I love how-to articles. They’re easy to read, informative, and I you can learn to improve your welds. I’m a fan. So, speaking of how-to articles, how about we learn about some shielding gases for GTAW:
A shielding gas primer for GTAW
Gas selection and optimization
By W.F. Garth Stapon
January 27, 2009With so many blends of shielding gas available, it can be a difficult task to determine which gas or gas blend best suits a particular GTAW application. To simplify that task, you must first understand the distinct properties that each gas or gas mixture brings to the table and how best to optimize the mixture once it’s been determined.
Selecting the most economical shielding gas or blend for gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) must be based on your knowledge of the gases available, volume requirements, applications, and the overall effect the gas has on the welding process.
The primary gases used for GTAW are argon, helium, hydrogen, and sometimes nitrogen. The composition and purity of the gas or gas mixture should be tailored to meet your process, material, and application requirements. Shielding gases are used in either pure form or in blends of varying components. Therefore, selecting a gas or gas mixture can become quite complex because of the many combinations available.
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