From the award winning producer of Shooting the Poop comes Tig Tawk. A heart wrenching story about a man and his struggles to fasten non-ferrous metals together using heat, hope and 2% lanthinated tungsten. Starring the Tony award winning TOT - the interwebs second favorite pair of sleeved extremities. Written by the genius behind the "Metal Spinning" franchise. Now showing in a theater sorta near you, down the road, over a river, under a mountain, through a tunnel and across the pond.
You mean the internet's most underrated pair of sleeved extremities, who runs the Dinky Tinky Shop in the foot of the magic oak tree by the wobbly dum-dum bush in the shade of the magic glade down in Dingly Dell...
@@The_Hairy_Farmer That explains how he knew I wore my TOT hoody first time since the winter solstice last night...but mines been washed and hanging in the closet...heavens timerkatroids.
Wife: But you already have one! Me: That's for the DC Tig that I needed to weld your anniversary present. Wife: Oh yeah. Thanks for the trailer tongue. Jeesh Mom Was Right.
The physics of the AC balance is quite simple: The electrons flying of the end is what is causing (most of) the heating, and when the electrode is negative the electrons are hitting the metal. But as the oxidation layer of aluminum has a significant higher melting point than the base material, it simply just going to heat it until the base metal melts while the skin of oxide is still intact (if you do this too long your base metal just turns into a big puddle, pleas try this, its fun!). Reversing the polarity makes the electrons come of the base metal, and since the oxidation layer has a a lower conductivity, the electrons wants to come from the base material, and in the process rips through the oxidation and breaks it up. Unfortunately now all the heat is dumped on the poor tungsten electrode and as it has way less mass than the base metal it quickly melts and eventually evaporates. So in short: the negative side is spraying electrons, causing everything it hits to heat up. And that's why the electrode is so emo.
Just realized that if you run with 50% balance it's the same electrons jumping back and forth all the time and causing all the mayhem :) Wee, there's more potential over there. No wait! Wee, there's more potential over there. etc
If you're in concert and your violin is off, and you happen to have a welder and a piece of aluminum with you, 261.63 Hz gets you a middle C. Trust me, you might depend on this trick one day.
jokes a side , sure there is a resonance frequency for that aluminium piece and setting the frequency to that exact value will increase something ;D ua-cam.com/video/wvJAgrUBF4w/v-deo.html
As someone who welds stuff (including aluminium) for a living, Thank you for making a video I can show the non welders to help them understand things I try and usually fail to explain... Like wise I can show it to welders who Think they know what they are talking about and save my self lots of time having to explain things that they should know and don't... Well played indeed good sir, keep up the noble efforts.
TOT, you've been my inspiration in buying a tig welder. Just yesterday I did my first aluminum welds. I love the process. Thanks for sharing your skills.
You don't know how useful your video was! I'm currently studying to be a welder and my teachers have a hard time explaining the settings to me. I saw other videos but still got almost nothing from them. Some teachers tell me to weld with high frequency +200 and some to keep it at 80. So I got all confused. Your video is concise, carefully explained and gives emphasis on the main ideas that I wanted to know! Thank you, I'll practice more on Monday!!
OH! DUDE A TOT VIDEO!!!! And I’m in the first 100 comments! Dude... you have no idea what you’ve done for my life... you’re teaching me shit Grandpa didn’t get to before he died. Yeah... it’s kind of a big deal for me. Thank you.
I know the feeling. Kinda like it's the experience you and your grandpa never got tovhave with each other. My grandpa died last year and he taught me so much, and tot is kinda like an extension of him in a way.
Grandpa taught me mechanics, old school shop skills like unsticking stuck bolts, etc... his shop had a lathe and a mill, and he was creating his own rubber and steel sandwich bushings out of old driveshaft material for 60 years when he died of throat cancer. He wanted to teach me to torch weld, stick weld, and metalwork... just never had the chance. Between all the lessons on dividing heads, toolmaking, welding, lathe work and mill work? TOT is the best shop time channel on UA-cam... with some of the best production values in the space.
God bless you, I just bought me a new AC/DC Tig Welder and I have no clue how to weld Aluminium. Thank you for this Video. What a coincidence. Also, I think you are very competently in explaining all kind of things like welding. By the way greetings from Germany, that's why my English might be a bit rough. I just wanted to write an English comment and say thanks to you.
I laughed for nearly 30 seconds at the ankle bracelet. Tony, you make some of the highest quality, enjoyable, humorous, and informative videos on UA-cam. I hope the compensation you get for all the time and effort you put into your vids is enough for you to continue making them.
Like how I can bust out a walnut dresser, matching dining room table and 8 chairs, sideboard, kitchen cabinets and one of those mud-room things that stores boots and I can hang my coat on, all in half an hour, like Norm Abram over at New Yankee Workshop. "Aand remembah, thayres no moah impoahtant safety rual thahn to weah these: sahfety glahsses."
Truer words have never been spoken. Hyper fixated on wood working, got an interest in welding, and all of the sudden boom, wood working shop turned into a all metal workshop with a couple of wood working tools hidden inbetween@julienc8449
This video is the reason I keep coming back, A-grade high quality humour and sometimes if you blink you'll miss it. Throw in some quality learning and you've got a win win, keep it up! Thanks!
Love the video as always Tony. Just a few points. 1. Try a green pure tungsten as it is softer and will not crack as easy as a thoriated or lanthinated. 2. Use a collet and standard cup. Aluminum doesn’t need the gas coverage that steel and stainless need. The arc will follow the gas so to speak so keeping it directed right at the weld will help greatly. 3. To fill the crater just one more dab when done, then back off the peddle “slowly” while swirling the torch around the puddle a bit. You obviously can weld aluminum great already this might be more for your struggling viewers than it is for you lol. Great *ahem* job thanks for reading.
Note that some power supplies aren't designed to work with pure tungsten (I don't know the technical reason, just going off of manuals). Any suggestions for cup size vs. tungsten size?
