Tool Reviews

Pulse TIG can make thin sheet easier to control, but it does not prevent burn-through by itself. The useful settings depend on the metal, thickness, joint, tungsten, and how quickly…

AC balance controls how much of each TIG cycle cleans the aluminum versus how much heats the work. Set it too far toward cleaning and the tungsten can overheat; set…

Short-arc MIG welding is forgiving, portable, and useful on mild steel, but voltage settings are easy to misread. Too little voltage gives a short, harsh arc with poor wetting. Too…

A correctly ground tungsten electrode helps a DC TIG arc start cleanly and stay where you point it. The basic method is simple: use a dedicated grinder, grind lengthwise to…

Starting amperage for thin stainless steel For thin stainless, begin around 30–40 amps for 0.5 mm sheet, 40–55 amps for 0.8 mm, and 55–75 amps for 1.2 mm. These are…

Run-in and burnback controls change what happens at the start and end of a MIG weld. Run-in can reduce the wire-feed speed briefly as you begin, helping avoid a hard…

The contact tip is a small part, but a poor fit can cause erratic wire feed, burnback, or an unstable arc. Choose a tip marked for the wire’s actual diameter—not…

Wire burnback happens when MIG wire melts back into the contact tip at the end of a weld. Instead of stopping cleanly at the workpiece, the wire fuses to the…

Distortion is one of the most common problems when MIG welding steel tubing. The heat from the arc expands the metal, and the cooling weld contracts it. On thin-wall tube,…

A MIG gun liner guides the welding wire from the drive rolls to the contact tip. When it’s dirty, kinked, worn, or the wrong size, wire feeding can become erratic:…