwards!!! : (' Put it right, tacked up, and put down a beautiful cupwalk root and cover.....: )'

[@georgiojansen7758]

+timm white I can weld with my machine on+ 50 amps max. for aluminium, it's not preferable but can be done ..spec are from selco genesis tlh 250 .already 22 yrs old close to almost good as an lincoln welding diesel with tiger tig setup . with those diesels root pass just flying in..no effort at all...goedendag

[@timmwhite9218]

Excellent! I'd always heard that practice makes perfect, which is true, but some of the best instruction I've ever received was while watching 'over the shoulder' as a really good welder was working. KZbin (now that the photography folks have figured out how to filter the light to camera so you can actually see what's going on) is a lot like that...I love it! I had a friend, coworker, and student from Mexico doing overhead aluminum tig butt welds in about 45 minutes using KZbin and the lab both....

[@timmwhite9218]

...of course he was an exception to the rule, excellent hand/eye coordination to begin with.

[@awakenwolf]

Ok, #1 is to make sure you have polarity correct, but which way is correct? Tungsten positive or negative??

[@gabewhisen3446]

Nice arc shot I could see the plasma around the arc

[@RoboCNCnl]

very interesting video ! thanks for sharing !

[@terence_22]

Sir good day,, can i ask you,? do you have idea, how much the 100% pure argon?

[@calebreutener870]

For me it was $46 for 40f^3

[@rojohe]

Though Mr. Tig's attempt to verbally communicate the proper polarity setup was confusing, if you look at the intial setup the torch is connected to the red/positive connection (DCEP) which caused the electrode to melt. You will notice that he corrects the polarity problem at 2:02 in the video by plugging the torch into the black/negative connection (DCEN). This video is an example of the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words.

[@brandonwires2258]

Yeah, he for sure said it wrong but did it right.

[@tinvy8291]

Thank you very much!!! Started tonight trying to learn and it came out horrible.

[@valveman12]

Great Tips. I really get a lot from this channel. Thank you.

[@mandadobackyardpiggery4275]

What's the common amperage for 6012 1/8 welding rod? Thanks

[@mrmidnight32]

My tungsten rounds and gets all dark when I weld long runs on 130-150amps steel with DCEN 3/32” 2% thor tungsten. Why is that?

[@robbin763]

If its DCEN and its balling you're running it too hot, but 130-150A is well within the working range, which is odd. The discoloring is caused by a lack of post flow. Set the post flow to something around 8 seconds. That should clear up the color issue.

[@mrmidnight32]

Robert Blair ok yea I’m set to around 3-4 seconds post right now since I’m just doing scrap for practice. Didn’t want to waste too much gas for post on stuff I’m just going to throw away

[@jarvistech7408]

"And other people weld like shit, but they have higher distortion." "Woah, we gotta edit that out!"

[@thatbiguy1975]

did i hear the polarity part wrong? just switched my machine to the work clamp on the - and tig torch on the positive. i thought i welded poorly before.

[@ssonosk]

great vid!

[@uniquetouch2816]

I am just starting out welding and Im afraid im going to get shocked if I steady my arms on the work bench so I am having a hard time going straight and also I am only able to use my square wave tig 200 with the 120 volt plug and around 68 amps before blowing a fuse. Is there any size metal I can practice on with that amount of amps?

[@tylers159]

Yeah 14 gage

[@Wicked03GT]

Mr Tig, are there any pitfalls to plugging a 110v welder into a wall outlet that is reversed polarity? I have some plugs that need swapped and didn't realize it till recently.

[@echoserenade]

Where can I get those gloves?

[@tom33sl41]

I searched for 2 days the internet and youtube and founded here the solution on why my tungsten was blowing up... thanks!

[@leonhelmink9172]

I have melted twice accedentley the mesh of a gas lense on work how keeps that happening i dident weld even on that high amps or voltage

[@MrPowderkeg1]

HOW ABOUT SOME LIFT START VIDEOS PLEASE. I have a TWECO 141i fabricator an l am having lots of problems geting evan a ok tig weld! Im kinda ok on heavy gauge steel but l caint seem to do anything but make swis cheese on thin say 20ga steel. Any tips would be greatly appreciated thank you.

