- A TIG welder works by creating an arc between a metal that is to be bonded and a tungsten electrode. This arc creates the weld, while gas fed through a torch seals off the welded area and protects it from the atmosphere and other conditions that might affect the weld. This process involves a lot of heat and electric current, so it is very bright and requires the use of a welding shield.
- TIG welding uses tungsten electrodes, which do not burn off or dissolve during the weld. MIG uses a wire that burns away after the weld is complete. By the same token, electric welds use a filament that also burns away. Each can use a filler rod or steel. TIG welders typically can use no filler bar at all to bond two pieces of thin metal together, while they use long filler rods for thicker metals. The rods are fed into the weld to fill the gap while the torch provides the "seal" for the weld.
- TIG welding is very high quality and considered one of the best welds in industry work. It is also a challenge to learn, as students need to understand how the gas acts, and must control the movement of the torch and filler very carefully. TIG welders use argon gas, or a combination of helium and argon. It used to be performed using helium gas only, when it was invented in the 1940s but argon gas proved to be more efficient and is the most common gas used today.
