Why You Would Want to Walk The Cup

Upon my recent video submissions concerning the TIG welding, there have arisen some statements from some in the welding community with both a negative and a positive response to this matter.

I will say that there has been a more positive response than a negative reaction to the teaching on this subject. I wanted to produce this article to clear up some misconceptions about walking the cup with the TIG method I and many others teach as well as use.

You are probably familiar with TIG welding, and maybe you are not. TIG welding is made up of the electrode, current, filler material, and the electrode holder such as any other welding procedure.

The makeup of the holder for TIG is very unique. The electrode consists of some type of Tungsten. Tungsten is the means by which the electric current is carried to the metals that will be fused together.

There is also the gas lens and cup that is really what I want to focus on in this article. We can really look at this with the MIG process as well and may do so in another article in the future. So we have the electricity and the gas that is blended together in this process.

All this action is delivered to the weld area by the Cup.

The cup imparts a very important role in the way it is designed. I know what your thinking, what does this have to do with walking the cup? We are almost to that. First the cup is made of ceramic.

Ceramic construction allows the cup to sustain critical temperatures without failing in such conditions. The cup is also round for one reason and one reason specifically.

Welders that shun walking the cup do so because they either don’t understand this or they do not use this technique. Either way this is a great application that should be taken into consideration by every TIG welder.

Let me convey this truth to you as the reader of this article.

The Cup is round for a reason. It is not square. It is not elliptical. It is not rectangular or triangular. It is circular and this by design is why we can and should walk the cup when possible.

Now there are some times when you will not want to or be able to walk the cup. Certainly this is true. Then there are times when you will want to walk the cup. If you can retain what I am about to tell you and practice it you will benefit greatly in you skill and circles of influence.

Let’s look at some points.

First the pipe can get extremely hot, as I am sure you are aware, and if you as the welder are not careful you can burn your rig hand fingers. This is the hand you use to operate the welding rig.

Secondly there will be occasions when you as the welder can cover more ground by walking the cup than by manipulating the weld puddle by hand alone.

These two factors are probably the most prevalent reasons walking the cup can be a huge advantage. I personally have worked for companies that shy away from the stick welding process and rely solely on TIG.

These companies use TIG from start to finish in their procedure. Yes even on the cap of the weld. When you cap a weld with TIG, the material is usually screaming hot by that point and it almost impossible to touch the metal with your fingers or hand. Sometimes you can use what is known as the hobo or whino finger.

This is using a cup to cover your finger that rests on the pipe but it is not the easiest method but does come in handy. Walking the cup takes care of all the burns and inconvenient problems a TIG welder can face once he or she learns this method.

This is the reason the cup is circular and designed like it is.

Friend if you don’t agree with me on this that is fine but that doesn’t take away from this truth. If you don’t ever use this method that is fine too, but don’t brow beat a welder that can step into this arena and turn out some killer welds produced by this method. Well I hope this helps somebody, and it will if you can embrace this method and add it to your arsenal of welding technique you may already possess.

Thanks and God Bless!

Response to Emails!

Just a big thank you to all that have responded to the emails.

I really, really appreciate it.

Got some videos coming at you that you haven’t seen yet. 

Tig is going very well and I am almost finished. 

The videos being sent out at this time are the last of the crud trap series we did a couple of months ago.

After the tig will be some mig on pipe.

If you can weld pipe than plate is a breeze.

The plan after that is some more stick to finish out this portion of the course and then we will do 

some exotic metals like stainless.

Posted comments about one on one training

This is the post related to the email that you should have gotten about the up and coming TIG

videos I will be doing this week but getting a late start. 

If you got the message and thought of anything you would like to see or hear and also the response to the One on One training possibilities then here is the place to drop a line for the welding home study course from The Welders Lens.

We just finished the crud trap stick welding series and I have a few videos left to publish on the downhill

application with the fast freeze rod 6010 5 p+

Hope you are benefitting from this welding course.

With what you can learn you can weld for fun or weld for money.

I have made a good living welding.

Thanks again Michael.

P.S. If you are a negative person and don’t care for what I am doing, please don’t leave some nasty comment or degrading comment like a few people have done. Just don’t say anything. Thank You!

May the Lord Jesus Christ give you your just recompense of reward who ever you are for what you have or haven’t done.

Thanks for the comments everyone

 

Hello From Michael@ The Welders Lens.

Okay, I got more than one comment on the lighting when I break the arc. I really wasn’t thinking that was big deal because I was more interested in the actual weld for you. You wont see the weld until I buff it. So I think what I will do is this. I will place more lighting around the weld like a huge quartz light or two and when I finish each pass I will take the lens off the camera to expose the weld. Taking the lens off will be like you flipping your hood up. I just want you to know as well that you are not going to get all the footage that is behind the scenes that is recorded on the videos you are getting. 

