STANG KILLA SS learns to weld.....Thermal Arc 95S

[STANG KILLA SS]

well ive been brazing for the last 8 years or so, but im often annoyed by its short comings, ie dis-similar material thickness's/sizes, intricate joints close to others, etc. usually ending in a cuse fest

So with the help from Josh (Harley) I picked up a Thermal Arc 95S TIG setup. I have never welded before, so everything is foreign to me. lots of stupid questions.

Thermal Arc 95S w/ TIG package
1/16 filler rod
TIG kidskin gloves
Chicago Electric helmet

ended up buy everything at local welders supply, they were only $10 or $15 bucks more than online, and they got it in much faster, about 3 days.


also built me a new/proper bench last weekend to have a good place to weld. ive been just using a little bolt together metal shelving unit thing. very wobbly and small.
total materials cost was about $110 from lowes, with 66 of that being the 6' preformed top.


looking forward to learning!
Cory

[Szczerba]

Nice. Interested to see how a newcomer to the welder scene and this welder get along. I taught myself how to flux core weld with no gas. Then I finally bought a MIG welder and a few days later I saw the Thermal 95s on RCC. Still may be an option for me in he future. No pressure!

[redcatkrawler]

you need to move fast with stainless steel. and cool with water. do not attempt to get a spot over and over, it will just heat up to much and melt. get a practice piece and do butt welds with no filler rod. Move fast and do small circles (oscilating). Play around with the amperage to get heat just right. Look at the back of the test plate. you do not want sugar on the bottom side of your plate= to hot. You want 100% penetration with no sugar, but for hobby not necessary. remeber to cool with damp rag or water, even use air compressor, and remember to skip around to prevent warping. Also keep your tungsten sharpened, if your having problems with your puddle, resharpen your tungsten.Once you get this down, then you can start using filler rod.hope this helps.

[STANG KILLA SS]

thanks Shane, yeah im definatly starting from scratch. a complete noob. I didn't know what tungsten was, torch, argon, or even what the heck mig or tig was, etc. clueless

well I tried it today for the first time on some 16g sheet.
I first had it set to 20A or so. but was only getting a tiny spark when grounding. no arc.
then I slowly started turning it up. 50-60 amps seemed to work pretty good.
only a few times did I try filler rod as im still trying to figure out how to make and keep the arc.

however the 50-60A seemed to completely blow out the edge when I tried that. so not sure how that's gonna work as that's were 99% of welds usually are....lots to learn.
also saw on YT that most right handers put the torch in there left hand. I couldn't make this work....at all so most was done in my right.



biggest problem I was having was I couldn't see. I think the helmet might be letting me down. then again I don't know how a properly working one is like to compare.
it seems to be a strobe light show when I have an arc going. or it doesn't darken at all during the arc. I cant see the puddle or arc at all. just a giant ball of light. and im usually blind after 1-2 arcs. is this normal?
im not sure how old the batteries are. not sure how long Audreys father had it before he passed it to me. could new batteries fix this? or do I need to look into a new hood? or is this normal operation of a hood?

[62PYRO]

I really need to learn someday.Unfortunately,both the guys at the shop I'm at now are hacks at best.I guess I need to get ahold of someone from the other shop that wants to help me.

[redcatkrawler]

try butt welds without filler rod until you get the hang of it, butt it tight together, once you get the hang of it do a butt weld with a 1/16 gap. you will need a chiller bar, thick aluminum or copper this will cool your metal, and not stick to your mild steel or stainless. use as a backer to fill the joint with filler rod. remember to move fast having the tip of the tungsten make the material move where you want it to. only use filler rod when you do not have enough material, or the material will not flow. the material will flow to where the heat is concentrated. hope this makes sense.

[STANG KILLA SS]

well I think I may have found the problem
Welding Helmet - Adjustable Shade, Auto-Darkening Helmet

Not for TIG welding.

[redcatkrawler]

Also play around with the depth of your tungsten at the torch. 3/8" is pretty normal, but you can extend out further for those hard to reach places. Good luck. I've extended mine as far as 2", just little less gas coverage. It is also easier to clean right away with ss wire brush rather than after all done.

[Lentsnh2012]

16G sheet metal maybe a little too thin for you to start running weld beads on.

Pick up some 1/4" metal plate and start practicing on that. It will help with you learning where the weld puddle is and how to lead or drag it. 1/4" will hold the heat better and won't cause blowouts of the metal like what you are experiencing with the 16G sheet metal.


