Which TIG Cup Should You Use?

[@garyjames3626]

Love your no nonsense straight talking approach, keep it up.

[@Sevalecan]

Learning what the cup sizes meant (16ths of an inch) was helpful. Learning the gas flow range based on that size was great!

[@stevesmith2171]

I had to learn by trial and error and a little bit of advice from some older guys. You really didn't get much input from some of them until you got put brother in-lawing some pipe with them (I learned on pipe that was getting x-rayed to code). Luckily when I started doing aluminum and thin sheet metal there was an older guy around who didn't want to do them anymore and he taught me a bunch.

[@SumriseHD]

I just love freedom units

[@bonovoxel7527]

@@SumriseHD Nothing against but those arent currencies and we're not studying economics. In which they still use scale10 to count tbh. Nothing against but using them in mechanics is just plain stupid. Because you might be as free as u want and I admire it, but you keep having ten fingers. Well I mean you were born with 10 fingers. I hope so at least.

[@Platinum1812]

US engineering schools make sure we can solve problems in both metric and customary, so that is in fact freedom, just like our founders intended. The added bonus is we don't need to complain and cry about whatever system a project uses. Units are irrelevant if you just deal with them as required.

[@alejrandom6592]

Notes for myself and for you as well Cup# measures 16ths of an inch on diameter. Tungsten stick out should be around same as diameter. Min CFH = cup# * 2 Max CFH = cup# * 2.5 #5 aluminum #8 universal (steel, chromoly, etc) #12 stainless (pretty colors) #16 titanium

[@avmech2126]

Learned TIG back 50 years ago, even taught it around 40 years ago, all with the big clunker machines. TFS is a great series of videos, but the Weld Coach series is promising to be even better (both this vid and the AL vid are on point). Justin, you are doing a bang up job educating people (hell, even this old goat learns something from your videos) in the wonderful world of TIG and all its intricacies. Well done!!

[@antoonvanharselaar3586]

Thanks for all your information! I wil try it my net weld session

[@GlennInLaguna]

What is TFS?

[@avmech2126]

@@GlennInLaguna The Fabrication Series, another one of Justin’s youtube channels

[@fernandorosales2418]

Justin! This video was the turning point for me! My aluminum welds were looking gray or ashy. Not sure how to describe it. I went down to the standard #5 cup, and I put the stick out just like you said, and then I had to turn my argon flow WAY WAY down. Holy crap, now the welds are so much cleaner. They are bright and shiny and they look 300% better. Mistakes of mine were that my tungsten was far too stuck in. I thought I needed to be WAY up close to get the proper gas coverage. The second mistake was that I thought I want getting adequate shielding so I kept turning up the argon flow. I was just making my situation worse. This video fixed everything! Now I gotta try some stainless! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Sometimes it's just one little thing you gotta correct to make it all come together.

[@elysianbike]

The most expensive parts I bought as a newbie were cheap parts from Amazon. Such a waste of time, tungsten, steel, aluminum, argon, etc.

[@WeldCoachOfficial]

It's a lesson we all must learn. Even Justin tells the story of when he bought cheap consumables.

[@cs-gj3yf]

what about the tig cups? ID figure even if it was cheap the cup itself wouldnt matter

[@thomasjefferson6334]

How the hell would argon be a waste of money? Isnt 100% argon, 100% argon???

[@MultiCPTmorgan]

@@thomasjefferson6334 idk how he got 73 likes. must be from noobs. should you get better consumables? yes. can you still lay down some nasty welds with a cheaper rig? yes. if your welds suck its you. especially if you blame it on the tungsten and material lol

[@thomasjefferson6334]

@@MultiCPTmorgan hey bro, would ya mind helping me out? im a noob and im having a hard time figuring out the torch setup. I got a Primeweld 225x with a CK Worldwide #17 torch. I wanna fab up an aluminum gas tank thatll prolly be 3/32 to ¼ inch thick.

[@juanignaciocaino]

Save your money on crappy consumables and use that cash in booking a class with Justin. Not affiliated, just saying, this guy's been here forever teaching us for free, literally tolerating folks thinking he's an AH that doen't want people to progress because he's so blunt and honest he says it like it is. I thought he was BS us and lost months before I listened to the guy and it literally made the difference. Want to get better? Get good tungsten in 3/32", your favorite color, sharpen 10 or 20 units (you'll dip them twice per bead when you're starting) and a std #5, and use the money you'd blow on fancy things on metal coupons and practice kits, a good hood and gloves and classes. And never think you're above the daily practice time. Thanks Justin! You're the real thing man.

