How to TIG Weld Aluminum for the First Time. 10 Beginner Tips!

Описание: No clue why your aluminum welding is terrible? Just got a TIG welder and don't know where to start? Want to weld up your intercooler pipes and your welds are trashy for some unknown reason? This is 8 short minutes of instructions showing you how to get started TIG welding aluminum so you don't look like a total noob at the race track.

Note: I'm self taught, so take these instructions with a grain of salt. Pro welders do this stuff way better/differently than me. Go watch their videos too.

TIG Welding Tip 1: Set the amperage on the welder to higher than you might actually need (Don't go nuts though! 130 amps will probably do 99% of everything on a car). Control the amperage with the foot pedal. When you first strike an arc - bury that foot pedal to the floor, then back off the throttle. If you start slowly, you'll probably shoot hellfire all over your work and make a sooty mess.

TIG Welding Tip 2: Set the gas to ~20cfm. You may be able to get away with a little less if you are cheap like me and don't want to spend you life savings on Argon. 15 would get you by, go 25 if you are a baller or if it is windy in your garage. Your weld puddle needs to stay surrounded in gas if you want to drop those nasty dimes.

TIG Welding Tip 3: Make sure your Tungsten is sharp are "balled" from a previous weld-session when you begin welding. If you don't do this, your weld will wander all over the place and be unpredictable. If you dip your tungsten in the weld puddle or whack it with the filler (WHICH YOU WILL), pull the tungsten out and regrind it to a point. A genuinely good tip is to grind like 6-10 tungstens to a point and have them ready to rock. Then when you dip the tip, you swap it out for a fresh one, and don't have to slow down your learning process.

TIG Welding Tip 4: Have the Tungsten stick out about 3/16 of an inch. A little more or less is probably fine too. Less or more rod will likely have you working at weird angles though, which may cause you to fail.

TIG Welding Tip 5: Weld at ~35 degree angle to your work. If you do 15 degrees, your weld will shoot out sideways and be too long. If you do 75-90 degrees, you will make ugly pools of metal and probably burn through your work.

TIG Welding Tip 6: CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Clean your aluminum with a NEW abrasive pad or a stainless wire brush that is 100% dedicated to brushing aluminum. Then wipe the whole area down with acetone. Be sure to clean the FRONT and BACKSIDE of the metal to be spotless or the dirt from the metal will contaminate your welds and make you look like a total noob. DO NOT EVER CLEAN YOUR METAL WITH BRAKE CLEANER AND THEN WELD IT. IT COULD KILL YOU. GO GOOGLE IT.

TIG Welding Tip 7: When welding, swipe your weld puddle with your filler rod from the side and pull the filler 100% back out of the "arc-zone" (hot area). If you don't do this, or if you swipe too slow, your filler rod will melt unpredictably, and you'll end up with major booger welds.

TIG Welding Tip 8: ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTION. Your weld will burn the heck out of you when you least expect it and aluminum carries heat like the sun at a rap battle. Getting a sunburn from welding is real, and terrible for your skin. Protect all your skin, and your eyeballs. Wear a mask with the appropriate darkness setting for welding. Seriously. No jokes here.

TIG Welding Tip 9: Don't worry about all automatic pulsing options on your welder. You aren't that good yet. Just set the amperage in the ballpark and practice until you run out of money.

TIG Welding Tip 10: If you are burning through your metal, try pulsing the throttle as you dip the filler to let the weld cool slightly after you melt it. This will keep your welds from overheating the whole area and liquefying your whole project.

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