Any TIG welders out there?

At work we use a Thermal Arc TIG welder similar to this one. The problem is that we are using a lot of gas. Its set up for aluminum and we use a 25% Argon 75%helium mix for shielding gas and its not cheap.

Has anybody ever used one of these gas saver tips, and do they do as they claim?
http://www.ckworldwide.com/gas_saver.htm

~Alex

HTP makes a kit just like that, I have no experiance with either of them though.

Do you use a gas lense currently? Using the biggest gas lense you can fit what your welding will allow you to reduce the flow. However, TIG requires lots of gas which is why the overhead is so high. I usually run 30 torch, 20 purge flow. Those gas lenses you posted though are definetly the best you can buy, but won't really save you much gas. The size of the lense is the main factor.

BTW, I did get your PM. Thanks for the offer man, but I do have a couple local CNC's I'd like to try out first. :thumbup:

I received this in a PM

go1lum said:

yes that is called a gas lense collet body. you can probably pick one up at you local welding supply. They do allow less gas flow. they really work great.

Click to expand...

Bryson,
What material are you welding and what shielding gas are you using at those pressures? On aluminum I can get a clean puddle while only using about 20cf/h on the CO2 scale.
We do have a gas lense for the steel welder, an old Airco that has a liquid cooled head using straight argon.

You do not need to use the Helium mix. Straight Argon will work and will shield the aluminum just fine. The Argon will not float away as fast as the Helium so you could then turn your flow down and save some gas.

the only time I've TIG'd aluminum, I've used 100% Argon, and it worked pleanty well.

I also used 100% argon on steel of various types with the TIG.

what kind of torch to do you have? is it water cooled, or are you using gas to cool the torch too?

if you dont have one, look into a water cooled torch - it'll make you a lot more comfortable, because the torch wont get so damn hot.

How long are you running the post flow? cutting that down a little might be something to look into as well.

Wow apparently I forgot to reply to your response lol.

Helium will give you a shit load of penetration btw with aluminum (almost too much). I wouldn't want to use it unless I was working with something at least a 1/2" thick.

BTW, are you sure it's a argon/helium mix and not a standard argon/CO2 mix? You can weld almost anything with just a 100% argon tank though.

Don't feel bad, I just about forgot about this thread.

As Bryson said, the helium is for deeper penetration, which is why we use it. Most of the welding we do with it is cylinder head and intake manifold repair due to porosity or shrapnel from a dropped valve or other breakages. The deeper penetration is nice so that I can grind away the real ugly stuff, then float the rest of it out, fill it and then resurface.

The gas that we are using for the Aluminum TIG welder is Argon/Helium, MIG welders are using Argon/CO2 and the steel TIG uses straight Argon. There is definatly a difference when using the Helium mix vs the straight Argon.

The Alum TIG is a Thermal Arc and uses an air cooled torch and I wear gloves when I weld and give the torch a few minutes to cool off if it gets too warm.

Man, I bet your torch gets uber hot with that helium!

BTW, did you try that gas lense with that particular torch?

It's all about the gas lense!...

Nice lookin weld.

The "dinosaur" [old and giant] TIG/stick uses a gas lens which is nice because the tungsten can hang further out while welding but I can't say it effects how nice the welds are.

The alum torch doesn't get too hot unless it gets a few mins of straight use, most of the use is for under 30 seconds at a time, grind/file or move to another section. I never did get to order the gas lense for this torch, I mention it once in a while though.