TIG Welding

Complete beginners to TIG should begin on 2mm or 3mm steel. The weld pool is larger and easier to control on thicker steel which makes it easier to develop technique - trying to learn on thinner material will be more frustrating. We've used 2mm steel for this tutorial. The welder was set to 50 amps, and the tungsten and filler rod were both 1.6mm.
Setting up the machine and tungsten grinding and stickout are covered on the TIG set up page. Advice on power settings for different steel thicknesses can be found on the TIG Amp chart.

Find a Steady PositionWhen TIG welding you need to be able to control the distance between the tungsten and the work to within about 1mm. This is only possible with a good welding position. In the photos the welder has used a few tricks:

• Just to confuse you we've photographed a left handed welder. If you are right handed hold the torch in your right hand.
• The welder is sitting down and working on a bench. His upper body weight is not supported by the bench - the bench is only used for positioning.
• In the photo a flexible torch head (very handy) is being used to maintain the angle of the torch with the hand resting lightly on the bench. The hand would need to rest on a piece of wood for the correct angle with a standard torch.
• The torch lead is wrapped around his arm. This takes the weight of the lead away from the torch and reduces the chance of the lead snagging as the weld progresses.
• The head is positioned to the side for a good view of the weld pool. It is very common for beginners to hide the weld behind the gas shroud.
• The lighting is from the side as well as overhead - it allows the welder to see the tungsten position before starting the weld.
• The torch would move in the direction of the red arrow in the photograph (that one isn't really a trick but is worth a mention while the photo is there).

Relaxed muscles will aid control of the torch - try not to TIG weld directly after hammering or other physical activity, and ensure the workshop is at a comfortable temperature.
The red dot in the photograph just below the torch shows the area the welder will be looking at while welding. It's a tiny area, so for a good view his eyes need to be close to the weld. It's very common for people to discover they need glasses when they first take up TIG welding.

​Torch Angle and Movement

The torch is held at about 20 degrees from vertical, tilted so the tungsten points in the direction of the weld. The tilt encourages the weld pool to form ahead of the torch making it easier to add filler rod.
The gap between the tungsten and the work should be maintained at between 1x and 1.5x the diameter of the tungsten. We're using a 1.6mm tungsten so the gap is about 2mm.
It is good practice to move the torch across the work as a dry run before welding to make sure the torch angle and distance to the work can be maintained naturally, and that there isn't anything that will impede movement.