 TIG welding’s biggest perk is that you can use it to weld both ferrous and non-ferrous metals. It offers the highest quality welds with excellent bead appearance! It is also more versatile, letting you weld both thick and thin material while fully controlling the arc. However, it is the lowest deposition process and needs more set-up time compared to some other processes. And compared to other wire-fed processes, it calls for more welder skill. Below you can find some do’s and don’ts for getting better-quality TIG welds! |
DO Wear PROPER PPE |
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| Even though you won’t end up with lots of sparks with TIG, proper protective gear is still important! This means leather gloves and a helmet. As well as a long flame-resistant shirt, and a respirator if you’re working in an enclosed area. |
DO Set Up Properly |
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| Make sure to switch your polarity for aluminum welding to AC or DCEN. And for steel and other metals, switch to DCEN. Prepare the tip properly for the polarity and base material you are welding. Choose the proper tungsten. Make sure you grind parallel with the length of the electrode, when grinding your tungsten, to promote better arc stability. |
Do Push The Torch |
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| To achieve a good bead you should push the torch, forming the bead puddle on the material. While keeping the tungsten out of the puddle, dip your filler rod into the molten puddle as you weld. |
Don’t Let Your Arc Get Too Long |
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| If you let your arc length get too long, and the filler melts before it gets into the puddle, you will potentially lack of fusion at the root of the weld. |
Don’t Dip Your Tungsten |
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| Hold your tungsten 1/8th to 1/16th of an inch away from the weld puddle, ensuring a stable arc. This prevents contamination in your weld bead. |
Don’t Feed Your Filler Rod Too Far |
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| Feeding the filler rod from too far away from the weld joint may cause the filler to contaminate the tungsten and the arc will become less focused and unstable. |
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