Essentially walking the cup is anytime a welder places the cup of their torch against their material. It’s almost exclusive to TIG welding and largely for welding pipe or tee joints.

What does walk the Cup mean?

Walking the cup is a term related to TIG welding whereas any good TIG welder will use. It is a term describing using a cup sized for the groove. You would then place the cup directly on the bevels and weave. This provides stability for the root, hot pass and any filler passes where you can get the cup into the groove.

Is walking the cup hard?

It’s definitely possible, just more difficult. Resting your cup on your workpiece allows you to pivot your torch in a lazy figure 8 pattern. Often beginners will push down hard on their cup. In reality you only need to rotate the cup against the material with a little bit of pressure.

What size cup is best for walking the cup?

Depending on the joint configuration, operators need to adjust the size of cup used for the root pass, but in most cases (and for the sake of this discussion), a number six (3/8 inch) cup would be appropriate.

What is the difference in MIG and TIG welding?

The difference between the two is the way the arc is used. MIG (metal inert gas) welding uses a feed wire that constantly moves through the gun to create the spark, then melts to form the weld. TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding uses long rods to fuse two metals directly together.

Do you push or pull when TIG welding?

With TIG welding, use argon gas whether joining stainless steel, aluminum or steel. While push and pull both work well for MIG welding, with TIG, always use the push method.

What direction do you TIG weld?

1. The angle of the torch should be 15 to 20 degrees away from the direction of travel. …
2. The filler metal should be brought in at as low an angle as possible to help avoid touching the tungsten electrode and contaminating it.

What is a pipe welding?

Pipe welding is a method for joining two pipes together. Welding techniques used for pipes include arc welding processes including MIG welding and TIG welding.

What are TIG welding cups made of?

Gas cups (also known as nozzles) used in TIG welding are manufactured from ceramic materials of which there are two main types; Aluminum Oxide (pink color) and Aluminum Silicate (white or gray color). ESAB identifies these cups as High Impact and Ceramic Cups.

Does welding melt metal?

As opposed to brazing and soldering, which do not melt the base metal, welding is a high heat process which melts the base material. Typically with the addition of a filler material. … Pressure can also be used to produce a weld, either alongside the heat or by itself.

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What is freehand welding?

Free Hand TIG Welding The weave takes the same motion, but when you weld freehand you don’t touch the workpiece with the cup. It takes more dexterity because you don’t have the cup steadying the torch and helping maintain a constant arc length.

Is TIG stronger than MIG?

Bottom Line. TIG welding produces cleaner and more precise welds than MIG welding or other Arc welding methods, making it the strongest. That said, different welding jobs may require different methods, while TIG is generally stronger and higher in quality, you should use MIG or another method if the job calls for it.

Is stick welding stronger than MIG?

Some argue that stick welding is stronger than MIG welding, since it offers better penetration for thicker materials. However, MIG welding can provide good welds despite not being as effective on thicker metals, and is better for joining thinner metals with a good finish and less risk of burn-through.

Is cold welding the same as TIG welding?

This causes the heat input to be so much less than standard MIG welding. There is also a TIG welding process, which is also known as cold welding. … The cold setting is usually used to fuse two pieces of metal that could oxidize or melt under too much heat.

What is cup size in welding?

Cup size (sometimes referred to as nozzle or lava cones), play an intricate part in welding pipe open butt groove joints. The size and length of the cup being used is normally determined by the joint design and root opening. Wall thickness and joint design is the biggest determining factor.

What do different size TIG cups do?

For example, the smaller the pipe diameter, the shorter the selected nozzle. Larger gas nozzle diameter – more shielding gas cover: The diameter of the gas nozzle, or its opening, determines the size of the area around the weld seam that will be covered by shielding gas.

What makes a bad weld?

Signs of a bad weld include: Burnout, no filler metal used, wide flat bead without distinct bead pattern, erratic beads, tungsten inclusion, porosity and/or undercutting.

How can I make my Weld stronger?

1. Clean Your Metal. Millscale on steel will be the enemy of a strong weld, adding impurities that weaken welds. …
2. Test Welding Settings. …
3. Vertical Uphill MIG Welding. …
4. Take an Extra Pass for Stronger MIG Welds. …
5. Blast Your Tacks Into Place. …
6. Optimize Your Welder Settings. …
7. Keep Your MIG Wire Short.

What does DC mean in welding?

Direct current is an electric current that has a constant polarity flow in a single direction. This current can be positive or negative. With DC welding, since the magnetic field and current of the arc are constant, stable arcs are produced.

Why is TIG welding so hard?

TIG welding also requires very clean metal. The steel must be prepped by removing rust, oil and mill scale before you strike an arc. The characteristics of a TIG arc don’t allow it to penetrate through any contaminants. Stick and MIG welds can tolerate mill scale and bust through it, but TIG just isn’t capable of this.

What is the first thing to do before setting up TIG welding?

1. Connect Torch. When using an air-cooled torch, use the adapter from your accessory package and plug the torch into the front of your machine. …
2. Connect Remote Control. …
3. Connect Work Clamp. …
4. Select Polarity. …
5. Prepare Tungsten. …
6. Assemble Torch. …
7. Install Tungsten. …
8. Check and Connect Power.