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GUIDE TO TIG WELDING
Before starng any welding acvity ensure that you have suitable eye protecon and
protecve clothing. Also take the necessary steps to protect any persons within the welding
area.
TIG welding consumables
The consumables of the TIG welding process are ller wires and shield gas.
Filler wires
Filler wires come in many dierent material types
and usually as cut lengths, unless some automated
feeding is required where it will be in reel form.
Filler wire is generally fed in by hand.
Always consult the manufacturer’s data and
welding requirements.
Gases
Shielding gas is required when welding to keep the weld pool free of oxygen. Whether you are welding
mild steel or stainless steel the most commonly used shielding gas used in TIG welding is argon, for more
specialised applicaons an argon helium mix or pure helium maybe used.
TIG welding - arc starng
The TIG process can use both non contact and contact methods to provide arc starng. Depending on the
Jasic model, the opons are indicated on a selector switch on the front control panel of the power source.
The most common method of arc starng is ‘HF’ start. This term is oen used for a variety of starng
methods and covers many dierent types of start.
Arc starng - scratch start
This system is where the electrode is scratched along the work piece like striking a match. This is a basic
way of turning any DC sck welder into a TIG welder without much work.
It is not considered suitable for high integrity welding due to the fact that the tungsten can be melted on
the work piece thereby contaminang the weld.
The main challenge with scratch start TIG welding is keeping your electrode clean. While a quick strike
with the electrode on the metal is essenal and then not liing it more than 3mm away to create the arc
will help, you also need to ensure your metal is completely clean.
Filler Wire Diameter DC Current Range (Amps)
1.0mm 20-90
2.4mm 65-115
3.2mm 100-165
4.8mm 200-350
Filler Wire Selecon Guide
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