I weld aluminum all day with green and guess I haven’t ever used an inverter machine. I don’t know that lanthanated splits on a Lincoln 375 pro tig and green holds all week.
I'm glad to find someone that knows about this. A long time ago I was working for a pipe contractor. One Monday one of the welders was trying to weld on an aluminum flat bottom boat. He was hollaring about the weld wouldn't stick. I got him a can of electraclean and some rags. The boat had been in a tank with contaminated waste. Later he thanked me and said I was smarter than everyone else in the shop. I'm just a pipe fitter, not a welder. Have a wonderful week.
Ok man, I have an invertig 221, & quit using it for years. I have sent trash cans of burnt alum to the recycle bin. This video was so well done, it felt like the sun came out after a 10 year eclipse. Your descriptions on basic protocol are just common sense and refreshing. Now I can';t wait for tomorrow to fix what I have been doing so wrong for so long. THANK YOU!
BEFORE I rush off and buy a (unsuitable) TIG welder, I want to read as much as I can about TIG work and equipment. This was one extremely helpful video.
It’s been awhile. It’s good to have you back and doing what you do so masterfully. They are arguably to best known hands in cyberspace....and the wit and learning are unmatched anywhere. Please continue!
I am so glad I found you Tony. I’m a tool maker and I’m adding some fabricating to my skills. Just bought my first TIG primarily for aluminum. You have been a great help. Love the quality of the video , the great clear information and the great humor. Truly great production. Thank you for spending time on these videos!
Tony’s content is always next level. Still blows my mind, how he can make just about anything interesting. Always learning new stuff when I watch! Thanks Man...
TOT: "If you're watching a TIG video on this channel, odds are, you're worse off than me. Me: *fighting back tears* Yes, I am. TOT: "Don't make life harder on yourself." Me: *wipes eyes* Okay.
I have been professionally welding and fabricating for 5 years now, 3 of which was specialty welding. you explained this PERFECTLY for beginners. hit every point basic and sweet. no overdoing, or complicating. very well made video. awesome stuff!
ToT, thanks for your great humor. It is always nice to start any day with a laugh given by ToT. Now the reason for the post. TIG Tawk is so enormous, us, we, I copper-stand the complexity of what you go through determining exactly (precisely) what part, section or topic of TIG Tawk to go over. Us, we, I hope you do a serial series of TIG Tawk of more than just the basics for each type of weldable materials like mild steel, stainless, aluminum and maybe even paper and plastics. Well, on second thought, maybe just the metals. Trust me, well maybe not, your audience (us, we, I) will get a big kick, enjoyment, out of your tutorials (humorous videos). Keep being you, for the world is a much better place with TOT videos. Thanks again for all the laughs and down to earth videos. Hat Tip.
I think there are very few people that have your combination of technical skill and intellectual/artistic capacity. Your jokes are cracking me up every single time, always get me when I least expect it (some amount food has been spat out) and as a relatively fresh welder in hopes of broadening my skills, you are making my life way easier by giving essential, distilled information in short time, which nobody has in surplus. Eventhough I'm not religious - God bless you, good man.
As always Tony you have a way with words in a way of keeping your audience hanging on every breath you speak I learned the most from your Channel glad to see you're back we miss you. PS. I am now welding you an aluminum sweater what size are you
You are a great teacher! I have a small stick welder and I am light years away from ever needing to upgrade. None the less, I watched this video in full. The puns and pop culture break the monotony. And... you’re great at this 1 on 1 teaching thing. Thanks!
Been eyeballing TIG welders in my local marketplace for weeks, funny this should come back up. Thanks for sacrificing your cup for our sakes, his noble deed will not be forgotten.
If you Really did try it, you'd have found out very quickly that Chlorine oxidises as much as Oxygen does. The weld would be pants. The Lungs would be closer to the pants.
The AlCl3 that formed would melt and evaporate. That gaseous salt would displace oxygen like a shielding gas, albeit more hazardously. Breathing Chlorine gas causes an immediate extended coughing fit, the acids formed in the lungs although relatively harmless(in tolerable exposures) are very painful. AlCl3 in the lungs however would adsorb water, and form a gel. That gel on top of being acidic, would likely take up x100 the volume of the salt. Creating a horrific case of pulmonary edema.
I'm grateful for you keeping it real. Thank you for being authentic. Thank you for explaining. Thank you for taking your time. Your editing and style are much appreciated.
Looks like Tony's time traveling antics finally caught up with him. I've seen those temporal monitors before. They lock the wearer in to a 1 hour per hour state.
"If you start the arc and your torch and bench explode, your amps are too high" 😂😂😂 I enjoy so much this type of content, easy going, informative and realistic!!
Third time I have watched this video since it came out and I get more out of it every time. Just seems to sink in a stay better. That's just how it is when you are old and dumb. Thanks Tony for all the great content over the years...
That my friend is whats known as a "radio" quite a clever little thing, dont worry though I was trying to stick weld with a toaster, got about halfway and realised that I had more burnt toast then a usable weld......acid is a hell of a drug.
I have to agree with the practice, practice, practice line. Best aluminium welder I have ever seen started as a 14 year old in his father’s fabrication shop making parts for the aviation industry.
great video! yeah, my biggest challenges with aluminum were/is getting parts clean enough for a weld lacking porosity... once entering the realm of being able to fix aluminum parts, you find out how many aluminum parts tend to be lathered in oil and nasty residues.... and then of course how you find aluminum is in a constant battle with stainless on which wants it cleaner welding cracks is also a very interesting venture
Gidday Tot, my mate uses a scrap bit of aluminum along side his build to start his puddle, then it's just a nice clean weld on his work, no pool, then just snaps the scrap bit off. Really loving your videos, to far between waiting for new ones to come, gee, the amount of work in editing, hats off to you mate.
7:34 Top tip. Do not touch your TIG electrode unless you're sure it's not hot. I once "pricked" (more like vaporized) my pointer finger just after welding, not the best experience I've had. xD
@@AttilaAsztalos Hmm dont know if you take its original name "Wolfram" it makes sense that its the W. But then the english language seems not to like names and has the habbit of calling "objects" a different name just to fuck with other languages?
