The tig welding process is known to be the most difficult of all welding processes, and also the most complex to learn for a beginner. You need more time and effort to acquire Tig welding skills. The hope is that once you have completed learning Tig welding, it will seem easy and fun to you.
Knowing that Tig welding is hard, you must ask yourself how hard is that? In this article, you are going to have a clear idea about it.
TIG welding is undoubtedly a very hard task until one has mastered this method out and out. The most important thing in this method is to complete the TIG welding process with proper use of necessary equipment, accurate movement of your hands, feet, and eyes, and above all ensure your safety.
8 Steps Of TIG Welding That Beginners May Find Hard To Learn:
As mentioned earlier, the tig welding method will not seem complicated to you only when you master it with proper practice. The method of tig welding that may seem hard to you are shown below in a few steps to make them easy:
Step – 1: Choosing The Right Electrode
This is the most important step to start tig welding. You will need to select a pure tungsten electrode from some of the approved tungsten alloys. Approved tungsten electrodes include Created, Lanthnated, Thoriated, and Zirconiated.
Each electrode has its characteristics. You have to make a choice considering all the features. Zirconiated is a good option if you want to reduce the cost of electrode replacement. Touted gives a good performance but it has health risks. Moreover, both Created and Lanthnated are good considering different features.
Step – 2: Grinding The Tungsten Electrode
After picking the right electrode, it is time to grind. Grinding is a complex process where you have to decide very carefully. Whether the electrode is needed depends on what type of current you are using and what component you are welding.
You should if you need to grind the electrode or not. If you unknowingly start crushing the electrode, It can damage your further task.
Step – 3: Placing Electrode Into The Collet
When your electrode is ready, you need to place it in the collet properly. In this case, a mechanical clamping device can be helpful because it holds the electrode in the welding torch.
It is important to hold the electrode as it enters the collet, but before that, you need to make sure that you place it properly.
Step – 4: Settings Adjustment
To adjust the setting you need to select the power option as needed. Typically TIG rigs have three types of options such as DCEP, AC, and DCEN. AC is usually preferred for aluminum. If you opt for stick casting, choose DCEP.
DCEN is the electrode negative that is used in steel welding. So you have to choose the right power option depending on which metal you want to weld.
Step – 5: Turning The Gas On
Now the gas must be turned on. The combination of helium or carbon dioxide with pure argon gas protects tungsten electrodes from being destroyed. You may not know that tungsten reaches high levels very quickly and rusts if you don’t have anything to protect it.
The use of argon gas is important because it protects the tungsten electrode from corrosion without reacting with anything. Gas varies depending on the type of metal used, such as pure argon gas for aluminum and a mixture of argon and carbon dioxide for steel.
Step – 6: Preparing The Welding Table
You must have noticed that the table is used for most of the welding, especially in the case of tig welding. Purchase a suitable welding table. Of course, you can do your work with a metal sheet instead, but the sheet has to be big enough and flat.
Welding is often random. You can wipe your electrodes with acetone so that they are very strong and handsome. If you use a metal table, wipe the table using acetone.
Step – 7: Wearing Safety Clothes
When you have everything ready, you must be ready for welding! Well, wait a minute. It’s highly recommended to wear safety clothes to protect yourself when welding. At the time of welding, you have to look at one eye and since you are doing a tig welding, you need more subtle vision.
Wear a dark-colored helmet to protect your eyes when staring at it for a long time. Also, the welding and safety suit will protect you from sparks and hot metal splashes during welding.
Step – 8: Weld Now
Now that everything is ready and safety measures are in place, you can start welding the much-desired tig. Now you may have a question, where to start? Hold the electrode one inch away from the metal you want to weld. Now jam on the paddle.
Maintain your consistency and adjust the flow. At the end of it all, you have reached the welding step, but you need to take the time to follow the steps above. You can say this easily only when you can do it perfectly.
4 Factors That Affect The Hardness of Learning TIG Welding:
There is no doubt that tig welding is difficult, especially in the early stages of learning it, you may think it is the most troublesome method. Several things can affect your thinking in learning tig welding which are mentioned below:
- Your Belief About Good Welding
About good welding, you may have an idea of how long it takes to make these so that there are no blemishes. You need to think about what you know about good welding or what you need to consider.
Although tig welding is difficult, you will find some of its features similar to good welding because all good welding is done with great care over time, although not all cases are difficult.
- TIG skills Requirement For Your Project
Maybe you are going to work on a project where tig welding experience is required. This requirement will affect you a lot because you may not want to lose the project. This thinking will help you to master the difficult steps of tig welding.
If Tig welding is hard or easy, it doesn’t matter. You need to gain experience if you want to show your skills in the project. Most of these projects are high budget, so naturally, you do not want to place the fear of tig welding.
- Variation In Equipment
If you have experience with welding, you may know that it requires a variety of tools. And in the case of tig welding, some special things need to be chosen and decided. In this case, you can get more ideas about the difference in equipment.
There are some complexities you have to deal with so the equipment varies and you can get acquainted with the tig machine.
- Past Welding Skills
Do you have any previous welding experience? This is a plus point for you and it is enough to influence your perception of tig welding. No matter what type of welding you have done before, the basic work of welding is the same.
For newcomers, access to tig welding may be a bit difficult, but those with a little bit of welding experience will not find tig welding so difficult.
Related Questions About The Hardness Of Tig Welding:
Is TIG Welding Harder than MIG?
Tig welding is hard enough compared to other arc welding processes including Mig because its precision welding method makes it more powerful. Each casting requires a different method. Tig welding is best for welding fast materials like aluminum and steel.
You can do Mig welding where the welding is not very strong or requires high quality, this does not mean that Mig welding is a normal type of welding. It is also tough but not more than tig.
Is Hard Tig Welding A Slow Process?
Tig welding is a relatively slow process compared to other processes. It uses more material than other welding processes. Even some ingredients are used that are never used in any other process.
Since the precise steps of tig welding have to be done very precisely, it is time-consuming. If you want to learn tig welding or work as a professional, you need to take the time.
Is Tig Welding Hard To Learn On Your Own?
You should not try tig welding yourself when you are brand new. There are some difficult things like mixing and sorting things that you shouldn’t do without the help of an expert. Lack of selection of appropriate items will further increase your inefficiency.
Also, even if you know what precautions you should take, you can forget about them and start working. This is dangerous for you and you should not try to learn it yourself.
Final Thoughts
Tig welding is harder than any other welding method that you have known from this article. Although hard, tig welding is a very effective process. You need to choose the welding method depending on the material you want to work on.
Learning or doing tig welding are both complex tasks. You have to be careful to learn it. Similarly, when it comes to working as professional, equal attention is required. After all, it’s a big challenge to become proficient in it.
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