This is part 1 of a new 'Intro to TIG Welding' course. My goal here is to make the best possible intro to TIG course through continual improvements based on your feedback. Leave comments if you have any questions, and we'll add the answers to the course.

*UPDATED 11/22 to show argon tank safety

In episode 2 we cover the different types of torches, how to figure out if you 17, 18, 26 9-20 torch, and what the parts do

Some tips for How to cut and sharpen your tungsten.
A dedicated tungsten grinder is best practice but there are other ways

Basic Quick Start Settings for DC TIG welding Steel.
Settings for Steel are very simple as long as you have the tig torch plugged in to the correct dinse receptacle ( the one with the tig torch icon)

TIG welding Carbon Steel Beads on Plate no Filler Rod.
Using only the TIG torch, this is one of the very first skill exercises for building motor skills, hand eye coordination, and muscle memory for welding consistent beads.

Carbon Steel Beads with Filler Rod
11ga cold rolled steel
DCEN machine amps set to 124 using foot pedal
105 amps actual peak amps
3/32" 2% lanthanated electrode
1/16" ER70S6 rod
#8 cup 20 cfh argon

Why do we use A/C for Aluminum? What is cleaning action? DCEN vs. DCEP? All these things and more covered in EP07 of Intro to TIG Welding.

A deeper look at TIG machine settings. Every machine is a little different. This video aims to help you understand the different type of machines and how to orient yourself quickly on a new machine.

Just like we did with Carbon Steel. This video covers some good tips on how to build muscle memory without filler metal before you do the real thing.
Aluminum will often crack when welded without filler metal but dont be too concerned about that right now....this is a learning exercise before pro...

It's time to take what we learned from EP09 and lay down some beads with filler metal on Aluminum.
11ga thickness is used in the video so amperage was around 120-140

We've covered how to TIG Weld Aluminum, so let's look at some things to avoid when TIG Welding. If you're the kind of person, who doesn't like to see things done the wrong way, just skip this one!

Build your skills with "The Aluminum Drill" laying lots of beads and learning from your progress/mistakes.
This is one of the very best skill drills you can do to improve your overall TIG welding skills.

This exercise has a whole lot of welding seat time without a lot of prep time.
Being able to weld a uniform bead is a fundamental skill in tig welding so it makes sense to devote plenty of practice to padding uniform beads on plate.

Much like our previous video on Aluminum, let's look at some things to avoid with Steel. If you don't like to see things done the wrong way, skip this one.

This is an outside corner joint using 11ga cold rolled steel. The 3 most important things to focus on are Arc length, torch angle, and keeping the tip shielded.
DCEN
105 amps
er70s6 1/16" filler rod
Let's weld an outside corner joint with what we've learned so far.

Just like the previous episode, we'll use what we've learned to weld an aluminum corner joint.
These are fillet welds and the amount of penetration required varies based on service requirements, weld symbol, or customer requirements.
The outside corner joint is one of the most common for fabricat...

In this video, we are TIG welding 11 ga cold rolled steel and using different diameters of filler rod.
The first joint was welded using 3/32" filler rod at approximately 120 amps.
A second lap joint was also shown using 1/16" at slightly lower amperage.