I am just starting out TIG welding as I have retired and I have bought myself on lathe and a milling machine and learning all this stuff myself and this was probably one of the better videos I've watched on welding aluminum
Super excited to see a new TOT video! Would you by any chance be able to re-post some of your old videos that got taken down, such as the drill press rebuild and part 4 of the surface grinder restoration??? Love your stuff!
My great grandmother welded aluminum airplanes with a gas torch. I bought a pound of AmazingAlumaWonderTrodes™️ at the box store for my stickwelder to fix my kids car seat and it's still holding great!
Yes. Another video. I have been following your channel for over a year now and you have taught me so much. I love this channel. I can’t wait for some more machining videos.
I've got the drill press for doing airplane wings. It's a sit down model with the table real low. I bought it neglected from a garage sale for $20. Original GE motor. I've also got a huge coffee can full of rivets. Probably why I never needed to learn to tig weld all these years but I did just order some of that gas Al-Mag brazing rod he was talking about.
John Possum, I first ran into that magical aluminum gas welding rod at a gun show in the eighties and had to buy it because it was being demonstrated by a guy welding Coke cans together. I’m surprised that Ron Popiel never sold the stuff.
13:45 Note that when Tony says "80 Hz", he of course means 80Hz in imperial measurements, which he converts to metric (70Hz) for our convenience. It's a good thing metric amps and voltages are the same as imperial amps and voltages. Or these videos would be really confusing.
I'm shocked that this is the only reference I can find on this entire page to ToT's comment about 80 Hz, and yet there are literally DOZENS of wisecracks about how ToT must have stolen Al's wire brush. Even more shocking is the unwelcome discovery that I'm clearly the most far-gone pedant in Tony's fan club, because NOBODY else has commented on how he mis-spoke regarding 80 Hz signifying that the polarity switches from +ve to -ve eighty times a second. (Tony did not complete the sentence by adding the words "and back"....) Do I win an ankle bracelet too?
Way back in the last century I welded aluminum with stick arc and used cobalt blue screen in our helmets to view the puddle. It still took voodoo to get a good weld. ;O)
It's been a awhile since I welded aluminum; But the biggest problem was recognizing the melting point and losing control. We use to make lines with a magic marker on the aluminum and when lines disappeared it was getting to hot to continue. On thicker stock the same method works if you apply soot it from a cutting torch. TIG has eliminated almost all the hassles of welding aluminum.
Very entertaining as always. Terrible "T" nails the clean, clear, crystal, clarion, TIG welding of the Aluminium video. Most creative channel out there. So jealous.
What do you get when you cross a stand up comic and a brilliant teacher/ instructor? You guessed it. I love hanging out in TOT's shop. Great way to start my Sunday!
That was the best explanation on tig welding I've ever seen, not that I've ever seen any other tig welding video besides this one but if I had im still sure this one was the best. I have never tig welded before but im pretty sure im a pro at it now no need in even watching the video to the end just set the balance to 83% and hit the ground running. I think ill go out tomorrow and pick me up some anumilum and a tig machine and go into business.
Seriously, thanks for this video, Tony - I've watched countless other videos on aluminum welding from all the usual reputable (and not so reputable) sources, but somehow despite being comfortable on steel, I could never manage to lay even a single simple bead on aluminum before. Your video didn't contain any magic tricks, but somehow your method of presentation made it click for me - today I was able to lay down multiple test beads that didn't end in abject failure. It's not much, but it's a big deal to me. Keep up the great videos!
This old Tony, please come back to us, we need you! You are our only hope during this terrible political, economic, and environmental time. Please don’t forsake us!!
Reason for electrode negative and ac balance greater than 50% negative: You don't want to overheat your electrode, you do want to penetrate the oxide on the aluminum, thus the electrode must be negative most of the time. AC current goes straight through oxide coatings as they are capacitors, where there is current and voltage in air there is an arc. Hence you want HF start as the capacitance of aluminum oxide is small and you want the arc to start. The arc will then destroy the oxide layer by ionizing the air and allowing the electrode negative side of AC to heat and deform the aluminum under the started arc.
I worked at a foundry making 6061. Aluminium does change colors at about 1500f to a orange color. It goes from looks like a mirror to orange quickly if you over heat it.
Thank you, I have been looking for UA-cam tutorials on Alu welding for a long time and this one was by far the most informative and explanatory! Great job
This remembers me that next Monday I have to weld some galvanized stell hinges on a mild steel cart and the only thing I have is a drill and pop rivets.
Thanks tony, I followed all your steps to a T my project went great, and went on to fix some other things but long story short, mom had to bail be out of jail and my states legislature is drafting some new laws My lawyer says he thinks we will beat this. Cheers!
Another entertaining and educational video. I have learned more about TIG welding from watching you, doubleboost, and Steve Summers, than I ever did in a year at vocational school. Thanks so much for the video. Wish I could afford a TIG welder. I have an AC stick welder, and a Flux core wire welder, that gets me by.
When I bought my TIG setup 15 years ago, AC/DC HF start machines (ptooey to scratch start) were hella expensive (all European/American) , so I went the slightly less expensive route of DC only, as I was welding steel (bike frames mainly, but also general fab). Nowadays, you can get multi-process machines for less than ⅓ of what I paid, made in China. I worry about the electronics and repairability of these, and the quality of the arc from their 'built to a budget' components. My Italian machine might be quirky and accessories hard to source, but it has hummed along without a glitch for all of those 15 years. I don't think I miss my ability to weld a material that can get stressed so easily, but your guidance was entertaining, as always. Do you want to come and guest lecture at my training course for bike mechanics?
I have an AC/DC HF old Miller that can pump out 300A on a beefy enough circuit breaker. Unfortunately there's no balance setting for AC. It's too old and straightforward. But the hf start is scary! Can generate a 1 inch spark and it burns when it jumps to the filler wire instead of the material!