[@MattDeReus]

Needed this video 5 years ago when I first began TIG welding! This answered so many questions I could not find straight answers to anywhere else.

[@scottcarr3264]

Yes, Finding these Answers is Very difficult normally, it is just not mentioned anywhere. Some Tig cup Companies might give you "Ballpark figures" but not always.

[@Chris-vx5kp]

The only other person who said this info was the "weldingtipsandtricks" channel, and it was one random video.

[@bonovoxel7527]

Ok this video for me could end at 1:11 "if u don't have money to use in too much gas, just stick to std cup n°5." I'm already there. My guess about the size and the necessary flow was right. I'm learning. 😂

[@chrisshorman522]

FYI Justin this video showed up in my feed without me searching it out. I watched your previous one about how you were concerned you tube was not pushing it. Good vid thanks for the tips. Just another garage hack getting it done but I agree cheap consumables are a waste. Good luck on the new channel.

[@WeldCoachOfficial]

Thanks for confirming!

[@74willy81]

Finally some common sense information regarding cups. Wish that someone would have clued me into this years ago before wasting time and resources and finally coming to the same conclusion. At least now those new to tig watching this will be spared the trouble of finding out the inevitable. Thank you sir!

[@jdawgmotor330]

You just explained in 5 seconds of this video what took me hours to figure out the hard way... only to forget and have to learn it again. Awesome content and best of luck in all of your ventures!

[@travismiller5548]

As a recovering glassblower and recent welding convert, it's going to be really hard for me to resist the temptation to make a few cups from my favorite borosilicate colors, like green stardust, with gold fuming and crushed synthetic opal- all the bells and whistles.

[@TheFabricatorSeries]

Thank you everyone for the kind comments and support. I'll try to answer welding questions here if @weldcoachofficial doesn't get to them first.

[@markbrown-us4xe]

I'm going to double check my gas flow. Flashed my eyes 8 months ago from auto darkening helmet. Real tears and pain. See a eye Doctor right away for numbing drops because waiting a week won't help. Always been impressed by your way of teaching. Thanks.

[@ryurc3033]

I've done the same with a snap on Auto darkening helmet. I feel like it's so hard to trust any auto darkening hood now.

[@4speed3pedals]

Justin, Have you worked on refurbishing the R2D2 stick welder you got hold of a handful of years ago? I believe it was an ancient Lincoln..

[@chewy6942]

Wow, just what is was looking for as a newbie. I can’t afford to go out and spend a ton of cash on big kits as argon alone isn’t cheap so this helps me keep focused and very selective. Thanks for sharing!

[@weldermandan]

For stick out I usually just put the tungsten tip into a corner at a 45 degree angle and try to eyeball a right triangle. This usually gets a good general stick out and provides some level on consistency or you can just do as Justin says and use the proper stick out of what the size of the cup is. He did make a neat little tool that gives you perfect stick out every time but when I want perfect stick out I just use a combination square. Works like a charm.

[@Mechaniclyfe]

One of the biggest changes I saw in my welds was not only the cups but the quality of tungsten , switched to ck worldwide and had some of my best welds yet , I’m still perfecting my craft but that was a big help

[@colecook986]

Man I wish I would’ve seen this video a couple weeks ago. I just started getting hot and heavy into learning tig welding, new 255ext, every pack of tungsten I could order, and all sorts of fancy cups and adapters and accessories, only to learn and try for myself that 80% of it was a pointless purchase 😂. Thank you very much for this video!

[@MikeP350]

I did the same thing when I got my first tig machine. It was the powerpro 205. I almost went with the 255ext, but the powerpro had a 50 amp plasma as well. Justin pretty much nailed it there. I also bought way too much 1/16 tungsten and fillers that never get used

[@aass-q6k]

haha, I did the exact same thing, now I have a whole drawer full of cups, o`rings and assorted other junk. one thing I did buy that really does work is the tungsten sharpener that goes on the end of a dremel grinder.

[@commietube4273]

Finally someone breaks it down!!! Now I want to learn the size where it screws on and why. Thx Justin!

[@buffmaster0001]

Justin, great vid!! Thanks much for the CFH conversion!! I've got a chart on my phone but your way is a LOT simpler!

[@ypaulbrown]

happy 4th of July to you Justin, cheers from Paulie Brown in Orlando

[@nigelchapman1291]

Hi from the UK. Best video ever. Now I understand. I just had delivered my Amazon mega kit.... and I will bin it tomorrow and buy the 2 Furic cups that I really need! Thanks so much for a no fancy talk explanation. Nigel

[@vehdynam]

I watched the Fab channel but didn't know about this one. Good info ; now subscribed . Thanks.

