| Description: | Some tips about welding equipment, MIG and TIG welders, plasma cutters. TIG welding is similar to to a MIG welder as it uses an electric arc in the same was as MIG welding does but differs in a few ways. Instead of a continuous spool of consumable wire, a TIG welder uses long tungsten welding rods that are manually slowly fed into the weld puddle to join the metal. TIG welding requires gas, usually argon, to protect and cool the weld puddle from external contamination. TIG welding is more suited to welding thinner materials such as stainless steel and aluminium as you can get the power down lower to reduce the risk of blow through and can even weld two dissimilar metals. Suitable for tricky welds such as S curves but TIG welders are still capable of welding heavier materials depending on the machine. TIG welding takes more practice that MIG welding as the process is much more manual with controlling the torch, welding rod and gas by hand (and foot for the gas) but once mastered will produce the highest quality welds making it the better choice where perfect, precise welds are required but due to the manual process is the least productive. Buy online MIG welding machines plus MIG welders shopping: Look for ways to support your hands. Having good support for your hands or arms is crucial for moving the torch with precise control. I do my best welding when the base of my hands or my wrists is supported in some way. Often you can rest your wrists on the part being welded. I keep an assortment of wood and metal blocks near my welding bench, and I often can get better support by positioning a block to rest my torch hand on. There are occasions where I rest my forearms, or even my elbows, on something for support. Many welders set up special support bars, positioned parallel to the joint being welded, and they slide their torch hand along the bar to help follow the joint with fine control. For some out-of-position work, I've had to rely on resting only my shoulder on something, and while not ideal, it's better than having no support at all. Even placing my hip against something stationary can offer a bit of support, but I can't weld very well when standing 'free,' with no support at all. Speedglass Welding Helmet. One of the most versatile welding helmets on the market right now, the 3M Speedglass gives you an additional hardhat component for protection from falling objects. It also features a model with an auto-dark visor and a quality built-in welding respirator. Speedglas helmet offers various viewport sizes and peripheral viewports that can be opened and closed at the user's discretion. Three sensors in the lens provide a rapid reaction time and reliable auto-darkening capability. The lens goes from clear to working dark in .1 milliseconds. Tig amp rating is up to 4 amps, which means that you will be able to weld or thin sheet metals like exhaust vents, aluminum and all sorts of professional micro-welding. The lens returns to full-clear with adjustable delay settings after the weld stops, allowing your eyes to adjust and metal to cool. |