You have a real knack for making interesting videos. I have to admit that I like your crazy gang of commenters nearly as much, if not more than the vids. 😁😎
Hey Tony a few years back had troubles welding A6 aluminum cast plate. Talked to rep. He sent me welding specs. Blew my mind. DC, red tungsten, high frequency, using helium instead of argon. Had to try worked awesome. Tried on 6061. Work great. No need for preheating, even on blocks 10" thick.
Your manner of presentation. Pace of speaking and quips are good for people with Attention Disorders. I don't know why I clicked on your video to begin with but it grabbed my attention and I watched the entire thing. Reminded that I can't TIG weld aluminum since I don't have a AC welder though. That was a pretty neat trick on removing the weld at 22:30 :-D. Good way to save on practice material.
Thanks TOT...very educational. Perhaps the most valuable tidbit is at 22:30....I didn't know you could pick the bad weld up and reapply it correctly. Amazing!! Makes me wish I would have kept all those parts I thought I trashed.........
From the award winning producer of Shooting the Poop comes Tig Tawk. A heart wrenching story about a man and his struggles to fasten non-ferrous metals together using heat, hope and 2% lanthinated tungsten. Starring the Tony award winning TOT - the interwebs second favorite pair of sleeved extremities. Written by the genius behind the "Metal Spinning" franchise.
Now showing in a theater sorta near you, down the road, over a river, under a mountain, through a tunnel and across the pond.
Well Said!
You mean the internet's most underrated pair of sleeved extremities, who runs the Dinky Tinky Shop in the foot of the magic oak tree by the wobbly dum-dum bush in the shade of the magic glade down in Dingly Dell...
@@The_Hairy_Farmer Ahhh, I see you know about Bob.
@@The_Hairy_Farmer That explains how he knew I wore my TOT hoody first time since the winter solstice last night...but mines been washed and hanging in the closet...heavens timerkatroids.
You mean the underhanded duping of an adoring following into believing they were being shown welding when...
*... There was never any welding...*
Me: Honey, I need to buy a TIG welder.
Wife: What do you need a welder for?
Me: I need to build a welding cart for my new welder.
Wife: But you already have one!
Me: That's for the DC Tig that I needed to weld your anniversary present.
Wife: Oh yeah. Thanks for the trailer tongue. Jeesh Mom Was Right.
We need this kind of TIG welder:
ua-cam.com/video/pAgnJDJN4VA/v-deo.html
Seems legit.
Wife: Hand me your credit card
Me: Why are cutting it in half?
Wife: Because cutting it more is just a waste of time
Lol, that actually played out in real life for me... cart turned out great
Who's AL and why do u have his wire brush?
Just like at home it is not a good idea to share brushes.
He might get angry when he notice
At a Guess ... AnTONY.. something lol lol lol
Dip it in the toilet before you give it back
I don't know. But if I can call you Betty, you can call me Al.
The physics of the AC balance is quite simple: The electrons flying of the end is what is causing (most of) the heating, and when the electrode is negative the electrons are hitting the metal. But as the oxidation layer of aluminum has a significant higher melting point than the base material, it simply just going to heat it until the base metal melts while the skin of oxide is still intact (if you do this too long your base metal just turns into a big puddle, pleas try this, its fun!). Reversing the polarity makes the electrons come of the base metal, and since the oxidation layer has a a lower conductivity, the electrons wants to come from the base material, and in the process rips through the oxidation and breaks it up. Unfortunately now all the heat is dumped on the poor tungsten electrode and as it has way less mass than the base metal it quickly melts and eventually evaporates.
So in short: the negative side is spraying electrons, causing everything it hits to heat up. And that's why the electrode is so emo.
Good explanation! (Disclaimer: I know almost nothing about welding)
Thank you, you just saved me some time not having to use google to find the explanation!
Nicely explained. That will definitely help me remember which way to hook up my leads. And no I'm not being sarcastic :P
Just realized that if you run with 50% balance it's the same electrons jumping back and forth all the time and causing all the mayhem :)
Wee, there's more potential over there.
No wait! Wee, there's more potential over there. etc
@@brynyard lots of negatives and positives to balance out there
Every couple months I go back and rewatch about 80% of your videos, I love your humor and content, keep it up good sir.
How do I turn the frequency up on TOT uploads?
Increasing the patreon amperage tends to work.
@@Mikey-ym6ok 😂😂
If you're in concert and your violin is off, and you happen to have a welder and a piece of aluminum with you, 261.63 Hz gets you a middle C. Trust me, you might depend on this trick one day.
jokes a side , sure there is a resonance frequency for that aluminium piece and setting the frequency to that exact value will increase something ;D
ua-cam.com/video/wvJAgrUBF4w/v-deo.html
@@hyperhektor7733 EVERYTHING has a resonate frequency, even the earth, learnt from iasca D
My welder makes a square wave... way buzzier than a violin
It's pretty neat just how similar the settings on a TIG welder are to a musical synthesizer. Fundamentally, they're doing the same thing
As someone who welds stuff (including aluminium) for a living, Thank you for making a video I can show the non welders to help them understand things I try and usually fail to explain...
Like wise I can show it to welders who Think they know what they are talking about and save my self lots of time having to explain things that they should know and don't...
Well played indeed good sir, keep up the noble efforts.
My great grandmother welded aluminum airplanes with a gas torch.
Mine glued them... 😜🇨🇭
@@macbaar With a gas torch? ;)
@@BensWorkshop It was hot glue.
That was me, not your grandmother.
I just had a long hair back then.
My great great great, really great grandmother, welded a gas torch with aluminium.
TOT, you've been my inspiration in buying a tig welder. Just yesterday I did my first aluminum welds. I love the process. Thanks for sharing your skills.
As an Australian, does this tutorial still work for aluminium while upside-down?
Sure,
just reverse everything on your ups and downs and then reverse the reverse and reverb your guitar
Stick welding is easy, they sell upside down rods.
