I haven’t TIG welded to much in the last year. It takes practice. I have not practiced. Just tacking two pieces of metal together takes a bit of concentration. I will get used to it again. It will take a while.
One desk leg
This is the form of the desk legs. Here is one that is only tacked together. A second will be made. Then long pieces of metal will go between the legs. Having the template made the assembly much quicker than I had thought. The final welding needs to be completed and then paint needs to be chosen.
With the tungsten in a drill and an angle grinder in the other hand, pull both triggers, and end up with points
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding requires a bunch of preparation. After the welder is setup with the proper power and has the argon hooked up, the torch needs preparation too. One of the tasks is to sharpen the tungsten. The electricity flows off the end of the tungsten to the metal being welded. The tip needs to be held extremely close to the metal. The closer the better. Between shaking and fatigue, the hand control can deteriorate to the point the tip accidently touches the metal. That is called ‘dipping’. Metal will then attach to the tungsten and welding needs to stop until there is a clean sharp tungsten in the torch. Amateurs, like me, do this often. I have a method that makes sharpening tungsten quick. I put the tungsten in a hand held drill. In the other hand, I hold an angle grinder. Once the grinder is up to speed, I rotate the tungsten in the drill and touch the tip on the flat face of the grinder. It works. For the quality that I need, the little imperfections aren’t noticed. I’m sure the professionals are cringing.