[@GroundedConceptsLLC]

Justin, you’re an excellent teacher. Thank you for every video

[@defiancegarage9896]

Thank you!!! The flow rate rule is something I did not know. And the -6 cut for aluminum is also something I will be trying. I have been using a 3/4 cup with diffuser and the welds look okay but now I know why my arc was so crazy!!! I have watched TFS for a long time and just subscribed to Weld Coach.

[@802Garage]

How were the results?

[@button-puncher]

Thanks! PERFECT info for the newbie. (me) Info on gas lens vs standard would be good too.

[@cris_m8]

Do you offer a basic kit with those 4 cups? Or a basic "home welder" kit?

[@robertoconnell5992]

I appreciate the new channel. Thanks for the information as I’m starting this new hobby.

[@johnjelinek-g7b]

I've got a 20 torch now for the last 6 months, and my #5 is the only thing for aluminum unless I want some more stick out and then it's the #8 gas lens . I have a ck #10 for gas lens and can't get nearly as good on steel (it sucks) . I just use the #8 or FUPA for steel or stainless . But for titanium (which I haven't done yet) I do have a BBW . A good share of what I learned was from you . Thanks Justin .

[@joshiahsmall8941]

Appreciate the time you take away from cars for welding instruction. This is one of the things I wanted to research before I ordered my primeweld 225.

[@Tigdude]

Thank you for taking the time to help everyone out with proper stick out and gas flow. I also agree with you about buying cheap knock offs. I've learned my lesson, some parts didn't even fit up properly .thanks again... All the best

[@roberthickoxjr]

So grateful for this channel. This is giving me the organized classroom detailed information about tig welding I have been searching for. I wanted explanations about what settings do, how to use, why the different sizes matter on cups, etc. This channel nailed my frustrations down. The information is out there, just not organized in a sensible fashion. Thank you from a 100% DV (USAF).

[@Ron-FabandBuild]

Thanks for clearing this up for me. This answers a lot of questions and saves me a ton of time and money in all these areas. Thanks again Justin

[@Urge38]

One off your best, simple and informative videos Grate

[@jamestrombley386]

Two important facts I needed to know and you gave them to me thank you very much. My welder still hasn't arrived but I needed that information. Thank you very much.

[@codranine6054]

Great stuff. I’m a welder and machinist I got access to equipment but am mostly teaching myself. Your videos are extremely helpful.

[@scottsherwood8555]

Thanks for the helpful teaching and information. Great video. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@TheKodiakWay]

Keep it up guys, this channel is going to become the go to for beginners!

[@jcnpresser]

New channel! Come on! You and ole Jody taught me how to weld, oh and the 3 amigos from that other channel I’m no longer subbed to. Think you know who I’m talking about, lol. Don’t know if it got any better but I dropped out the first video when they were gone.

[@SamBrown3787]

This is a great vid for a newer welder like me. Watched your other vid on the casting and I was beating my head against the wall like you can came to the same conclusion, it was just solidified after I watched your vid. I was also making these mistakes during my casting repair process. The casting I was working on was 1” by 1” and not ornamental.

[@SydneyKnightRider]

thanks Justin. I learnt to weld 45 years ago and I now do some TIG for hobby stuff. I am always learning something new from you.

[@dylanwaters4883]

What about cup size when it comes to walking the cup in a bevel when welding pipe. I use a 6 for a root pass because my bead space is in a tight area but when you get into the fill passes you really need to wave that arc across the space in the bevel and it doesn’t make much sense that cups only dictate argon flow.

[@commietube4273]

Bingo!

[@lcee6592]

Old time welder here back when gas welding/brazing was taught in freshman year of school in shop class. Enjoyed the tips on gas cups. I had forgotten those guidelines way back in vocational welding school. Subscribed today 👍

[@alexandermartin8673]

I'm really enjoying this channel, thank you, Justin

[@ryurc3033]

Well at least i know why i can't weld aluminum. Non ac .... At least the tig welder i bought wasn't a total waste(only 50$ at a yard sale). I already had a gas cylinder. Most of the art i do isn't aluminum. But its a 20 year old harbor freight unit. Only two switches, turn it on and turn it up. At least its not scratch start..... Thanks for your input. Clear and precise information.

[@WaltWorlds]

I'm welding stainless and I do prefer the #8 and the Jazzy 10 from Furick. Especially for thin material of 1 or 2 mm.

