Originally Posted by markadams
Bruce, thanks for clearing that up. I did notice a larger heat area as the tungsten developed a small ball on the end of it. When it was sharp I had a very small heated area. It came with an orange coaded tungsten. I think I was trying to fill some gaps that may have been too large for a TIG welder to fill. Do you think I can use my mig to fill some of the blow throughs, then wash them with the tig? Or just try to build and cool them with the tig? How far do you hold the tungsten tip from the weld area? Thanks again for the help everyone. I'm heading back to it in a few.
The closer the better on the distance. Maybe 3/16" and that depends on you. This is why the sharp end will plow through the material and give you a clean looking bead. There is a magnetic field around the heat source that works for you to help manipulate the weld. Don't use mig on your molly. The filler material is likely softer (lower stensel) and is a consesion to ability. As a Journeyman TIG welder, I always say if I can step across it I can weld it. Let the material cool between try's to the point that you can tolerate the temp with your hand with a glove on at a min. Now if you are not using a special high frequency or something like that, I always use RED 2% thoriated tungston on all non aluminum welds and GREEN 100% tungston with high freequency. The green will ball on the end and be correct, the red should never have anything but a sharp tip when in use. The blow outs are great practice jobs for heat control. You may have to free hand them to move fast enough to fix. Work one edge and let it cool and grind as necessary to keep the shape of the piece as needed. Turn down the amps on these repairs to give you more control.
Keep up the practice Mark, You are going the right direction buddy.
Bruce