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