Searching for a really good book on TIG welding

[Brian Rupnow]

I have been stick welding for over 50 years with an A.C. stick welder. I have been welding for over 20 years with a mig welder. I have been welding and brazing for over 50 years with oxy-acetylene. Last year I bought a tig welder from Solidweld, and I am totally lost with it. I am trying to find a really good book on how to TIG weld, with a lot of information on getting me started and proficient at tig welding. Can anybody recommend a really good book on TIG welding for me. It has to be something that is still in print and is available.---Thank You---Brian Rupnow

 

[Roger B]

This is my go to book on welding. It is available but is European.

https://www.amazon.com/Workshop-Welding-Step-Step-Hands/dp/1565237412

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Thanks Roger---Probably that is a good book, but I am looking for a book that is specifically about welding with TIG.

 

[Catminer]

Brian, maybe have a look at the Miller welding website. They used to have very good tutorials on different welding processes including GTAW

Peter

 

[dsage]

Youtube is your friend. Hundreds (if not thousands) of videos about TIG welding.
Why read about it when you can see it in action.

Start here
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tig+welding

 

[Richard Hed]

Youtube is your friend. Hundreds (if not thousands) of videos about TIG welding.
Why read about it when you can see it in action.

Start here
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tig+welding

Yes, that is what I would recommend is utub ttutorials. Books with simple basics are helpful but there are some excellent utub vids. Pacific Arc is good. Weld.com is good. Welding Tips & Tricks.com is one of my favs. I like Eastwood. One of my favs I cannot remember the name, but there are scores of good ones.

I got a reasonably high quality Chinese job with a barebones pamphlet. Naturally, I have to complain about the crappy pamphlet--it was not the usual chinglesh, it was actually OK. the problem was that the pamphlet was oversized, the text is a quarter in high (I may be a child but I can still read 12 point). The amount of info on a single page is less than what is in a comic book. HOwever, it ends up giving a good overview of what one needs to know.

If you find a detailed book on TIG welding, please let us know. I have several disappointing books on welding and one good textbook from the 70's but that book is way outdated.

 

[AndrewW]

This is my go to book on welding. It is available but is European.

https://www.amazon.com/Workshop-Welding-Step-Step-Hands/dp/1565237412

Hi Roger, I'm a fan of YouTube videos but this book looks very interesting. My tig welding has room for improvement (an understatement!), so I've just ordered one. Looks like it's available in the US too.
Thanks for the info.
Cheers
Andrew

 

[GreenTwin]

As I recall from the welding class I took many years ago, a TIG welder has to be set up for the metal type you are welding, with the heat adjusted for the metal type, and the polarity also set correctly for the metal you are using.
I was able to TIG aluminum easily once I knew how to set everything.

Seems like you had to pay attention to the position of the tip, and the shape of the tip.

And a footpedal allows you to get the arc started, and then reduce amperage once the weld is underway.

Generally I fed a rod into the arc, and the rod (or a flat piece of metal) could be cut from the metal you are welding.

Sometimes you can TIG without a filler rod.

The aluminum had to be cleaned immediately before welding, since it would oxidize very quickly, and oxidized aluminum does not give a good weld.

That is the sum total of my TIG knowledge.

.

 

[rpf]

https://pwpind.com/app/uploads/2018/06/26673-PWP-Welding-Basics-PDF-Updates-TIG-BASICS.pdf

 

[ShopShoe]

Brian,

If you can, try to find out what textbook is being used at a community college or trade school near you. I did that several years ago and since that I've found the same book in evidence in welding shops I've visited. Textbooks are not cheap, but they are thorough, detailed, and provide information you can trust.

My favorite youtube source on welding is:

https://www.youtube.com/user/weldingtipsandtricks.
He provides well-produced factual videos that clearly show welding processes. He also operates an online welding store. No books found there, but plenty of information.

My book is an earlier version of this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Welding-Andrew-D-Althouse/dp/1635636868
--ShopShoe

 

[swarf]

Hi Brian,
As a pipewelder by trade I use the TIG process fairly regularly. Don't have any book recommendations but as mentioned, YouTube is your friend. Having said that my pick for tutorials would be Welding Tips and Tricks. Jody is an excellent teacher he finished his career welding aerospace fabrications and has done everything in between. Very easy to understand with great arc shots.

Enjoy
Dave

 

[Bentwings]

You use SC for aluminum dc for steel make sure your Dc polarity is correct. If you are melting the electrode shortly after starting you have reversed polarity very seldom used thi to advantage as the electrode gets over heated fast . I sharpened almost all electrode to needle sharp about 30 deg included angle I used 41/2 gender and flap wheels for a long time just put the electrons in cordless drill run slow but don’t let electrode get ground out of round grind so Grain is parallel to center of electrode. I used created electrodes 3/32” mostly no need for green electrodes anymore no need to Val ends for aluminum either No need for pure tungsten either especially with inverter welders I polished electrodes with finer grit flap wheels untill I final got bench grinder there are electrode grinders but not cheap and it’s easy to wreck diamond wheels if yo must break electrode fringes small notch then break in vice yo must grind he broken en down as the crack can propagate down the electrode . Get solid copper starting block start ars on back then movvto work when you first starter with pedal or switch you need to wait a few seconds before eldigvas machine start with higher power for a few seconds this is important if weldigvthistuff this happens on lowest setting on most welders it’s why you blow holes in then stuff right at start . Use gs lens even larger cups to give nicer welds generally 10-20 center is good there is a small funnel Ike thing you use to measure at cup my two flow ets we’re about 5 cfm out I usd 1/16” wie for most things heavier I used 3/32” some 1/8” on thicker alumn clean every thing don’t use hot rolled unless you grid all scal off you will never get good welds on raw hot filled stainless you must back purge or you will get sugary weld that will crack use on alloy higher than parts I used 308l for most of my stainless copper weld nice but gets ray hot quick it also TIG brazes ce with silicone bronze it’s expensive

