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  #11  
Old 04-25-2017, 10:22 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by norson View Post
I do the same with the glasses, My trig-focals don't work. Magnifiers too. Now I'm trying bicycle headlights to light things up a bit.
Norm
Over-magnification is fine for welding. If you use a +2 for reading then you can use a +2.5 or even a +2.75 for welding.

Illumination always helps, too.
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  #12  
Old 04-26-2017, 05:51 AM
Bevelhead Bevelhead is offline
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No matter what you weld with, be it stick, TIG, MIG ,O/A . You will find it difficult to lay down a good bead unless you are COMFORTABLE. I always weld sitting down if possible. Also resting the ball of your hand on the work piece allows you far better control of the TIG torch. Maintaining the arc length is critical to puddle control, and prevents the electrode touching the work piece, meaning an electrode regrind most times.

Even when I am running rods (stick welding) I will always rest my hand or arm on something so you only need to control your hand, not the whole arm. You learn to slide/reposition your hand whilst running a bead without stuffing it up.
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  #13  
Old 04-26-2017, 09:24 AM
ojh ojh is offline
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I always support the hose to keep the weight off your wrist, that frees up your torch hand. For sheetmetal I use -2, -6 is more common but -2 both finishes easier and quicker to puddle, almost like silicon bronze. -2 is not as strong and I don't use it on structural stuff, just body skin where it has to metal finish.
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  #14  
Old 05-03-2017, 07:12 PM
zekeymonkey zekeymonkey is offline
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I've been practicing based on the above suggestions and I think I'm getting better. I'm still have a tough time seeing the puddle. I really like my auto darkening helmet with MIG, but with TIG I'm not very happy with it. When I was at Wray Schelin's I used Ben's helmet with a gold lens in it and the puddle was much easier for me to see.

Does anyone here prefer a gold lens for TIG welding? If so, what brand of lens do you recommend?
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  #15  
Old 05-26-2017, 03:58 PM
zekeymonkey zekeymonkey is offline
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I still need more practice, but I'm getting better. My bead width isn't as consistent as I would like.
20170526_160211.jpg

I also need to get a lamp or something to improve the ambient light levels where I'm welding. Actually, I need to redo the lighting in my garage.
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Last edited by zekeymonkey; 05-26-2017 at 07:40 PM.
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  #16  
Old 05-26-2017, 07:14 PM
longyard longyard is offline
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I've started a new thread on welding helmet upgrades.
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