Also you need to reverse the balance positive-negative
Just make sure you use positrons instead.
If you take the "I" out of the aluminium the aluminum might weld better upside down
You don't know how useful your video was! I'm currently studying to be a welder and my teachers have a hard time explaining the settings to me. I saw other videos but still got almost nothing from them. Some teachers tell me to weld with high frequency +200 and some to keep it at 80. So I got all confused. Your video is concise, carefully explained and gives emphasis on the main ideas that I wanted to know! Thank you, I'll practice more on Monday!!
OH! DUDE A TOT VIDEO!!!! And I’m in the first 100 comments!
Dude... you have no idea what you’ve done for my life... you’re teaching me shit Grandpa didn’t get to before he died.
Yeah... it’s kind of a big deal for me.
Thank you.
👍🏻Same here he teached me too solder copper and brass and wanted to teach me too weld them blind.
I know the feeling. Kinda like it's the experience you and your grandpa never got tovhave with each other. My grandpa died last year and he taught me so much, and tot is kinda like an extension of him in a way.
Grandpa taught me mechanics, old school shop skills like unsticking stuck bolts, etc... his shop had a lathe and a mill, and he was creating his own rubber and steel sandwich bushings out of old driveshaft material for 60 years when he died of throat cancer.
He wanted to teach me to torch weld, stick weld, and metalwork... just never had the chance. Between all the lessons on dividing heads, toolmaking, welding, lathe work and mill work?
TOT is the best shop time channel on UA-cam... with some of the best production values in the space.
It would be great to get local groups together to learn this stuff together
My Grandpa was a carpainter, so right or wrong everything here is a new lesson.
God bless you, I just bought me a new AC/DC Tig Welder and I have no clue how to weld Aluminium. Thank you for this Video. What a coincidence. Also, I think you are very competently in explaining all kind of things like welding. By the way greetings from Germany, that's why my English might be a bit rough. I just wanted to write an English comment and say thanks to you.
Hopefully we get a lot of videos now that you’re on house arrest
That was either a Sena or Scala Helmet bluetooth thingy! can't trick me Tony!
Anyone else pause the video and look at Their ankle?? Yea me neither...
@@bobmcme12 Oh heck, thanks for catching that! That's actually really funny ahahaha.
H
@@Lunch_box not I
I laughed for nearly 30 seconds at the ankle bracelet. Tony, you make some of the highest quality, enjoyable, humorous, and informative videos on UA-cam. I hope the compensation you get for all the time and effort you put into your vids is enough for you to continue making them.
I was like does he have a low Jack on his ankle
I don’t even own a welder and I feel like I can just walk in and do it all after I watch these tot videos
Like how I can bust out a walnut dresser, matching dining room table and 8 chairs, sideboard, kitchen cabinets and one of those mud-room things that stores boots and I can hang my coat on, all in half an hour, like Norm Abram over at New Yankee Workshop.
"Aand remembah, thayres no moah impoahtant safety rual thahn to weah these: sahfety glahsses."
Never buy a welder and keep living that dream!
Truer words have never been spoken. Hyper fixated on wood working, got an interest in welding, and all of the sudden boom, wood working shop turned into a all metal workshop with a couple of wood working tools hidden inbetween@julienc8449
This is the best explanation of AC balance that I've heard. Clear and almost percise. Thanks TOT.
I fixed my daughter’s car seat with the AmazingAluminaWonderTrodes, and now she started an underground knife fighting club in her Kindergarten.
YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT KINDERGARTEN FIGHT CLUB!
It's the FIRST RULE man!!!
@@operator8014 kindergartners can't count past one anyway.
This video is the reason I keep coming back, A-grade high quality humour and sometimes if you blink you'll miss it. Throw in some quality learning and you've got a win win, keep it up! Thanks!
Love the video as always Tony. Just a few points.
1. Try a green pure tungsten as it is softer and will not crack as easy as a thoriated or lanthinated.
2. Use a collet and standard cup. Aluminum doesn’t need the gas coverage that steel and stainless need. The arc will follow the gas so to speak so keeping it directed right at the weld will help greatly.
3. To fill the crater just one more dab when done, then back off the peddle “slowly” while swirling the torch around the puddle a bit.
You obviously can weld aluminum great already this might be more for your struggling viewers than it is for you lol. Great *ahem* job thanks for reading.
Note that some power supplies aren't designed to work with pure tungsten (I don't know the technical reason, just going off of manuals).
Any suggestions for cup size vs. tungsten size?
Pure green does not work with inverters. Old school transformer power supplies only. Not folklore - it's in the instruction manuals.
Thumbs down for recommending pure tungsten. Horrible advice. Those are junk. 2% lantanated is night and day.
I weld aluminum all day with green and guess I haven’t ever used an inverter machine. I don’t know that lanthanated splits on a Lincoln 375 pro tig and green holds all week.
Coffee out the nose when I saw the ankle bling, well done. Love the subtleties...
I love your flashing socks! how did you get those?
Florian M. I thought it was an ankle monitor lol
I'm wondering if it is a boot heater, because those are in fact things that exist, though I've only seen them on ski boots.
He stole Al's steel brush.
@@beardoggin8963 same was just abt to ask y he was under house arrest
@@David-if2hj I think it has something to do with his wife. If you're married you'd understand...🙄
I'm glad to find someone that knows about this. A long time ago I was working for a pipe contractor. One Monday one of the welders was trying to weld on an aluminum flat bottom boat. He was hollaring about the weld wouldn't stick. I got him a can of electraclean and some rags. The boat had been in a tank with contaminated waste. Later he thanked me and said I was smarter than everyone else in the shop. I'm just a pipe fitter, not a welder. Have a wonderful week.
ToT: I'm going to show you how to weld Aluminum
*doesn't weld anything*
How about welding titaminum? What gas is used for titaminum, argominum?
