Monday, December 1, 2008

How to Tig Weld – Basics of Tig Welding

Got a welding project to do? Need help with tig welding? Don’t worry. We’ve got some tips on how to tig weld that will save you and your welding project from disaster.

If this is your first welding project, it’s best if you get a little background information on welding first.

Welding, unlike soldering and brazing – two things that are usually mistaken to involve a similar process as welding, uses coalescence to join metals or thermoplastics.

This is done through melting the work pieces and adding another material to create a weld puddle which, when cooled, becomes a strong joint and produces the weld. So a weld, in case you’re still wondering, is simply a joint formed by welding.

To produce a good weld, first you need to make an arc. With this arc, create a weld puddle and put fill metal on it and push it along the weld joint. Finish the arc. Let the puddle cool and protect it by leaving the torch over it.

In Tig welding, it’s also important to establish a good electrical contact between the tungsten and collet. This way, current transfer and weld quality can be improved.

Practice good maintenance for your welding tools by checking them regularly for worn parts and keeping your tig torch components tightened always. You should also clean your weld joint and the filler metal by removing oil, grease, and dirt, as these elements may cause arc instability or dirty welds.

There are many books and courses that provides more tips for tig welding. Welding is both an art and a science but to achieve a perfect tig weld, you have to practice it often to get the hang of it.

By Ricky Lim

Heats School of Welding Technology, Inc. provides courses for TIG Welding as well as SMAW