The good thing is I am going to produce a total package at the end of the course with all uncut footage in DVD pack from the beginning of the course to the end of the course so anyone who wants to purchase the entire set will be able to. I already have some requests for that, so I think I will do that. The set will be broken down into each weld category like: stick, mig, tig, aluminum, stainless, etc. 

I am also thinking about opening up a membership site for free with the possibility to upgrade for cheap with ongoing training after that. Just a thought. The site will be its own web area with forums so you can all talk to each other within our community. That way you can get in touch with guys and gals that have stuff to share and things they want to learn from others.  

I am also going to Joint Venture with some other good products I find out there to let you in on some other killer products that I think you could benefit from. That will be included in the emails. I may interview some guys I know and do some specials on welding or fabrication from their perspective. 

I have a lot of thoughts I am kicking around, as you can tell.

Tig Welding Answer For 316 SS (Thomas)

Okay, here we go. Stainless Steel Tube Welding is a bit tricky. Some guys really like it. I never did. It is clean and exotic but there is so much that has to be watched. 

The two most critical factors are these:  Make sure your gap is slightly larger than your rod. Most of the time 2 times the rod size is a good gap. The second factor is a good purge on the inside of the tube.

I recommend carrying a role of masking tape about 3/4″ or 1″ with you especially when taking a test. 

Anything you can bring yourself to make your test smoother will help you keep your nerves calmer through the test. We all know that taking a test is nerve racking. Even for an old pro.

Use the masking tape to close up the gap and both ends of the tube for a good inside purge. The better the purge the less possibility of sugaring or porosity on the inside of the tube. Always remember that any time you have to grind into the bevel and open up the bevel your test just became a bit more work. You already have a large gap because the stainless will draw up so much more than carbon.

If you can get away with placing only 3 tacks you are better off. Don’t be deceived to the idea that 4 tacks will help you. 

Imagining that the standard tube test is taken in the 6G or Arkansas Bell position (45 degree), then place the bottom tack just offset to your weak side. By that I mean if you are weak using your left hand which will be the right side of the tube, than place the tack off center going up that weak side. This will cause you to weld less on your weak side. 

If you don’t fully understand what I am saying for this post, I will explain more about this in a video but for now someone asked me to touch on this because that individual is going to take a welding test pretty quick. He asked me to give some tips.

So you place the tack at the bottom and then in a triangle pattern place the other two tacks. One at 10:00 on the left side from the bottom like the bottom would be the 6:00 o’clock stop and the right tack at 2:00.

This will leave the top open and give a smoother transition without a tack to grind out of your way. The top is the easy part of the weld.

The next tip I would give is this. When tig welding stainless, it is easy for the coupon to get to hot and then the stainless has a tendency to sag on the inside of the tube leaving excess penetration.

A great tip in tig welding is this. When striking up an arc with the tungsten you don’t have to keep the arc buried in the bevel to keep it going. If you were to move the cup on your tig rig away a little bit allowing the metal to harden or not melt but yet keeping the arc going, you can let the metal cool if it gets to hot, but you can also keep welding and get it over with. 

Every tig welder knows that once you feel good about the root pass, the rest is gravy. 

Don’t forget to keep the purge going until you get the hot pass or even the test completed.

316 ss is a typical middle of the road stainless. Be glad it isn’t 317L or 344. 

Keep your tungsten sharp at all times if you can. I would make sure I have a bundle already sharpened when you show up to test. 

Part of being a good welder on a construction job is looking like a good welder. Take pride in your appearance. 

Wear a good welding cap. Starch your shirt up real stiff. Make sure all your tools are in order before showing up. I mean you are a surgeon dude. Act like it. Take pride in your skill. A good tig hand can call his shots. 

Don’t get flustered even if the QC is breathing down your neck. Be nice to that guy. He can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Pray before you get started. Get a good nights rest. If it is hot. Bring some cool water with you and drink drink drink. You will stay cooler. Be confident and God will bless your hands and eyes if you ask him. I could blow your mind with some stories. Anyway. I hope this helps, now go tear it up.

Welcome To The World of Welding

Hello, and welcome to The Welders Lens blog. I hope this blog will be a place were you give or get answers to the questions that many welders face today. This is a supplement to my website that can be found at www.thewelderslens.com. Visit the site and you can recieve my free ebook I wrote personally just for visiting.  I have welding videos I am working on that I think you will find really cool and informative on stick rod welding, mig welding, and tig welding. I am building a welding home study course so people can learn how to weld. I have been a welder for many years and made a good living welding. These tricks I have learned can save you time and frustration.

I have some articles I am working on. One has been submitted to Ezinearticles.com

Really this is just the beginning of something great to come. In this first article you will find out about my site.

Thanks for your interest and may God bless you.  Thanks Michael D. Treadway