I switched from stick to TIG for thin tanks and wish I did it 2 years ago

For the longest time I was running stick on everything including 1/8 inch stainless tanks. Had to grind down so many beads and redo joints it was eating into my profit. About 8 months ago a buddy at a shop in Gary talked me into trying TIG on a job. I burned through the first two practice pieces but after maybe 20 tries it clicked. Now I can finish a 40 gallon tank in under 4 hours without rework. Has anyone else made the switch and seen their scrap rate drop?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.henry1mo agoMost Upvoted

You said "had to grind down so many beads" and that really hits home for me. That's exactly where I was for years, thinking grinders were just part of the job on thin stainless. Once you get TIG down and learn to read the puddle right, the grinder just collects dust on the shelf. I bet your scrap rate dropped way more than you expected too, that's been my experience. It's one of those things where the initial frustration pays off about ten times over once you're past the learning curve.

the_piper1mo ago

Nodding along with @rivera.henry here, absolutely. I remember burning through a whole box of flap discs in one weekend on a set of thin stainless panels just because I couldn't keep a consistent bead. Once I slowed down and actually watched the puddle instead of rushing, my scrap went from like thirty percent down to maybe five. The grinder still gets used for other jobs, but not for fixing my own messy welds anymore. It's like night and day once you get that feel.