[@Group-Five-Industries]

I am excited about this channel and your new website, looking forward to learning and getting proficient

[@Rattle_canned_restorations]

@4:40 i just built an entire stainless downpipe for my turbo car all tig and had the gas set at 20fch with cup 16😂😂😂😂 no wonder it came out looking ridiculous lol!

[@FASIGMAN]

I for one will be enrolling cheers man for all your help.

[@heathlett275]

Thankyou! So simple and I still didn’t know this

[@GerardM37]

Thank you thank you. New Tig welder here and a video that helped me understand cup and flow use.

[@axialmillipede]

Love seeing you back man. We missed you.

[@alanlahay8693]

I tig welded for the first time with, moderate success today, with an extremely old Miller welder. I was having a lot of problems with the tungsten breaking and contaminating my welds, but now I suspect it was caused by way too much gas. So thank you for the information on the gas rule.

[@petermccuskey1832]

I enjoy your simplified approach.

[@minigpracing3068]

You probably already have this in the "pipeline", but a video on setting up the gas would be welcome. Top, center, or bottom of the ball is my biggest question, but I know that is a general setting that needs to be tweaked based on how your machine and torch passes the gas through to the cup. Also how to tell if you don't have enough gas (close but not enough) and maybe too much gas. For reference I have Primeweld 225 with the junk pedal but the CK torch (need to buy a good pedal!!!) And a flow meter from a youtube competitor that seems like a big step up from the one included with my welder.

[@WeldCoachOfficial]

Flow is measured from the center of the ball since the ball sits loosely in a tube, and the highest resistance to flow would be around the side or middle of the ball. However, the gas flow is set in a "window" which means you could measure at top or bottom and probably be just fine based on the scale of the meter.

[@nathancole8188]

I picked up one of those flow meters for checking the flow at your torch, mainly since I wanted to be sure my regulators all read the same so I didn't have to know differences for each. checked it against the 4 regulators I have and all seem to read around the same. For example if it shows 15 cfh at regulator I'd see approx 14 on the flow meter on the torch fairly consistently.

[@MrMrcj71980]

Lot of useful information in this video. Thanks for putting it out there.

[@edwinwilson4333]

Always great content and well presented...Thanks Justin!🏁

[@pietervanderwesthuizen3387]

Thanks Justin......short and sweet .....absolutely brilliant....!!!!

[@VictorMPR]

Subscribed! Yeah, I’m following you… but it’s in a good way. I thought I had a good grasp on cups, but I learned something new from this video still. Thank you!

[@michaelhale4041]

Wish I lived closer I'd love to rake one one of the classes I sure could use it

[@CrazyTony65]

Almost always used the gas lens, but did mainly steel, I had to reach over coring (die cast dies), down into what would ribbing on the part, and it was a challenge to get the flow rate and length of hang out right. But I've had the tungsten way out there, it depends on the shielding offered by the surrounding tall environment and directional control.

[@mileswafe3923]

This is awesome! Is the weld coach class gonna be around for some time? I really wanna get good at stainless steel tig work. But need some serious help. And need some time to save up for it.

[@greggray3756]

#6 gas lens for 90% of my welding from stainless sanitary tubing to aluminum. 10% with a 12fupa for special occasions.

[@brettbresnan7078]

Thank you Justin. Newish to welding. Really new to thinner merals. I was blowing holes in 1.2mm firewall. Using no8 gas lense but argon was 15lt. Dropped it to 8lt and increased preflow to 1sec which allowed the surge of gas to settle before the arc started. Welds are much better with no holes. Thanks again

[@Honeyddripdiddler]

I was hoping that you would go into cup sizes in reference to cup walking /pipe tube diameter. I was working for a place for 3 years doing food grade stainless tubing for breweries. We only had number 10 cups... it was always rushed.. I never got realy training... so I would freehand in. One day I tried to do the cup walk /wiggle on some 1 inch tube and a another welder from another company just walling by said the cups too big.. I'm a confident welder. Lol but I'm overthrowing it. I'd love a video on the technique and cup size for nofill tube welds. Some say wiggle some say walk it. I. Not with this company anymore at the moment so i can't practice but some guidance for next time would be great

[@802Garage]

Love these videos thank you so much! Getting my first TIG very soon. I already understand a lot of the more advanced aspects, but these are the fundamentals I'm missing.

[@Justforfun-ek7et]

Heck yeah, thanks man! This was super useful!

[@countryracer69]

That explains an issue I had. With the wide puddle. Lol. I dId order 4 cups from furick but I wish I had seen this first. I got 5 6 7 and 8. So not all bad. Thanks man.

[@Le10White]

My stick out for all cups is touch the cup on the table, lean it over 45*, push the tungsten to the table, tighten the cap. Season to taste.

