Tool Reviews

Overhead TIG welding is difficult because gravity pulls the molten puddle away from the joint. The answer is not simply turning the amperage down. You need a tight arc, a…

A corner joint on aluminum sheet looks simple, but it exposes nearly every weakness in a TIG setup: poor cleaning, unstable heat control, contaminated tungsten, and excessive filler. Aluminum also…

At the end of a TIG weld, simply releasing the torch trigger can drop the current too quickly. The molten puddle contracts, pulls away from the weld edges, and leaves…

Choosing TIG filler for dissimilar steels is not simply a matter of matching the rod to the higher-alloy base metal. The weld pool mixes both parent metals, and that dilution…

A consistent TIG root pass on stainless tubing starts before the arc is struck. Poor fit-up forces you to compensate with heat, filler, or travel speed, and stainless gives you…

A thin stainless steel T-joint looks simple, but it is one of the easiest TIG joints to overheat. The intersecting sheets create a corner that holds heat, while the small…

What MIG Burnback Does Burnback is the short period during which the welder keeps power on after you release the trigger. It melts the wire back slightly so the wire…

Tungsten contamination is one of the most common TIG mistakes, especially when adding filler wire in tight joints or while working at low amperage. A touch can leave a dark…

Choosing tungsten diameter for low-amperage TIG welding is a balance between arc stability, heat capacity, and control. A small electrode can start and maintain an arc at very low current,…

Back-purging stainless steel tubing means filling the inside of the tube with argon while TIG welding the outside. The shielding gas prevents oxygen from reaching the hot root of the…