Starting TIG

[vtsteam]

Well I've been looking at my Harbor Freight TIG welder for nearly two years now without ever using it as such. I've done a little stick welding with it -- not much -- I usually use my old Lincoln tombstone buzz box for that. But this week I sent off for the needed supplies to complete the TIG setup -- electrodes, filler, and ordered a bottle of argon, so here goes.

I'm not a particularly great stick welder either. I'd class myself as a farmer quality welder. I'd like to improve there as well.

But I have done some gas welding on thin materials, which I enjoy a lot more than stick. And I do a fair amount of brazing for hobby stuff. So I hope TIG might help me improve my welding, while enjoying the process more.

My main interest in buying this welder was for thin stainless and steel sheet, not aluminum -- this is a DC inverter machine only, anyway. It's the more expensive version of the HF TIGs, the one with the digital display and the Binzell holder.

[rythmnbls]

This site has some good info on getting started. Particularly the initial setups. It helped me get started. Hope it does the same for you.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/tig-tutorial.htm

Regards.

Steve

[awemawson]

And you'll find a few names that you know there 

[mattinker]

Also try weldingtipsandtricks.com, Jody has a huge selection ofvery good welding videos.

Regards, Matthew

[Artie]

Also try weldingtipsandtricks.com, Jody has a huge selection ofvery good welding videos.

Regards, Matthew

x 2 excellent source of educational vids, a good presentation style, AND the tig finger.... really cant tig without one (or at least I cant) see it on his site.... no Im not a marketeer for Jody, just impressed....

[doubleboost]

Jody
Is the Man for welding video
His "arc" shots are amazing
John

[DavidA]

VT,

Is you welder a scratch start or a hi-frequency start ?

Dave.

[vtsteam]

Thanks all for the advice, guys!  I've started watching those videos, and the website links.

DavidaA The welder is a Harbor Freight DC 165 amp inverter with digital display. It does have high frequency start. it has a gas shut off, and can use a foot pedal (if you make one up). Other than that it's just basic.

I've got coming some 1/16" and .040" 2% lanthanated electrodes, and some 308L  .030" SS wire -- I already have steel wire.

I just realized I don't have an argon hose from the tank to the welder, though I do have the welding side hose. Didn't think about that one.

I do have a regulator, and the argon should be here Tuesday.

Yesterday I decided to just practice stick welding with the TIG welder using 6011 1/8" rod. I got poor results. I couldn't maintain an arc for the whole weld, and more amperage just cut through the 1/8" plate. When I switched over to my Lincoln tombstone buzzbox (AC) I was able to weld fine, using the same rod. and plate.

I'm wondering if I should try reversing the polarity on the DC welder. I assume it's DCEN -- though it doesn't state that for sure anywhere in the couple page manual. There's a switch for TIG vs Stick -- but I don't know if that switches the polarity, too.

Maybe I should test the output with a multimeter?

[vtsteam]

Does the hose type matter for the argon hose to the welding box? Can I make something up or do I have to send for some specialty hose?

[awemawson]

I use the same hose and quick release fittings that I use for compressed air. This allows me to use the same cylinder on different welders just by unplugging. I'm migg'ing with pure argon rather than co2 mix as I need the pure stuff for TIG and it avoids renting two bottles - (the rental is high and the gas relatively cheap)

[vtsteam]

Thanks Andrew, I think maybe I can change the gas fitting on the back of the welder to something else more common -- it isn't TIG standard and seems to only fit an oxygen fitting that torches have (did some internet research). Others have changed out the fitting or used an oxygen torch repair fitting on the hose.

My Argon regulator comes with a barb fitting for 1/4" hose, looks like, already. I suppose the actual hose type is not critical since argon is inert?

While waiting for the TIG stuff to arrive, I decided to try to do a series of arc welding tests today of 6011 6013 and 7018 1/8" and 3/32" sticks in both the Lincoln buzzbox and the Harbor Freight DC inverter in AC, DCEN, and DCEP at various amperages on 1/8" plate.