Ok man, I have an invertig 221, & quit using it for years. I have sent trash cans of burnt alum to the recycle bin. This video was so well done, it felt like the sun came out after a 10 year eclipse. Your descriptions on basic protocol are just common sense and refreshing. Now I can';t wait for tomorrow to fix what I have been doing so wrong for so long. THANK YOU!
TOT VIDEO! Drop everything time to learn and laugh.
Well, isn't that every ToT video? :D
@@Farmfield no. While they all demand immediate attention and do make me laugh, some are so beautiful they also make me cry.
Better than a THOT video...😉
This couldn't be a more accurate description of what I did when I clicked on this video...
Same as with AvE.
BEFORE I rush off and buy a (unsuitable) TIG welder, I want to read as much as I can about TIG work and equipment. This was one extremely helpful video.
It’s been awhile. It’s good to have you back and doing what you do so masterfully.
They are arguably to best known hands in cyberspace....and the wit and learning are unmatched anywhere.
Please continue!
I am so glad I found you Tony. I’m a tool maker and I’m adding some fabricating to my skills. Just bought my first TIG primarily for aluminum. You have been a great help. Love the quality of the video , the great clear information and the great humor. Truly great production. Thank you for spending time on these videos!
Did getting that material for the weld cart finally catch up to you?
Tony’s content is always next level. Still blows my mind, how he can make just about anything interesting. Always learning new stuff when I watch! Thanks Man...
TOT: "If you're watching a TIG video on this channel, odds are, you're worse off than me.
Me: *fighting back tears* Yes, I am.
TOT: "Don't make life harder on yourself."
Me: *wipes eyes* Okay.
Bring it in brother. We're family.
I have been professionally welding and fabricating for 5 years now, 3 of which was specialty welding. you explained this PERFECTLY for beginners. hit every point basic and sweet. no overdoing, or complicating. very well made video. awesome stuff!
I love these welding for dummies episodes. Really helps with understanding the real basics.
This Old Tony is the epitome of sharing knowledge/FYI of a UA-cam video...First class, all the way!
ToT, thanks for your great humor. It is always nice to start any day with a laugh given by ToT.
Now the reason for the post. TIG Tawk is so enormous, us, we, I copper-stand the complexity of what you go through determining exactly (precisely) what part, section or topic of TIG Tawk to go over. Us, we, I hope you do a serial series of TIG Tawk of more than just the basics for each type of weldable materials like mild steel, stainless, aluminum and maybe even paper and plastics. Well, on second thought, maybe just the metals. Trust me, well maybe not, your audience (us, we, I) will get a big kick, enjoyment, out of your tutorials (humorous videos).
Keep being you, for the world is a much better place with TOT videos. Thanks again for all the laughs and down to earth videos. Hat Tip.
I think there are very few people that have your combination of technical skill and intellectual/artistic capacity. Your jokes are cracking me up every single time, always get me when I least expect it (some amount food has been spat out) and as a relatively fresh welder in hopes of broadening my skills, you are making my life way easier by giving essential, distilled information in short time, which nobody has in surplus. Eventhough I'm not religious - God bless you, good man.
Watching this makes my emotions go all over the place. I feel negative, positive, negative, positive... I hope I can find my balance back.
just got myself an AC machine ... this is about the best vijaeo i've come across yet.
Cheers Tony
As always Tony you have a way with words in a way of keeping your audience hanging on every breath you speak I learned the most from your Channel glad to see you're back we miss you. PS. I am now welding you an aluminum sweater what size are you
You are a great teacher! I have a small stick welder and I am light years away from ever needing to upgrade. None the less, I watched this video in full. The puns and pop culture break the monotony. And... you’re great at this 1 on 1 teaching thing. Thanks!
"Socially well adjusted welders"
Gold.
I became a welder so I dont need to be socially well.
Been eyeballing TIG welders in my local marketplace for weeks, funny this should come back up. Thanks for sacrificing your cup for our sakes, his noble deed will not be forgotten.
I weld in chlorine gas. Makes me feel like I’m swimming.
😂
Um .....
Yess
If you Really did try it, you'd have found out very quickly that Chlorine oxidises as much as Oxygen does.
The weld would be pants. The Lungs would be closer to the pants.
aga I basically don’t have lungs anymore. I’m sending this from the afterlife.
The AlCl3 that formed would melt and evaporate. That gaseous salt would displace oxygen like a shielding gas, albeit more hazardously. Breathing Chlorine gas causes an immediate extended coughing fit, the acids formed in the lungs although relatively harmless(in tolerable exposures) are very painful. AlCl3 in the lungs however would adsorb water, and form a gel. That gel on top of being acidic, would likely take up x100 the volume of the salt. Creating a horrific case of pulmonary edema.
I'm grateful for you keeping it real. Thank you for being authentic. Thank you for explaining. Thank you for taking your time. Your editing and style are much appreciated.
Looks like Tony's time traveling antics finally caught up with him. I've seen those temporal monitors before. They lock the wearer in to a 1 hour per hour state.
"If you start the arc and your torch and bench explode, your amps are too high" 😂😂😂 I enjoy so much this type of content, easy going, informative and realistic!!
I’ve got a tungsten drill bit, jumper cables, an inverter and a lightning rod. I think it’ll be a good starter kit for welding aluminum.
MacGyver approves this message.
Third time I have watched this video since it came out and I get more out of it every time. Just seems to sink in a stay better. That's just how it is when you are old and dumb. Thanks Tony for all the great content over the years...
Is it normal for my AC/DC welder to be playing Metallica?
That my friend is whats known as a "radio" quite a clever little thing, dont worry though I was trying to stick weld with a toaster, got about halfway and realised that I had more burnt toast then a usable weld......acid is a hell of a drug.
Ok you got me there 😂🤣
Are you sure it's Metallica? Gotta wait until the bell stops ringing and music starts to figure out if it's Hells Bells or For Whom The Bell Tolls.
Might want to try adjusting your balance.
All I can say is look up fronius welders if you’ve never heard of them, they have a demo that does actually play ac/dc while you weld.