[@scottcarr3264]

The biggest cup I use is a no. 8, but I do have a couple of different setups for particular jobs I do, so I go from a no.6 Old school or Stubby, to a no.8 stubby or long gas lens for specific jobs. My flow rate only goes from about 6.5 to 10 Litres per Minute. I have found that with 1/8" tungstens on fairly high Amps I need to increase my Time of Post flow Up a bit so that the Tungsten stays reasonably silver, if it get a bit blue, just increase your time 1 to 2 seconds and see the Difference.

[@tweake7175]

good video. only thing i would add is the 5 standard (or stubby) works on aluminum with less gas than a 5 gas lens. for me i use the jazzy 10 on stainless because gas here is expensive and it still works well on lower gas rates. also if your working on dirty crap which blows crap everywhere, use a standard or cheap replaceable gas lens like ck gas saver. otherwise it gets expensive replacing gas lens.

[@theimpatientbrewer]

Thank you, I have been learning to TIG weld for about a year now and find it difficult to choose the consumables. This explanation of the cups is just the ticket for me. I have a Vevor 160 amp welder with the switch on the torch and find it good, but adjustment is very binary you could say. I'm sure I will be learning a lot more on this new channel. My main use for this is stainless steel and possibly mild steel, so I don't have AC capability at present. I hope you will cover stainless steel at some point as my welds are very hit and miss at the moment. Again thank you for the information you provide.

[@rogeryoung2567]

thanks coach 2 excellent tips i didn't know ,yup time to subscribe

[@vadimk3484]

Rookie question here. I have a #12 cup with a gas lens. For welding mild steel square tubing, I set the gas to ~7-8 liters/min, and get slightly rainbow-y seams, without any cracking or other obvious issues. So, the question is - how "OK" is this? Should I expect better results if I bump the gas to 12-13 lpm like the video says? Also, as far as I know, lenses require less gas because they produce a laminar flow rather than a turbulent one, so perhaps my settings are actually more or less correct? I'd appreciate any input from someone knowledgeable, since I'm just a self-taught dude with a cheap welder and access to the Internet.

[@JohnWright-n4l]

Of all the hours I’ve spent learning about tig, I’ve learned so much within 5 min, thank you so much!!!!

[@treythorsen225]

Im learning a TON from you!!!! Keep it up!

[@mikeschmidt7980]

What about the extended length cups for tight, deep to reach welds?

[@Carneasada387]

Very informative, well done

[@CS_247]

Best tip ever, thank you Justin! 😊

[@Bullorg]

Thanks

[@KarKamp]

Great explanation with everything, good flow, easy to understand, & very relatable as to make the information easier to digest. I wish your old tube bending videos were this easy to understand, everybody want to use the term cheater pipe to dam much

[@James-fs4rn]

👍 thanks for sharing! Just found your channel and subscribed.

[@delinquentdesign]

Just checking in on the new channel. Subscribed and activated

[@brianhendricks5326]

Very on point. Number 8 universal. Working for me.

[@p1kto]

Great video, thankyou for including litres for us metroids, and explaining how social media affects your cup choice!

[@paulkurilecz4209]

Thank you. I would like to point out that the manufacturer of my welding machines recommends cup sizes based on the thickness of the material being welded. That is for thinner material a smaller cup is recommended. Granted they do recommend a range. I may try TIG welding aluminum with different size cups to see how big of a difference it makes. Though this will need to wait until I become a bit more proficient. PS: With respect to buying consumables, I look at it this way: You can make bad welds with good consumables, but it is hard to make good welds with bad consumables.

[@alyxcollins6262]

Great information 😊

[@philirwin2028]

I prefer the glass cups. It brightens up the welding area.

[@thomasettorre274]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@Flygio]

Excellent

[@gregquinn6827]

I only tig mild steel, but this gives me the data to try aluminum now.

[@joell439]

YEP - another tight tutorial. Thank you Justin.

[@aquadan005]

Seems simple enough..... BUT, excellent advice for the beginner !!!

[@helenzaikoff4341]

Wow! thank you so much. A lot of useful information! I subscribed!

[@Chipmaker1200]

Such a good video. Thanks for sharing.

[@claudesnelling2720]

Gas flow, and you answered my question, so thanks coach

[@paulmorrey4298]

Cheers Justin

[@jwilson172]

Crazy I bought a #8 gas lense setup 12 hours ago then went to bed and woke up to this video. Great to info to know what you use and that 8 and 12 are “standard” and will cover everything I do, already got a 5 cup on the shelf, I’ve not got into ali welding yet though, a skill I need to learn