Tacking tubing together doesn’t sound like a big deal, after all you are just putting a small spot of weld to hold things together. But doing it correctly is more important than you might think, and harder to do in some cases than you might expect. If you make a tack that is too big you will find that welding over it to completely weld the joint cause a large lump. If instead you decide to weld right up to your tack, then a large one will look out of place with a clean tight weld joint. If however you make nice, small, flat tacks on your joints, you will be able to finish them off with a clean tight weld that is strong and nice to look at.

In this video Tim McAmis shows just how to tack tubing properly using the TIG welder. In addition, there are plenty of tips and instruction on how to properly weld the tubing join after you’ve tacked it. Pay special attention to Tim’s instruction on practicing the motion that you will take to complete the weld. This is your chance to figure out where you’ll run into obstacles or get uncomfortable trying to finish a joint. Figuring this out before you are actually welding can be a big advantage. Also pay close attention to post flow when TIG welding. Don’t finish the weld and pull the torch away immediately. Let the argon do its job!

Watch and learn.