In the past hundred years there has been not very any product made from steel or aluminum that in some way did not need welding. The most common welding system has been arc welding in several forms. The system in it is most basic form is actually simple. Take pieces of similar metal. Place them together and then apply a heat source sufficient to raise the metal close to its melting point. Then apply a filler metal and fuse the pieces together. Basic arc welders use a machine able to producing an adjustable electrical current. Pass this current through a wire that has a tool at it is finish able to holding a coated welding rod. From the welding machine run a wire, called a ground, and attach it somewhere along the metal to be welded. Next place the

welding rod against the metal in such a way that it completes the electrical circuit which creates an arc between the welding rod and the metal. This arc will produce heat which heats both pieces of metal and the rod itself melts in to the weld and when properly done both pieces of metal will be fused in to a single assembly. The system of coursework is more complex than this as the electrical arc must be adjusted for various thicknesses of metal and various coated rods will even be used depending on the make up of the metal.

A TIG welder, whose name is derived from the system, (tungsten inert gas), is a process that does not use the standard coated welding rod so common in basic arc welding. In lieu of coated welding rods to shield the weld various gasses are used.

This process works well for most common varieties of steel when the pieces to be joined are close to the same thickness. The basic arc welder does not work well when thick pieces need to be joined to thick pieces. It is impossible to properly control the heat produced by the arc that would permit the thick piece of metal to heat without melting the thinner piece. In addition exotic metals such as aluminum lots of times cannot be arc welded. In these situations the TIG welder excels.

In lieu of a clamp to hold a welding rod, the TIG welder has a holder called a torch that holds a short tungsten rod. The torch is also designed to emit a gas around the weld puddle which shields the weld from the atmosphere which would contaminate the weld.

TIG welders are also called Heli arc or GTIG, (gas tungsten inert gas), welders. This process while an advanced arc welder also makes use of a machine to produce an electrical current. A ground wire is also used. The current is again passed thru a wire but the difference at the business finish of this wire is the secret that makes this process work.

An important feature of this process is that the arc which produces the heat needed to fuse the metal is controlled by a foot pedal which makes it simple to adjust the heat to permit a narrow piece to be welded to a thick piece of material. A bare filler rod is usually used to complete the weld. In addition the tungsten rod is not consumed in the coursework of the welding system but must be reshaped as it wears away in the coursework of while welding.

The gas used varies again depending on the metal itself. Lots of gas mixtures are available but argon is probably the most common gas used. The torch also has a provision to circulate water within it to icy the torch.

This fundamentally describes the TIG welding system. Of coursework as with any metal working system there is much more involved as aluminum and other exotic metals are welded.