I have to agree with the practice, practice, practice line. Best aluminium welder I have ever seen started as a 14 year old in his father’s fabrication shop making parts for the aviation industry.
great video!
yeah, my biggest challenges with aluminum were/is getting parts clean enough for a weld lacking porosity... once entering the realm of being able to fix aluminum parts, you find out how many aluminum parts tend to be lathered in oil and nasty residues.... and then of course how you find aluminum is in a constant battle with stainless on which wants it cleaner
welding cracks is also a very interesting venture
Gidday Tot, my mate uses a scrap bit of aluminum along side his build to start his puddle, then it's just a nice clean weld on his work, no pool, then just snaps the scrap bit off. Really loving your videos, to far between waiting for new ones to come, gee, the amount of work in editing, hats off to you mate.
7:34 Top tip. Do not touch your TIG electrode unless you're sure it's not hot. I once "pricked" (more like vaporized) my pointer finger just after welding, not the best experience I've had. xD
Remember that Tungsten is the chemical element with the highest melting Point.
Well you clearly can't trust a metal that calls itself Tungsten and signs his initial as "W"... ;)
@@AttilaAsztalos Hmm dont know if you take its original name "Wolfram" it makes sense that its the W. But then the english language seems not to like names and has the habbit of calling "objects" a different name just to fuck with other languages?
@@AttilaAsztalos
That W is the initial of her maiden name.
@@kaitan4160
Yeah us crazy Americans, We even spell habit different than you.
I have never, nor will I ever (probably) weld anything but I just can't stop watching these videos.
"Heavens to Murgatroyd!"
Exit, shtage lefft. Without shhielding gas, even!!!
I am just starting out TIG welding as I have retired and I have bought myself on lathe and a milling machine and learning all this stuff myself and this was probably one of the better videos I've watched on welding aluminum
Super excited to see a new TOT video! Would you by any chance be able to re-post some of your old videos that got taken down, such as the drill press rebuild and part 4 of the surface grinder restoration???
Love your stuff!
This has to be probably the best explanation of the settings ive come across. Great Job Tony.
My great grandmother welded aluminum airplanes with a gas torch.
I bought a pound of AmazingAlumaWonderTrodes™️ at the box store for my stickwelder to fix my kids car seat and it's still holding great!
You should have used loctite epoxy on n.v that car seat for safety
Yes. Another video. I have been following your channel for over a year now and you have taught me so much. I love this channel. I can’t wait for some more machining videos.
You can take _all_ the mystery out of welding aluminum by using rivets. My 96 year old mother assembled aluminum airplanes using rivets. *RIVETS!*
Still aluminium or aluminum depending on what side of a puddle you live
I've got the drill press for doing airplane wings. It's a sit down model with the table real low. I bought it neglected from a garage sale for $20. Original GE motor.
I've also got a huge coffee can full of rivets. Probably why I never needed to learn to tig weld all these years but I did just order some of that gas Al-Mag brazing rod he was talking about.
They are still riveted, works better with jetliners thermal range...
John Possum, I first ran into that magical aluminum gas welding rod at a gun show in the eighties and had to buy it because it was being demonstrated by a guy welding Coke cans together. I’m surprised that Ron Popiel never sold the stuff.
Didn’t they use rivets on the Heningburg?
Great piece. I just learned more about welding aluminum than I have in the last 70 years. Thanks!
13:45 Note that when Tony says "80 Hz", he of course means 80Hz in imperial measurements, which he converts to metric (70Hz) for our convenience.
It's a good thing metric amps and voltages are the same as imperial amps and voltages. Or these videos would be really confusing.
I'm shocked that this is the only reference I can find on this entire page to ToT's comment about 80 Hz,
and yet there are literally DOZENS of wisecracks about how ToT must have stolen Al's wire brush.
Even more shocking is the unwelcome discovery that I'm clearly the most far-gone pedant in Tony's fan club,
because NOBODY else has commented on how he mis-spoke regarding 80 Hz signifying that the polarity switches from +ve to -ve eighty times a second.
(Tony did not complete the sentence by adding the words "and back"....)
Do I win an ankle bracelet too?
Such a great video! You managed to explain it in English and not Greek half way through like so many others do.
Thanks!
Way back in the last century I welded aluminum with stick arc and used cobalt blue screen in our helmets to view the puddle. It still took voodoo to get a good weld. ;O)
how mind giving some tips to a journeyman
It's been a awhile since I welded aluminum; But the biggest problem was recognizing the melting point and losing control. We use to make lines with a magic marker on the aluminum and when lines disappeared it was getting to hot to continue. On thicker stock the same method works if you apply soot it from a cutting torch.
TIG has eliminated almost all the hassles of welding aluminum.
Very entertaining as always. Terrible "T" nails the clean, clear, crystal, clarion, TIG welding of the Aluminium video. Most creative channel out there. So jealous.
well shucks.. thanks Dudley!
Not to sound rude but when will you ever start that cnc lathe build?!
+1
Forget the CNC lathe, I still want to see that surface gage build!
@@geraldgepes Oh boy, the surface gage.
Legend has it,
half past tuesday ?
I think TOT should buy a bottom of the line drill press and tune it up a little. See like, new bearings, maybe a new quill...
What do you get when you cross a stand up comic and a brilliant teacher/ instructor? You guessed it. I love hanging out in TOT's shop. Great way to start my Sunday!
I was still thinking that the AC button was the Air Conditioning setting, I'm sure you taught us that in a previous video? Great stuff ToT, Thank You!
I heard the other day welding is like Lightening Glue.
I thought a clever analogy. Love your videos, entertaining, knowledgeable and clever cheers
So uhhh, hows about that ankle bracelet? Did you pinch some more steel Mr Tony?
Surprised I had to scroll down this low to find this. I'm wondering the same thing.
@@justjoeblow420 same here...subscribers not too observant?
Yep. judge ordered it. Bad boy.
