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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    65

    Default Bought a 185 amp DC TIG, now what?

    Hi guys, I dropped into BOC yesterday to pick up some tips for the plasma cutter I bought from them last month. I figured I had to buy soomething while I was there so I grabbed this:



    See BOC - Smootharc MMA 185

    I was looking to buying one of their little inverter stick welders while they were on special so I had a lightweight welder to carry around with me away from the shed as my 90kg MIG welder is not very portable..

    Seeing the stick welders also ran a TIG torch, I figured knowing me I would want to buy a TIG torch to have a play with and this unit came with the torch for about $200 more than a 170 amp stick and torch. I decided the AC/DC unit at around $900-$1k was a bit out of my price range so decided to live with my 200 amp MIG welder if I ever need to weld ally as I have a separate torch with teflon liner and feed rollers for it. I also figured this would be better at stick welding than one of their entry level ones when I saw the power draw spec.....

    So I have never used TIG before and only ever played with Oxy a couple of times so I wonder what comes next so I can teach myself to do something with it?

    It came with a couple of tungstens of different thickness. I have not bought any gas for it yet either but all in good time. I have a small operation to have on my wrist next week, so I may wait till next month to spread the pain over a couple of months.

    So here are a few noob questions that spring to mind.
    1. How to grind tungstens?
    2. What Gas? Argon right?
    3. Some on line learning resources?
    4. Where in Brisssy to get some thin scrap steel or stainless to practice on? (When you can't weld thin stuff that you never have any thin offcuts...)
    4. What filler rods to buy for general mild/stainless steel use?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Armidale NSW
    Age
    52
    Posts
    915

    Default

    1. How to grind tungstens? Very easy ...Youtube is your friend.
    2. What Gas? Argon right? Yep, straight argon
    3. Some on line learning resources? Again, Youtube is your friend.
    4. Where in Brisssy to get some thin scrap steel or stainless to practice on? (When you can't weld thin stuff that you never have any thin offcuts...) Don't know about that, sorry.
    4. What filler rods to buy for general mild/stainless steel use? You use different rods depending on the type of steel you are welding. I would buy some mild steel rods to start with and practise on mild steel.
    Cheers.

    Vernon.
    __________________________________________________
    Bite off more than you can chew and then chew like crazy.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    65

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Vernonv View Post
    1. How to grind tungstens? Very easy ...Youtube is your friend.
    2. What Gas? Argon right? Yep, straight argon
    3. Some on line learning resources? Again, Youtube is your friend.
    4. Where in Brisssy to get some thin scrap steel or stainless to practice on? (When you can't weld thin stuff that you never have any thin offcuts...) Don't know about that, sorry.
    4. What filler rods to buy for general mild/stainless steel use? You use different rods depending on the type of steel you are welding. I would buy some mild steel rods to start with and practise on mild steel.
    Thanks for a detailed response. Pretty much what I thought.

    Rod

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    If you want stainless to play with, look for an old kitchen sink on council cleanup days, or scrap metal dealers. Sheet metal can be gotten from metal merchants that cut to size or again scrap metal merchants. Some times Metal merchants have a bin that the scrap goes into, that you can help yourself or sometimes a carton of amber fluids can cause them to turn a blind eye, usually this is the case with smaller places. If you are lucky they might even have some Ally to play with, to clean second hand ally use vinegar as an acid.
    Kryn

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Armidale NSW
    Age
    52
    Posts
    915

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    ... some Ally to play with ...
    Being a DC TIG it's not really suited to welding Al.

    When starting out, try and find some thicker steel to practise on - it's a lot more forgiving than thinner metal that will more easily blow holes through.
    Cheers.

    Vernon.
    __________________________________________________
    Bite off more than you can chew and then chew like crazy.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Adelaide
    Age
    68
    Posts
    1,373

    Default

    Grinding the tungsten, aim for a taper that is between 2 and 3 times the diameter of the tungsten with a small flat on the end. Always grind along the tungsten. In an ideal world you keep a grinding wheel reserved for the tungstens so you don't get contamination.

    With TIG welding cleanliness is next to Godliness, the area to be welded must be cleared of all mill scale, clean and bright and fit-ups must be tight with minimal gaps. You cannot use oxy mild steel filler wire, it must be the double or triple deoxidised TIG filler rods. When welding stainless steel any brushes you use must be stainless and be reserved for that use.

    To start off with, gas flow between 5 and 8 lpm. For 1/16th inch mild steel butt welds start at 40A for fillets start at 60 and play around to see what works for you. For 1/8" try 70A and 90A respectively. For stainless steel, reduce current by 10-30% (SS doesn't conduct the heat away so much).

    For a starting education reference refer to TIG Welding Tutorial and http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/gtawbook.pdf

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    65

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    If you want stainless to play with, look for an old kitchen sink on council cleanup days, or scrap metal dealers.
    Kryn
    Thanks for the idea.

    Quote Originally Posted by Vernonv View Post
    Being a DC TIG it's not really suited to welding Al.

    When starting out, try and find some thicker steel to practise on - it's a lot more forgiving than thinner metal that will more easily blow holes through.
    Thanks, the ally would be handy to play with on my MIG once I buy some Argon. I have enough thicker scraps to play with.

    Quote Originally Posted by Gavin Newman View Post
    Grinding the tungsten, aim for a taper that is between 2 and 3 times the diameter of the tungsten with a small flat on the end. Always grind along the tungsten. In an ideal world you keep a grinding wheel reserved for the tungstens so you don't get contamination.

    With TIG welding cleanliness is next to Godliness, the area to be welded must be cleared of all mill scale, clean and bright and fit-ups must be tight with minimal gaps. You cannot use oxy mild steel filler wire, it must be the double or triple deoxidised TIG filler rods. When welding stainless steel any brushes you use must be stainless and be reserved for that use.

    To start off with, gas flow between 5 and 8 lpm. For 1/16th inch mild steel butt welds start at 40A for fillets start at 60 and play around to see what works for you. For 1/8" try 70A and 90A respectively. For stainless steel, reduce current by 10-30% (SS doesn't conduct the heat away so much).

    For a starting education reference refer to TIG Welding Tutorial and http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/gtawbook.pdf
    Gavin, thanks for all of your tips. I will follow the links. Fitup is generally not an issue for me as I elected to buy a bandsaw over a cutoff wheel and I think that makes fit up so much more accurate.

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