Tonight on Grassroots Motorsports LIVE!: TIG Welding for Amateurs

J.G.
By J.G. Pasterjak
Nov 7, 2018

Is it time to add a TIG welder to your shop? Are TIG Welders magic? Are you skilled enough to wield that magic?

We wonder that, too, so we went and bought a TIG welder in order to find out. Tonight’s edition of GRM Live! Presented by CRC Industries will be less a discussion of TIG welding tips and practices, and more of an analysis of how suitable TIG is for the novice or hobbyist. There will also likely be second- or third-degree burns.

Join us live at 9pm eastern on the Grassroots Motorsports Facebook Page and YouTube Channel

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Comments
stafford1500
stafford1500 GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
11/7/18 11:35 a.m.

Make sure you have an auto-darkening lens for the camera. I hate watching welding videos when all you can see is the arc flare blinding the camera.

I hear lots of caffiene before a welding session helps too...

JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
11/7/18 3:25 p.m.
stafford1500 said:

Make sure you have an auto-darkening lens for the camera. I hate watching welding videos when all you can see is the arc flare blinding the camera.

I hear lots of caffiene before a welding session helps too...

SteveO

We do have an auto-darkener for the camera. His name is Chris and he was instructed to wear long sleeves because TIG puts out a lot of UV.

te72
te72 Reader
11/7/18 10:22 p.m.

I want a TIG setup, but new tools take away racing budget... I don't do a whole lot of fabrication for cars, but man... that might change if I had a TIG welder. Definitely a chicken or egg situation for me!

JG Pasterjak
JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director
11/7/18 10:40 p.m.
te72 said:

I want a TIG setup, but new tools take away racing budget... I don't do a whole lot of fabrication for cars, but man... that might change if I had a TIG welder. Definitely a chicken or egg situation for me!

I mean, I watched a few YouTube videos and pretty much made functional welds with five minutes of practice. By my second bottle of gas I expect things will look fairly good. I see reaching for this a lot more than the MIG welder, actually. It works much more in tuned with my skill set than MIG does. I thought the pedal would be a distraction, but it really makes the process fairly intuitive.

 

Kreb
Kreb GRM+ Memberand UberDork
11/8/18 4:43 p.m.
fasted58
fasted58 MegaDork
11/8/18 4:47 p.m.

Practice

Practice

Practice

have fun y'all

te72
te72 Reader
11/8/18 10:10 p.m.

In reply to JG Pasterjak :

I think I would be in the same boat, having seen the process a LOT via youtube (check out MichaelCthulu if you're into sword making), and I think the biggest plus in my book about TIG? It takes longer, because you can control the heat better than with MIG.

 

I can make functional welds with my MIG setup, but intricate and / or pretty, they are not. Call me a bit of a perfectionist, but I like parts that look like they were well made, especially when they're hand-fabricated.

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