The whole exercise was very revealing and actually quite helpful to me, and will probably improve my welds in the future -- and I wrote it all down this time instead of trusting to memory -- on the wall, right above the welders!

For anybody else with the HF welder, I checked with a meter, and the stock output polarity in the stick welding switch position and with cables connected per welder case markings is DCEN.

It was hard for me earlier to keep a 1/8" 6011 stick going, no matter what the amperage. The arc would break every second or so. But that was with the stock Harbor Freight DCEN. When I switched leads to get DCEP it went easier, and a continuous weld was at least do-able, though not ideal.

The Lincoln Buzzbox (AC) produced a better weld with the same stick, which was disappointing. However, on doing some searching on the internet, I've found that many report that stick welding with the HF machine is greatly improved if the stock aluminum ground lead is replaced with a #3 copper welding lead -- I'll have to try that and see if 6011 work improves.

6013 DCEP on the HF welder worked great -- better than the Lincoln beads, it was just 6011 rod where I was having the problem. 6013 DCEP was slightly better than DCEN on the HF machine, with a bit more penetration and slightly better looking weld, though both were good.

This is the welder I have:

http://www.harborfreight.com/tig-mma-inverter-welding-machine-with-digital-readout-98233.html

[vtsteam]

Today I remembered that I had a retired oxy/acet twin hose stored in the shed, so i decided to check the fittings against the HF welder. Sure enough, the oxygen hose fitting worked. I checked the hose over and cut one end off to inspect the inner rubber core. -- it looked new. The outer green wrapper was discolored slightly, but no cracks and flexible throughout, so I decided to use it as an argon line. I simply split the green hose off and attached the provided regulator fitting on the end.

So I'm good to go when the other TIG stuff gets here! That will save the expense and a week of waiting for a new hose shipment. 

[DavidA]

If you get the polarity the wrong way round it will eat your torch electrode.

Dave.

[ieezitin]

VT.
Welding aint hard but if you have inferior machines it becomes hard. Decent machines can be purchased today for about $1000. which will do all what a fabrication shop needs in stick and tig welding.

DCEP is for all stick welding. DCEN is for Tig. The money is in the control and purity of the amperage and current.

6000 series are junk rods the flux is tuff, bathe them in water and they will weld just like a 7000 series rods, but they are spray arc, they are designed to deposit spatter of material on the joint. there a good first glue but must be ground out to get a foundation for the next rod. Even though it is legal and common practice here in the USA to weld Gas lines with 6010 and weld down hill to make joints, the line pressure is only 80lbs which reduces at the street to 7lbs off the street.

Its illegal to weld high pressure piping 120lbs and above with 6000 series rods,  7000 series are globular arc, they blob in the molten pool and make a better weld, they are very delicate, if water moisture has entered the flux it will cause havoc while welding and make inclusions in the weld.

the point is rods, amperage and purity  has everything to do with getting a good weld, if you were here and i showed you how to weld in my shop you would be proficient within 5 hours, amateurs get so disheartened with there skills but its not them its the equipment and lack of knowledge of the product.

hope this helps..

Anthony. 

[vtsteam]

Well Anthony, I guess it sorta helps. But I don't have $1000. And Im not there. And those were the rods I had. So I did what I did.

Nothing's perfect. We do what we can.

[vtsteam]

DavidA I was stick welding.

[vtsteam]

One of the mods people do with their Harbor freight TIG welder is to add a foot pedal to control amperage. The welder does not have that capability without modding. Here's a thread on doing an electrical mod to get it:

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?29020-Adding-a-foot-pedal-to-a-98233-%28165A%29-tig

and here's a thread on doing a mechanical mod using a bicycle cable attached to a foot pedal to physically turn the amp control:

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?34235-91811-HF-Tig-Welder-FREE-100-working-foot-pedal-MOD!

The welder in this last link above is the less expensive Harbr Freight Tig welder.

Mine is the higher quality Harbor Freight digital display 165 amp high frequency start welder I linked to earlier.  If you're concerned about the quality of this welder as I was before buying, please check the 55 stellar customer reviews in the link I gave earlier. I don't see a reason it shouldn't be possible to do qood welds with this machine.