[@paranoy69]

Hello i will make my best to write in English but i am french. What do you think about 3 in 1 multifonction cutting and welding system? Like CT312 or CT312P, or TIG/CUT/MMA cheap system for a beginner like me who want to weld and cut at home to have fun like a hobby. I want to buy one of these multifonction system but i do not have any idea what to do. have a nice day from Roun-Noranda, province of Québec, Canada.

[@tonelessdiy]

Hi. Since I changed my Tig welder to a cheap Chinese one I have a similar issue that looks like #3 Wrong Gas. I'm doing fusion welding on 0.8mm (0.032 inch) mild steel and I have a similar issue on the first 3-4 seconds of welding. After the first few seconds, the arc stabilize and the rest of the weld is pretty and as expected. It only does it each time I start an arc... I've changed settings from 18 up to 25Amps, it only gets worse on higher amps. Argon flow is at 6 L/M (12 CFH). Higher argon flow make things worse. I've changed the argon bottle and the problem remains but I have picked up these two argon bottles simultaneously and the bunch might be contaminated. Greetings from the weary Greece.

[@tonelessdiy]

I meant to say that my issue is like mistake #3, there are sparks and metal seems like it's bubbling.

[@ZILAwelds]

You have a leak in your shielding gas supply and it is sucking small amounts of ambient air in the shielding gas ..... The leak can be in or at the regulator, in the gas hose from the regulator to the machine (or those connections) it can also be inside the machine ( the hose in the machine or the valve or internal connections ) or it can be the welding gun ..... I would suggest either switching parts with a friend, one by one and figure out where the problem is

[@ZILAwelds]

Or smoke test every part of the system .... Where the smoke escapes is your leak ...

[@tonelessdiy]

+schneetiger77 many thanks. I'm not sure how to do the smoke test but everything you said sounds reasonable and this might be my actual issue. It only does it for the first 3-4 seconds though... I will start checking right from the solenoid in the machine up to the tig torch end. By the way, this issue doesn't happen if I use filler rod. It's a very bizarre issue but what you can expect if you have a financial issue and you keep buying crap machines that don't do the job... it's a false economy in the end. Regards Nick

[@ZILAwelds]

Adjust your pre flow up .... That will help .... As far as smoke test, take the consumables off the torch and blow some cigarette smoke back into the torch, if it comes out at a leak you will see it. If it only does it on startup the problem is either in the machine or the torch, not in the regulator or the line going to it ... Good luck

[@rahmanyalley1468]

Am really appreciate ur effort

[@Befuddledshark]

What make is the green welding helmet with the red and white stripes in the background and where could I get one?

[@Welddotcom]

it's the ArcOne "Tank". You can find it in the Weld.com store.

[@FrequencyOfThought]

would increasing the cfh be good in case you're in high wind condition or something ?

[@calebreutener870]

Use cardboard or something to block the wind

[@CrafterSandstone8]

Are you saying that the torch is supposed to be plugged into the "+"? Because it sounded like you were saying that you had the issue with the tungsten balling up when you plugged the torch into "-," but then you fixed it it by plugging it into "-".

[@dtrrtd774]

" Because it sounded like you were saying that you had the issue with the tungsten balling up when you plugged the torch into "-," but then you fixed it it by plugging it into "-"." That sure would be pretty confusing.

[@animalmother2242]

what torch are you using?

[@Welddotcom]

I believe we were using g a 9F in this video.

[@garrettjohnson1382]

People will learn they’re own tips and little tricks but I choose to listen to the old schoolers and do it their way because it works then from there I can capitalize and make my own little fine adjustments to things

[@nicolaealexandrescu5346]

Thanks

[@dondawson1]

Great Video. Can you do a top five mistakes with gas lens use and electrode stick out? I don't know what form that takes and should be interesting! Thank you for all your videos!

