TECH
PRECISION WELDING 101 THE BASICS
F
or as long as I can remember, I’ve been building exhausts for just about any vehicle I could get my hands on. I have always felt that there are few things in life more satisfying than hearing a motor roar to life through an exhaust system that you’ve spent countless hours planning and building. And that is why I do it! In this article, I will break down techniques and skills that will hopefully make your next fabrication project a little more refined when you press down that pedal and put your torch to metal. For those of you who are beginners, we are going to start from the ground floor of precision TIG work. We’ll be looking at machine setup, torch options, and gas flow. The machine basics are some of the most important and often overlooked keys to laying some high-quality work. You don’t need a super-expensive rig or the latest and greatest accessories to do high-quality work. Just knowing the fundamentals will help up your welding game. Start at the arc! A consistent, predictable, wellfocused arc is a game changer. There are a slew of modern tungsten electrodes available in today’s market. One of the biggest favors you can do yourself to improve the quality of your welding is try a “hybrid” electrode. They work well for a variety of materials, sharpen nicely, last a long time, and aren’t radioactive so you won’t glow in the dark.
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