Everything TIG!

I used one recently on a Miller Syncrowave. It seemed to function as expected and I couldn’t detect a delay in fine adjustment once the arc was started. I have thought about getting one, but honestly the position when welding a bike is so static that I don’t think there is much value in them for frame building purposes.

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I bought one last year. It is cool not having the cable in the way. I did not feel as though I had the same amount of control of the amps as I did with a wired pedal. It could all be in my head too :person_shrugging:

I switched back to the wired pedal.

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That’s great info and was my main concern with going wireless. I’m sure I could adapt to it but with the cost of a good pedal being what it is I’m not sure I’ll give it a try. I’ll just have to elevate the pedal cord under my welding table, or create a retractable one?!

I don’t know why it bugs me. I tend to roll around the frame a lot while welding and the wheels on my fixture seem to want to roll over the cord, and I have had the cord block the lip of the pedal from going all the way forward so I can’t get full amps so I have to stop the bead and move the cord out of the way.

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It’s a PITA when the cord blocks the pedal from going to the floor for sure. I started flipping the pedal around so the cord is near my heel and not my toe.

I found the cordless to be great on steel cause I’m usually just hammering it out. I felt when I’m doing Ti it was more of an issue to have more control of the amperage.

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Tig pedal PSA. If you have a cheapie Chinese Tig pedal that doesn’t seem to modulate, give it a shake! If it rattles the potentiometer has probably come loose and it’s now just a big foot switch :roll_eyes:

Good news is I got it working properly again so now maybe I can make better welds. The pot is just held in with a tiny grub screw. If it falls out again I will probably have to spend some time with the 3d printer making a bracket to support it.

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Oh a couple of questions for the welding boffins.

1 - What tungsten do you use and whats the difference between types in practice? I use 2% ceriated because its what AWS recommended for welding 4130. I am just about out though so if anyone has an interesting suggestion on tungsten types to try I will give it a whirl when I go grab some more.

2 - Filler. I am using er80s-d2. Again its what I saw recommended by miller/aws if I remember correctly. I notice @ben.land101 recommended er70-s2? is there any compelling reason to change before I run out of the er80 filler? I also have er70s6 in the shed that I was using before I got the er80.

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Er80 will create a stronger but less ductile weld and isn’t as good a match to thin wall bike tubing.

I use 2% lanthanated tungsten because it works well for all of the various welding I do, not just bikes.

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@Neuhaus_Metalworks Summed it up perfect.
Personally, I always say don’t get too caught up in the different tungsten types. Just make sure it’s meant for DC and it will work great. I’m not a robot, so any differences in arc starting or longevity don’t matter for me.
But yeah, I use %2 Lanthanated for everything because it works for AC as well.

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Another 2% lanthanated user here. We recently got a cheapo diamond embedded lapidary wheel at work, for the bench grinder, real nice for prepping tungsten. The owner bought a 120 grit, I asked him to pick up a 600 for the other side. Loads of reduction in airborne particulates compared to the aluminum oxide wheels.

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Progress report:
Functional Tig pedal is much better. Still figuring out the stops but starts are good and if I manage to get comfy some of the beads are looking pretty good imo



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Hey Folks,

I’m trying to track down a gold coated replacement lens(filter). In the past I’ve used the US Forge lenses (per Rody @ Groovy’s suggestion). I really like them b/c they have a blueish tint. But I can’t seem to track them down now and US Forge’s website seems to be down.

Best Welds base color is green (dislike)
The Harris I saw yesterday is yellow/orangeish.

The two LWS near me are not super helpful . . . “You should look at ArcZone or Cyberweld.”

Anyone happen to have a suggestion?

What shade and what size? My local welding store gets mine for me.

Shade 10 4x5"

I’m happy to email you if that works.

This place has them in stock.

Ah the best welds lens is apparently a green base color. For some reason it’s hard for me to see with those lenses.

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Have you tried the #9 shade or a magnifying lens?

I recently got a welder from my father. It’s Lincoln but I’m unsure of the model at the moment. I’ve played with it a little bit but have a loooooong way to go. My goal is to be able to TIG a frame, but to have it look smooth. Much like a fillet but smaller. I’ve seen Stelbel do this and I love it. How exactly is that done? Also, what is the silver foil tape that I see in picture covering holes and such?

This is what I use. What Kris from 44bikea recommended but I use my auto hood the most

Forney 57070 Lens Replacement Gold Welding Filter, 4-1/2-Inch-by-5-1/4-Inch, Shade-9 https://a.co/d/311LqBu

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@sikocycles Do you have a sense of the base color?

@neuhaus_metalworks The issue isn’t so much being able to see the puddle so much as it’s that green lenses just don’t jive with my eyes.

There’s a dude in Texas that makes custom blue lenses and IIRC Phillips makes a one for aluminum that has a bit more of a blue tint but those are a good chunk of the way toward a Sentinel or Speedglas.

Funny though, the US Forge lens is available from Amazon Canada. I just can’t get shipped to me.

This is a annoyance I always have. A lot of the suppliers for the filters don’t specify what tint they are.
I have used a Sellstrom branded one in the past that had the blue tint.

I will say though, the gold coating doesn’t really have any effect on the clarity / color. As I understand it, the main purpose of the gold coating is to reflect more IR, to keep your face cooler while using high-amperage processes. So it may be easier to get a not-gold one with a blue tint.

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