Welcome to "damnit" welding school

the tungsten does not need to stick out far

your arm can rest ont he welding table

I've gotten better but i also keep the grinder close and use it extensively

you will get used to holding the arm up and you can hold it a little
farther off about 1/4" above the work isnt a bad distance

i dont recmmedn dragging the cup on the work because that can mess up
the angle.

As for your welder all I can say is GRR i wanted that one but its not
CSA approved (UL equivalent for canada)

you might want to cross post this to sci.engr.joining.welding as well

Rick wrote:
Ok, so I fired up my Christmas present today, a thermalarc 185TSW tig/stick
welder.

First I tried a stick, on DC...wow! So much easier to start and maintain
the arc than my AC buzzbox. Very happy.

Next I ground a 1.5% lanthinated 3/32" tungsten electrode to a pencil point,
then ground the tip flat to about 1/4 the diameter of the rod, put in a #5
pink cone thingy and tried running a bead on a piece of 1/4 mild steel,
sanded clean, using a 3/32 filler rod, 115 amps, basic square wave foot
pedal operation, and 20CFH flow rate on my argon. A few seconds later I
reground a 1.5% 3/32" tungsten....well you get the idea.

How in the world do you keep the tungsten tip from touching the work or the
filler rod??? Nobody's hand can be *that* steady!
Can you rest the pink ceramic cup on the workpiece?

How do you hold the torch (angle from vertical) and where do you feed in the
rod to the puddle? In front of the torch? to the side? behind it?

I accidentally welded a pretty smooth bead, but the next few attempts
produced more of the filler rod or tungsten getting stuck to the workpiece.

I need a class...Ernie, when is the next welding course in Seattle?


Rick