[@linc341]

Good advice thanks👍

[@josephwhite9992]

I can feel myself getting better with my powertig welder already.

[@harleyrider7877]

It is a work clamp not a ground clamp. Ground is always thought of as negative so in DCEN welding the work clamp is positive. It is not a ground clamp. It is a work clamp. Small detail but important to help keep nomenclature understood.

[@rsanchez5676]

I like the way you clarify this common verbiage just creates more confusion.

[@boone7075]

On Tv you see a lot of bike builders use TIG when prefabbing a frame or building a custom gas tank. And the welds look amazing. My question is what is better MIG or TIG in this particular application. Which would create less heat warping on sheet metal . And welding tubing of varying thickness which would give you better penetration?

[@Welddotcom]

For building motorcycle frames, TIG is preferred.

[@Dannymclovin]

What if my tig torch is in positive and it just disappears and i have to put the torch in negative?

[@keithjurena9319]

If you run C25 with ER70 S6? ;) I learned vertical down on 18 gauge steel running 0.040" thoriated tungsten at 45 amps and 0.023" S6 filler. It did fine using 10-12 cfh Ar and a 6 nozzle. Arc about half a dime thickness.

[@eIektrinis]

Nice video. Interesting thing.. I have purchased an AC machine and a 10 liter bottle of "100% argon" and started the learning process. I got reasonably good with iron in couple of hours, however I do get quite a lot of sparks and brown deposit around my welds. The sparks contaminate my tungsten quickly. The surfaces are not rusted and wire-brushed, are reasonably clean. Is there a problem with my gas?

[@Welddotcom]

+circuitdotlt Tough to say exactly what the problem is without seeing some pictures of the weld. It could potentially be a gas issue... Post some pictures on the forum and we can hopefully better diagnose the issue: www.weld.com/index.php/log-in-to-weekend-warriors/categories

[@Goombanegro]

why do you make the tungsten tip sharp?

[@scottwillis5434]

I think it concentrates the arc and controls its location on the electrode. If you left the electrode (initially) square, the arc could shift to a different position when that part of the tip got closer to the work, making it harder to control. Also sharp points increase the electric field gradient and make it easier to start an arc. Notice that high voltage insulators are always rounded, and sometimes high voltage equipment has rounded pieces to help prevent arcing.

[@chraso]

Thank you for this tips & Please post the link of the video that is displayed at the end.

[@Welddotcom]

+chraso kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWiunZicaaeAask

[@chraso]

Weld.com thank you

[@slickrick6399]

If you have a machine that you can change the polarity from the panel that is correct but if you can’t change the polarity from the panel such as my Miller Maxstar 200DX you must switch the ground and the torch so the ground would be in the positive and torch in the negative for tig welding . For stick welding put the ground in the negative and stinger in the positive. Again, this is if your machine can’t switch polarity from the panel like a lot of machines out in the field.

[@schlooonginator1227]

I am a bike guy and I see differences in the welds of bikes and wondered is one better than the other. For example, some titanium bikes have welds with "beads"(?) spaced very close and tight then others that are further apart. I am assuming that the weld with closer beads was done by someone who spent more time than the other but would this extra time of the tighter beads mean too much heat affecting the thin tubing? Any thoughts? Also, any tips for a non welder to look for as a sign of a good or bad weld on a bike from just eye balling or is this just not possible.

[@Welddotcom]

In most cases you're not going to be able to eyeball a weld as being good or bd on a bike, because they are painted. In the case of Titanium (if it isn't painted) you want to look for color. Any color other than silver or a light stray color is unacceptable in Titanium and is prone to cracking. As for the bead spacing, there are many different ways to control heat, pulse being the most common, so you generally can't say beads that are close are a bad (or good) thing.

[@schlooonginator1227]

Weld.com Thanks a bunch. Now that you mention it, I recall reading what you say about colour. I assume this is due to lack of purging and argon sheilding. Thanks.