Nothing beats practice

 

[Bentwings]

I never found a book worth the match to burn it videos are best most will get you started bells and whistles machines are great once you are proficient with standard machines . I used to say you need to be able operate the foot pedal with any part of your body that still moves

 

[Zeb]

Like Greentwin said, every material is going to be different. AC/DC, frequency, power applied, tungsten tip shape (ground on tungsten only wheel), rod, gas flow, cup coverage/shape, etc. It seemed like every new base material I used was a unique research project.

My generic book recommendation that I used when I was an apprentice is IPT's Metal Trades & Welding Handbook.

 

[Sparky_SC]

Beware of older books on the subject. Inverter TIG welders are a fairly new breed (which Brian has), the older books were covering transformer based machines. There are quite a few differences, for example AC frequency, that was not adjustable on old transformer machines. Inverter vs transformer machines also often use different electrode types.

 

[swarf]

Elaborating on what Brian said about being lost with inverter/multi process machines. It's quite common. Aside from alloys that require a high freq start/continuous or some advanced pulse options a DC constant current machine (stick welder) a lift/scratch tig torch with a manual gas valve is all you really need.
I've welded with this basic set up on high pressure steam lines in power plants with xray quality code requirements with no problems. It's a lot cheaper to start out with and the equipment will last several lifetimes.

Dave

 

[Sparky_SC]

Elaborating on what Brian said about being lost with inverter/multi process machines. It's quite common. Aside from alloys that require a high freq start/continuous or some advanced pulse options a DC constant current machine (stick welder) a lift/scratch tig torch with a manual gas valve is all you really need.
I've welded with this basic set up on high pressure steam lines in power plants with xray quality code requirements with no problems. It's a lot cheaper to start out with and the equipment will last several lifetimes.

Dave

I agree but he already has/bought the inverter TIG. He also needs AC as he does aluminum.

 

[Keith Engel]

I have been stick welding for over 50 years with an A.C. stick welder. I have been welding for over 20 years with a mig welder. I have been welding and brazing for over 50 years with oxy-acetylene. Last year I bought a tig welder from Solidweld, and I am totally lost with it. I am trying to find a really good book on how to TIG weld, with a lot of information on getting me started and proficient at tig welding. Can anybody recommend a really good book on TIG welding for me. It has to be something that is still in print and is available.---Thank You---Brian Rupnow

I have been stick welding for over 50 years with an A.C. stick welder. I have been welding for over 20 years with a mig welder. I have been welding and brazing for over 50 years with oxy-acetylene. Last year I bought a tig welder from Solidweld, and I am totally lost with it. I am trying to find a really good book on how to TIG weld, with a lot of information on getting me started and proficient at tig welding. Can anybody recommend a really good book on TIG welding for me. It has to be something that is still in print and is available.---Thank You---Brian Rupnow

Hi Brian
I am a trade qualified boilermaker pressure welder and tig is easy be it Ac or dc .With Ac make sure u have the correct tungsten tip and it must be rounded so just cut it with pliers and it will shape it’s self only use 17 lt of gas and must be argon. DC again get the right tunston and the point should be pointed. If u need More info just let me know and i Will guide u through it

 

[Richard Hed]

Elaborating on what Brian said about being lost with inverter/multi process machines. It's quite common. Aside from alloys that require a high freq start/continuous or some advanced pulse options a DC constant current machine (stick welder) a lift/scratch tig torch with a manual gas valve is all you really need.
I've welded with this basic set up on high pressure steam lines in power plants with xray quality code requirements with no problems. It's a lot cheaper to start out with and the equipment will last several lifetimes.

Dave

In 1980 I bought a Lincoln stick welder, a 224 AMP job, which I liked very much. I still like it, it has one of those infinite adjustable amp handles. Some time later I bought a TIG attachement, the scratch type, and I used it a bit, however, I didn't need it enought to really learn it well. After a while I put it on th e shelf, and there it sits today. I would never even consider using it any more. Last year I bought a Chinese job which has all the modern technology, inverter type, and it is FAR easier to use. I mean FAR FAR FAR easier. Maybe your recommend is correct, but for the $$, I would disagree.

When I bought the Lincoln, it was 400$ in 1980 dollars, I forget what the TIG attachement cost, but in comparison to todays stuff, it is NOT a toss up. One can buy a Chinese job for a third or even less the price. If it burns out? buy another one and STILL save some $$.

 

[ajoeiam]

snip

Nothing beats practice

Mr Brian - - - I am assuming that you were taught how to weld using oxy/acetylene.

Exactly the same process for TIG!
Now if you want to get into ALL the variables - - - - this is where things get kinky as TIG welding with top grade equipment has more controllable variables than a 3 week old carcass has maggots in the middle of summer - - - - seriously.

Met one guy - - - - his calling card was 2 pop cans welded at 90 degrees to each other - - - for aluminum welding.
He was hired by the shop I worked for to build up worn areas in high volume high pressure pumps - - - that boy was an artist!!