Helium vs Argon usage for Tig

[JOEBIPLANE]

Hi all... i am expecting my ls 160 P tig machine any day and I will be learning to tig aluminium and steel sheet.... I have been reading and see that Argon or Helium is used.

my problem is...and it is going to seem stupid, but my lady and I are both in Real Estate sales... when we hold open houses ( most sundays) we put out a lot of helium filled balloons to draw attention . We go to the office and get and blow up the balloons and proceed to our open house... the office is a half hour away and a half hour back to the homes and it is a bit inconvenient to do that.
My question if I get a bottle of helium , for the balloons , can i use it for tig welding ? is it a lot more dificult to use helium ( I know it rises) for tig welding . Would I be better off getting argon for the welder and helium for the baloons ? I am a newbie at welding and most of my welding will be just " Practice, practice,practice". any serious cost difference will be of interest to me, but I can write off the helium cost

Sorry I am so long winded
thanks......joe

[LONGEVITY]

Joe,

I think Gaustin is best to answer your question. I believe he has mentioned it before as a process to use it with DC tig welder to be able to weld aluminum. Your machine which you will have soon is both ac and dc so you should use argon.

But lets see what Gaustin says.

Simon

[weldershane]

i would use argon if i could

[Gaustin]

If y ou are welding Carbon Steel, Stainless etc then Argon is the way to go. If you are interested in welding aluminum WITHOUT an AC machine then get helium. The good thing about helium is it can be rented many places for balloons! I have not used it on carbon steel so do not know how it would work. With helium being readily available, I would get a bottle of argon and then helium later if you need it.

[henrym]

I'm no expert (I've never welded with any kind of gas) but most sources say that, for the same current used, Helium produces hotter welding than Argon.
but sine He is lighter than air, more gas is required to properly shield the weld.

and here's an idea! attach a hose with a female air-tool quick connector to the He regulator, then have a male connector on the welder and another one on a balloon inflater nozzle. Quick, easy setup and storage for whatever you want to do.

[rlitman]

Unfortunately, the regulator setup used for balloon filling is not really the same as what you need for welding.
Balloon filling has a high flow regulator (with a second low-pressure regulator inline for mylar filling), whereas for welding you need a regulator matched to a flow meter. Totally different beast.

[junes]

you can use helium on steel that is how tig welding was developed (heliweld) Also the argon does develop a hotter arc and i use it all the time on ac to weld aluminum. FOr steel it takes getting used to. For the dcep welding of aluminum though you cant use just any helium. You need uhp helium. This costs alot more and is really hard to find these days. For everyday welding just stick with argon its cheaper and easier to learn on then helium. Also you cant use the air fittings you have on your compressor inert gases on the welders. First of all its going to be a pain to convert to the fittings on the machine. Also the molecules are different then air so they will most likely leak. They make special fittings that are quick connect for inert gasses i use them on one of my tig machines.

[matteh99]

Junes,
Were did you get the quick connect fittings? I would like a easier way to switch from Plasma cutting to TIG welding. I would like to use something fairly standard (if something like that exists).
Eric

[junes]

If your fittings on your machine are standard 5/8 b style fittings then you can go to your lws. You can find them on line but its better to go to your lws since you can see if they will fit. They are how ever pricy. i think i spent 35 or 40 for 2 sets after a discount but they are the best thing you can get. The set up time is so much easier. If you just leave you machine all hooked up then you probaly dont need these but if you do take apart your set up to store your machine after every use then with out a doubt get them.

[LONGEVITY]

Eric,

You can always attach a quick connect as a single line on the back of your machine with maybe a 5 inch hose. Make sure the hose clamp is secure to the gas inlet on the back of the unit and then attach a quick connect on the other end.

There are also articles for Y splitters with a 3 way ball valve on here presented by KHK. Please do some research.

Simon