Practical TIG Welding: Step 5: Welding
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Step 5: Welding
03.07
| 00:00 | - With all of our preparation complete, it's finally time to actually weld our components together. |
| 00:05 | We've covered the welding technique in general as well as the various material specific considerations already in this course so we're not going to dive too deep into them here. |
| 00:15 | If you need further information, please refer back to the relevant modules in the course. |
| 00:19 | As we've already mentioned in this section of the course, regardless of what you're about to weld, spending some time performing some test welds on some offcuts of the same material and thickness as your workpiece will really help you dial in your weld and get it just right. |
| 00:34 | This will give you the best chance of success when it comes to welding your actual part. |
| 00:39 | Before laying down a complete weld, you're going to need to adequately tack weld the components together to ensure they're positioned correctly and won't move during the welding process. |
| 00:49 | Remember to keep your tack welds small and space them evenly around your component. |
| 00:53 | Depending on how good your fit up is, you may be able to perform these tacks by the fusion welding method without the need to add filler rod. |
| 01:01 | For tight fitting components with minimal clearance, it's always a good idea to perform a final test fit of your tacked up part before committing to the final weld. |
| 01:09 | It's much easier to cut your tack welds and reposition the part now compared to cutting through your completed weld. |
| 01:16 | This sort of test fit is vital for exhaust manifolds and exhaust systems as well as coolant and intake plumbing. |
| 01:23 | It's also important to consider the angle of your torch in the tack welding process. |
| 01:28 | By focusing the arc evenly on the weld join, we're inputting heat into both sides and creating an even weld that'll be strong and uniform. |
| 01:38 | Prior to each weld, we also need to take a look at our tungsten for any visible damage or metal inclusion from performing our previous weld or tack welds. |
| 01:46 | If the tungsten does have some inclusions then cleaning it up on our bench grinder or swapping to a fresh tungsten will keep our arc focused and our welds consistent. |
| 01:56 | Remember that when you're welding in AC mode, depending on your balance setting the tip of the tungsten will ball up somewhat and that's fine. |
| 02:04 | Just to cover off the key points of our welding technique, we want to maintain a consistent distance between the tungsten and the workpiece and once the molten weld pool has formed, we want to introduce the filler rod in a consistent dabbing motion that's timed with the travel of the torch. |
| 02:19 | Getting this motion right is the key to getting those stacked dime welds that every TIG welder strives for. |
| 02:25 | As we near the end of the weld, we need to be mindful of our post flow gas coverage. |
| 02:30 | By terminating the arc and hovering the torch over the heated area, we shield the heat affected zone from the atmosphere and protect our metal while it's cooling. |
| 02:39 | If your metal is still glowing and your gas flow shuts off too early, it can create some discolouration of the weld area. |
| 02:46 | This is especially evident with highly reactive metals like stainless and titanium. |
| 02:50 | The solution here is to extend your post flow setting, however if you unexpectedly find yourself in this situation you can reignite the arc momentarily to restart the post flow gas cycle and maintain coverage. |