Guess it's a helmet bluetooth... not sure why he did it though. Lol
@@MiscMitz r/woooooosh
That was the best explanation on tig welding I've ever seen, not that I've ever seen any other tig welding video besides this one but if I had im still sure this one was the best. I have never tig welded before but im pretty sure im a pro at it now no need in even watching the video to the end just set the balance to 83% and hit the ground running. I think ill go out tomorrow and pick me up some anumilum and a tig machine and go into business.
Wow, some of the coolest welding shots i've ever seen..
Seriously, thanks for this video, Tony - I've watched countless other videos on aluminum welding from all the usual reputable (and not so reputable) sources, but somehow despite being comfortable on steel, I could never manage to lay even a single simple bead on aluminum before. Your video didn't contain any magic tricks, but somehow your method of presentation made it click for me - today I was able to lay down multiple test beads that didn't end in abject failure. It's not much, but it's a big deal to me. Keep up the great videos!
I see TOT and I drop EVERYTHING!
and that is why they still don't ask me to look after the baby
At this point, it's Pavlovian :) I run to the computer, grab some popcorn and prepared to be entertained. It never fails!
Wow...
Not letting you hold my beer.
is that why the baby's crying?
This old Tony, please come back to us, we need you! You are our only hope during this terrible political, economic, and environmental time. Please don’t forsake us!!
Reason for electrode negative and ac balance greater than 50% negative: You don't want to overheat your electrode, you do want to penetrate the oxide on the aluminum, thus the electrode must be negative most of the time. AC current goes straight through oxide coatings as they are capacitors, where there is current and voltage in air there is an arc. Hence you want HF start as the capacitance of aluminum oxide is small and you want the arc to start. The arc will then destroy the oxide layer by ionizing the air and allowing the electrode negative side of AC to heat and deform the aluminum under the started arc.
I love your work Tony. Strange how you seem so human.
Please continue to release new content. I can never get enough!!
Its nice of you to give your wire brushes names.
I worked at a foundry making 6061. Aluminium does change colors at about 1500f to a orange color. It goes from looks like a mirror to orange quickly if you over heat it.
Ah! That’s why my bench keeps exploding. Thanks Tony.
The guys at harbor freight started looking at me suspiciously after I’ve been buying a new workbench every week.
Mark M I started buying them on line for the same reason.
Thank you, I have been looking for UA-cam tutorials on Alu welding for a long time and this one was by far the most informative and explanatory! Great job
This remembers me that next Monday I have to weld some galvanized stell hinges on a mild steel cart and the only thing I have is a drill and pop rivets.
Just bought myself a tig and this has been invaluable. Thanks TOT I thought the torch was positive! what a mess. Now re energised to start again.
"As always, I hope you enjoyed that."
As always, I did enjoy that.
Thanks tony, I followed all your steps to a T
my project went great, and went on to fix some other things
but long story short, mom had to bail be out of jail and my states legislature is drafting some new laws
My lawyer says he thinks we will beat this.
Cheers!
I teach welding and I'm still watching this video.
At least your not like my welding instructor. Smoking outsideor playing in the back while his students teach us how to weld
Another entertaining and educational video. I have learned more about TIG welding from watching you, doubleboost, and Steve Summers, than I ever did in a year at vocational school. Thanks so much for the video. Wish I could afford a TIG welder. I have an AC stick welder, and a Flux core wire welder, that gets me by.
Being first to a TOT video is almost like a World Record !
When I bought my TIG setup 15 years ago, AC/DC HF start machines (ptooey to scratch start) were hella expensive (all European/American) , so I went the slightly less expensive route of DC only, as I was welding steel (bike frames mainly, but also general fab). Nowadays, you can get multi-process machines for less than ⅓ of what I paid, made in China. I worry about the electronics and repairability of these, and the quality of the arc from their 'built to a budget' components. My Italian machine might be quirky and accessories hard to source, but it has hummed along without a glitch for all of those 15 years. I don't think I miss my ability to weld a material that can get stressed so easily, but your guidance was entertaining, as always. Do you want to come and guest lecture at my training course for bike mechanics?
I have an AC/DC HF old Miller that can pump out 300A on a beefy enough circuit breaker. Unfortunately there's no balance setting for AC. It's too old and straightforward. But the hf start is scary! Can generate a 1 inch spark and it burns when it jumps to the filler wire instead of the material!
I remember a movie with shades of grey my dad forbade me to watch.
🙄
So here I am watching Tony schoolhouse me on being an Aluminum TiGr
You can tell your dad you watched some 50 shades of TiG p0rn directed by ToT, nothing can ever surprise you.
Yep you need a special rod daddy's dissapointment
Aluminium only really gets you like 5 shades of grey at best, but I guess better than nothing.
Vandievelen Vandievelen is it normal where you come from to use sexual innuendos with 13-14 year old girls?
Julio de Cassovia you got me grounded 😥🙄
You have a real knack for making interesting videos.
I have to admit that I like your crazy gang of commenters nearly as much, if not more than the vids. 😁😎
Oh yeah tot and coffee. Today’s gonna be a good day when it starts like this !
Hey Tony a few years back had troubles welding A6 aluminum cast plate. Talked to rep. He sent me welding specs. Blew my mind. DC, red tungsten, high frequency, using helium instead of argon. Had to try worked awesome. Tried on 6061. Work great. No need for preheating, even on blocks 10" thick.
Damn, it's over. Now I have to wait a whole week for another fix!
Your manner of presentation. Pace of speaking and quips are good for people with Attention Disorders. I don't know why I clicked on your video to begin with but it grabbed my attention and I watched the entire thing. Reminded that I can't TIG weld aluminum since I don't have a AC welder though.
That was a pretty neat trick on removing the weld at 22:30 :-D. Good way to save on practice material.
I nearly slipped clicking on this, and I'm sitting down
Thanks TOT...very educational. Perhaps the most valuable tidbit is at 22:30....I didn't know you could pick the bad weld up and reapply it correctly. Amazing!! Makes me wish I would have kept all those parts I thought I trashed.........