As for your helmet, if I'm looking at it correctly, it looks to be a solar powered helmet. If it strobes when you strike an arc, that pretty much means that the battery is dead. Take it out into the sunlight for a little bit and allow it to charge. As soon as the arc occurs, your helmet should go very dark.

As for starting a weld bead, turn on the gas knob and slowly put the torch close to the metal. As you start to heat up the weld zone, You'll start to see it get VERY shiny underneath the arc, your weld puddle has started. Then, while you're moving slowly, apply the filler rod to the weld puddle, not to the arc. Think of it like soldering. Also, make sure that the metal you're welding on is COMPLETELY clean of contaminants. TIG machines do not like dirty metal, especially aluminum.

[mccustomize]

Cory I have been MIG, stick, and arc welding for 10+ years but finally bought a TIG machine for myself for christmas, it is a new experience for sure but I am nailing it pretty quickly.

MY first day of TIG


Here's a little of my MIG


Here's my welding table I made from scraps I already had, about $100 in materials and 1/2" holes for bolting fixtures in place

[mccustomize]

and here's a decent, auto darkening helmet that won't break the bank
Hobart Welding Helmet - Impact Agent Orange 770754

[wings_of_fire]

For welding thin SS sheets, a DC Pulse tig machine is necessary. There are experienced tig welders that can weld 0.6 mm thick SS with out a pulse tig machine, but that needs years of practice.

Your machine is not a Pulse tig inverter. You can check Mr Tigs videos on youtube. His website Mr Tig Blog

[STANG KILLA SS]

not sure where everyone keeps getting stainless steel from?
only thing im welding is mild steel.

but thanks for the tip, yes I watched all mr tigs videos before I bought the machine. lots of helpful stuff.
only thing I have found a lack of on all the internet vids is how to adjust your machine. they all mention doing it. but I haven't seen one actually mention how you know when you need to adjust it, and how(ie higher or lower)

[wings_of_fire]

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

not sure where everyone keeps getting stainless steel from?
only thing im welding is mild steel.

only thing I have found a lack of on all the internet vids is how to adjust your machine. they all mention doing it. but I haven't seen one actually mention how you know when you need to adjust it, and how(ie higher or lower)

Because in general Mig welding is used for mild steel and DC tig is used and necessary for Stainless steel welding. Argon is expensive hence the general thought process that Tig is for Stainless steel even though it can be used for mild steel welding.

The machine adjusting thing is learned through experience. Different machines have a different output with the same Amp settings. You will get set with your machine pretty soon if you work with lots of different thickness material.

[mccustomize]

Does your machine have a foot pedal?

[spyder90]

This is the welder I have been looking at. This one is lift start, no foot pedal if I remember correctly.

How are you liking it so far?

[fish-hunter]

I've spent alot of years learning little tricks for tig welding here is a list of mandatory things to pay attention too. Its just what I have found that helps me the most.

- must keep the area your working in clean.
- keep your doors shut any air movement will disrupt the shielding gas
- how you grind your tungsten you want to grind it so the grind marks are parallel with the tungsten
- rule of thumb for amperage is 1amp per thou. of material thickness.
- always remove the mill scale from the material
- the biggest thing is be comfortable

I also prefer a gas lense on the torch for better arc stability and gas coverage. Stainless wire brushes are also a must.

[fish-hunter]

Also tig welding with silicon bronze filler is another option. Melts at a lower temp and flows out real well.

[STANG KILLA SS]

picked up my new helmet saturday after the scale comp.
man this thing is awesome, huge improvement.
got it from harbor freight and went with this silver one because it listed it for TIG, but mostly because this one has the sensors below the viewing glass.
i thought this would help if the sensors were closer to the arch, and pointed at it, instead of over the peice your working on.



has the sensitivity, speed, and darkness adjustments. works really really good.
was $57 with tax after 25% off coupon.

been playing around on some 16G and 3/16" rod. i keep coming back to 50A. 60A penetrates and flows a hair better, but i cant work it as long and blows out the ends worse. ie less room for newb errors.



only thing im struggling with is heat management and warping. havent learned what to do there. with braising you could get the whole damn thing red hot and it wouldnt warp a bit. but i guess because welding is such focused heat on a tiny area the warping shows up?

[redcatkrawler]

Chill bars, tack the hell out of everything before you begin to weld. Skip around as not to concentrate heat in one area. I like to use the higher amperage, it makes the material flow together faster, but you gotta be quick on those smaller pieces. Don't always need filler, just have it ready in hand in case you need extra material.