Welding Tips and Tricks

The material you are welding should be clean and free of mill scale. Use a grinder to remove scale or coatings from the material and ensure that what is left is bare metal. You can also use acetone to clean off any remaining contaminants
When reaching the end of your weld (like at a corner), you want to taper your amperage down and back to torch up a little bit to avoid melting through the end
To control heat you can pulse the amperage. Increase to create a bead then decrease and move, repeating this throughout the weld
The cup size depends on how much electrode stick out you need (which depends on the profile you are welding - tight corners require more stickout). The more stickout you have, the larger your cup needs to be to ensure enough gas is covering the arc
The closer your torch is to your material, the cooler it will stay. If you pick the torch up, the material will get hotter and you will lose definition of your weld pool
You want to keep your filler material inside the shielding gas at all times. Avoid moving the filler in and out to prevent introducing oxygen or other contaminants

The electrode should be clean with a sharp tip
Preparing your electrode:
- When cutting electrodes to make smaller pieces, do not snap your electrode in half. This can introduce splits in the electrode which disrupts the arc. Best practice is to score it first (create a smaller diameter) then snapping it in half
- When sharpening your electrode, you want your scratches to be running lengthwise (in the direction of/parallel to the electrode). It is best to use a diamond grinding wheel to get the smoothest finish

The optimal gas flow rate for TIG welding varies by the combination of consumables and atmospheric conditions. GTAW flow rates are typically between 10 and 35 cubic feet per hour (cfh) (Miller Welds).
As shielding gas flow rate is increased, the laminar flow column becomes more turbulent, increasing the chances for the weld and/or tungsten to become contaminated. Decreasing flow rate causes the shielding gas column to become more laminar and less turbulent. Although a higher flow rate produces a turbulent shielding gas column and isn’t necessarily better, a flow rate that is too low can be easily disturbed, breaking down the shielding gas column and potentially contaminating the weld and/or tungsten as well. To achieve the greatest laminar flow, use the lowest gas flow rate possible for the application and conditions (Miller Welds).
We’ve usually used 15-20 cfh. If your tungsten stick out is a bit longer (to get a tight corner for example), increasing flow rate up to 20-25 is recommended

Setting it to a higher amperage gives you the ability to blast with heat if necessary without staying in the same area for too long. You will not be using the max amperage for most of the time (typically will be using around 70-80%).

Generally, you want your arc length (distance from tip of electrode to puddle) to be equal to or less than the diameter of your electrode

Your HAZ will be larger if you’re welding slowly and using a lot of heat. If you feel like you have a rhythm down, try welding at a quicker pace
Different things work differently for everyone. One method is to move faster and while using a higher amperage (ex.: 85 amps for 4130 w the wall thickness yall use, that way you aren’t sitting on the weld too long