How to TIG Weld Carbon Steel

Scroll down for a Great Video on how to TIG weld carbon steel corner joints, lap joints, and Tee joints

Corner Joint, Lap Joint, Tee Joint with Settings and Arc shots

How to Identify what type TIG torch you have...( don't worry, there are only 2 main styles of TIG torches)

When it comes to TIG torch parts, there are only 2 main types of TIG torches...#17, 18, 26  are one type.  

And #9 and 20 are the other type

So all you need to do is take a look at your current TIG torch and see which collet body matches the photos above and then order either a kit for 17,18,26 style torch or a kit for #9 and 20 TIG torch.

The first video on this page is a short and concise video on how to tig weld carbon steel outside corner joints, laps, and Tees along with a quick comparison of the 2 main TIG rods for mild steel...ER70S-6 and ER70S-2.

I Packed a lot of value into this quick video and listed all amperage settings.

Settings can differ a bit from one machine to another but I think having the settings and details listed can help.

The outside corner joint generally takes just a little less amperage than other joints so I started with that it the Primeweld TIG225 read out 92 amps for the first half of the weld.  I used 1/16" ER70 rod...to be revealed at the end of the video / article

Next I welded the first half of the lap joint and that took 117 amps

I knew the Tee joint would take more amperage than the others so I saved it for last and went full pedal at 120 amps.

All three of these welds were done using 1/16" Filler.

I let the piece cool completely and the proceeded to weld the other portions of each joint with a different filler rod using  the same exact amperage used for the first half.

Conclusion? 

I used ER70S6 for the first half of all the welds and ER70S-2 for the other half and I didn't notice that  much difference for these 3 welds.

I believe I might have noticed more difference if the welds were done in vertical uphill positions

There is one situation where the ER70S-6 TIG rod can make a lot of difference

 and that is on open root joints where full penetration is required like for pipe welding.
The extra fluidity from the higher silicon content can help the root go in on tight gaps.

Watch the video here using ER70S-6 for the root and hot pass