Welding With DW: Setting A Base

Posted by WelderSeries on Apr 30, 2010 in How-To & Tech | 0 comments

One of the most important things about TIG welding (I think I say that a lot – there must be a lot of important things!) is keeping things steady.  I’ve shot a video on keeping the filler steady so it doesn’t get bumped into the tungsten and mess everything up, and now here’s a video on using your hand as a sort of tripod to control your torch.

I’ve used the writing analogy before, but here’s another one: think about shooting a rifle.  You don’t get a steady shot by holding the gun with both hands on the stock – the muzzle would be waving around and there would be almost no way to prevent some movement.  The best way to steady a rifle is to have some kind of support as close to the end of the muzzle as possible while still being able to fine tune your aim.  Think of a welding torch in the same way – support the torch as close to the cup as possible without burning yourself.  Of course, there will be compromises like visibility and pain.  But to produce a good weld, you may feel the heat once in a while :)