gas valve on tig torch..
 

so i have a lift arc tig welder that uses a tig torch with a gas valve on it (sux ass by the way, i keep hitting it with my hand while im welding causing gas to stop sometimes) Anyway, question is, how do you know how much to open the valve? I have a regulator on the bottle that is set to 16cfh. Do i need one with a flowgage too?

while were on the subject of helping me tig, my tungsten doesnt stay sharp for that long. Is that normal? Or is it somehow connected to my gas valve.

hopefully engloid will chime in here ;)

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

on my HF tig it has the flow valve on the torch also but i never hit it.. sounds like you need to adjust your holding position,as far as the tungstun not staying sharp are you touching the tunsten with your rod causing it to ball or your using way to much heat.. just my .02 but im trying to learn to tig my self..

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

how do you know how much to open the valve though? Should you barely hear the gas coming out or should it be very noticeable?

Definately not touching the rod to the tungsten, Dont think im using too much heat either. The welds look pretty clean, although their not very shiny (well, some are) Could the cleanliness of the metal have anything to do with it?

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

i dont thin the cleanness of the metal has to do with ruining your tungsten.. arey you using a cheap tungsten?? i have a scratch start so i dont get any gas tll i start the arc but you should hear it dont go full force or anything but you shoul be able to hear it.. i also have my regulator set at 20 though to my thoughts would be maybe your not using enough gas and its burning the tungsten also.. lik i said before though im new to tig also and im telling you pretty much how mine is set-up to possibly help you out.. maybe csaddict will chime in or some other weldors to help...

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

i thought you had a valve on the torch though?? You have to first turn the knob on the torch to start the gas, then strike an arc.. not that it really matters.
The whole flow setting thing is interesting, if the regulator is set at 16 cfh, and my knob on the torch is 1/4 of the way open, is 16cfh coming out of the tip? Or is 16cfh coming out with the knob fully open? Which would make sense but when my knob is wide open, gas is coming out real fast.

I thought by buying a lift arc tig, i was pretty set.. but aparantly if you have no gas solonoid in the welder, you beat.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

i do have the gas adjustment on the torch...and yes i dont think that there is 16cfh coming out unless the knob is fully opened.. i thought so too but its not as easy as some people make it look :)

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

Use the flowmeter on the gas bottle...

and open the torch valve all the way.

YOu may be running your gas too low, and causing the tungsten to wear.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

When I open the valve on my torch all the way it just sounds like it's just pouring full blast. :l Hell that's probably why I was burning holes in the ---- I was trying to lay a bead down with when I first tried and the tungsten would ball up at the end. Leeson learned. No question is a dumb question if you don't ask it.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

Yes, the tungsten not staying sharp can be from a lot of things, unclean material, touching the rod, touching the actual part etc. As far as the gas, what you read at the bottle is what is coming out at that point, if you have a regulator, it does exactly that and will regulate the flow less if the valve is closed at all.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

Run your torch valve wide open and bump your flow up a lil bit. 16 is pretty light no matter how slow you weld. Make sure you arent dragging your tungsten in the puddle. If you are it will usually develop a glow around the puddle. I have a Miller hood and it looks orange if I dip in the puddle. If you look closely at the tip of you tungsten after it's been dipped in the puddle it will look like a small misshappen ball has formed on the end of the tip...kind of crusty looking if you will. Try again and report back yo.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

Another thing to think about is your postflow. If postflow is too low, your tungsten will get contaminated between the time you stop welding and the tungsten cools. Then when you fire the arc back up, the oxidation on the tungsten creates problems. It can smoke and release contaminants, it can cause your arc to wander (due to a disfigured point), and can throw the contaminants down into your weld. For welidng stuff like this, I'd run postflow at about 8 seconds.

WHat happens is that your FLOW meter will regulate FLOW into your torch lead. When you turn off the valve on the torch, the flow into the lead continues, and builds up pressure. When you open the valve, you will get a gush of argon at first, then it will setle back into the flow that you are set to run.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

yea, when the valve is wide open gas is ------- screaming out of the tip. I dont think it welds too good like that :-\

Ill try opening it up a little more.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

Just put it at about 20cfh minimum, and don't worry about the sound of it. It may sound louder with different size cups, even.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

why is the valve even adjustable? Shouldnt it just be open/close and the regulator control how much gas comes out?? Makes no sense to me.

One more question.. How are you supposed to stop the arc with a lift arc machine? Since theres no trigger on the handle, the arc keeps going untill i point it away. Is that what i should be doing to break it? (i point it back after that for the postflow)

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

I weld on tigs with a remote control but in a pinch I've had to gansta weld it when my pedel croaks. I pretty much just lift the tungsten away from the basemetal until it breaks. I try to break it as slow as possible but yeah it's a pain in the ass. Look up the harbour fright tig pedel mod in teh HT forum. It might be in here too.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

link would be nice

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

Your postflow won't do your weld much good since you have to break the arc that way. It will help keep the tungsten clean as it cools though.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

so that is the correct way to break the arc though? (by quickly pointing it away) So its pointless to point it back at the weld since it was already exposed to the air?

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

The correct way to break the arc is to move forward on the weld, without adding filler. Move faster and move farther away as you go. What happens is that the puddle will get narrower. At a point that you will find comfortable, you can just yank it away.

If you go from a full puddle to no arc, you will get what is called a "fisheye"...which can actually create a hole in middle of the crater.

YOu want to trail it off a little slowly. It also makes it such that the black marks are much easier to brush off than just ripping the arc away all of a sudden.

And yes, putting the torch back to it doesn't do much good, but many welders do it. Maybe it's just a "feel good" thing.

Re: gas valve on tig torch..
 

ill experiment with your technique. Sounds easy enough... wonder why i havent tried that yet? I think no matter how far away i hold the torch, it will still make a huge blue arc back to the base metal. Ive gotten like 3" or so away before. Thanks for your help ;)