Last Updated on June 1, 2022 by Luis Ferency
If you are a welder professional or a beginner then you must face the situations in which you might require various situations where one has to perform TIG welding without gas. Thus this situation sometimes occurs in windy weather conditions or creating welds or dirty metals without using gas as a critical part to understand.
Hence, in today’s article, we will be discussing TIG welding without using gas in detail. For such a situation where different parameters and workability play a vital role, you might need a TIG welder without using gas.
Additionally, in this article, the welders might be able to understand different methodologies to perform TIG welding without using gas. Though, one must realize the key consequences of both positive and negative aspects. Moreover, we also provide some alternative welding processes like MIG, Multi-process, Flux, Stick, and Spot which can work extremely great when performing tasks without gas.
So, if you are upon looking for a spot that discusses everything about how TIG welding processes without gas, then you are in a right place. We got cover for you today.
If you want to know about what is tig welding and used click here
Important Features of TIG Welding:
When using the TIG welding process the welder uses a tungsten electrode that can create a weld pool. Thus, the pointed electrode used in this process can help in producing great quality along with high precision welds. Since there is no consumption of electrodes in the TIG welding process. This is due to the electrode used in TIG being non-consumable and requiring a balance heat input and eradication. So if one requires a filler metal then it must be provided separately to the welding area.
The Power Source for TIG Welding?
Typically, TIG welding can perform its task by using both direct current and alternating current. Though, it also needs the power to stay consistent throughout the welding process. Here we talk about a consistent source of power that helps in avoiding the excessive usage of currents. As excessive currents can bring in short-circuit for the electrode.
Usually, the occurrence of getting short-circuit can occur at the beginning of the arc. Though, it can even happen while the welding process when the supply won’t remain consistent. The usage of AC supply can be preferred over the supply of DC. This is due to the contamination of oxygen that was removed because of the AC. This enables the AC supply to have more suitable for tenacious surface materials.
Will TIG Welding Be Performed Without Using Gas?
Since there could be a low reason where TIG welding can be performed without using gas. No type of welding process can be created as a welding puddle without using shielding material.
Typically, the only difference lies within the welding process for instance TIG welding needs a real gas to provide sufficient shielding purposes. And some other processes require coating or flux which also acts as a shielding material.
Here you can read some major Similarities & Difference between mig and tig welding
While considering the TIG welding, the welder might understand the welding process is used to perform through an uncoated, tungsten electrode, bare filler metal wire. Furthermore, the workspace or workpiece might need a 100% clean environment. So without using argon gas there is a high chance of burning tungsten electrodes. Furthermore, the absence of argon gas can cause contamination of the welding area. Hence, helium gas is used in the past times. Thus, argon gas has been replaced because of its availability, ease, advantage, and low costs.
The TIG welding without using gas can be performed through modern welding units. Hence, one can check the modern welding units to get the depth of multi-processing options. Furthermore, the TIG welding and arc welding were facing quite similar processes though arc welding might consume electrodes that leave marks within their workspace. On the contrary, the TIG welding doesn’t consume any electrodes and holds a very fine process. It has been recommended that welding can be performed through gas which can help in achieving high quality and precision. Furthermore, the weld can make without gases might not work well in long term.
Does TIG Welding Require Gas?
Welders who use the TIG welding process can choose to use a shielding gas or not. Some welders might not use gas because they are working in a limited space and don’t have enough room to set up the tanks. Others might choose not to use gas because they are welding thin materials and don’t need the extra heat that the gas would provide.
Some welders might choose to use gas when they are welding thicker materials, but others might find that they can get good results in MIG welding without gas. The choice of whether or not to use a shielding gas is really up to the welder, and each welder will have his own preferences.
How To do TIG Welding Without Gas?
As it is not common not to use gases by using this method. However, the performance of TIG welding without gas will not do the as easy job as a tig welding gas. So whenever the statement ‘TIG welding without using gas’ is discussed, sounds like the involvement of gasless tig welding aluminum wire by using flux core. As there is no external shielding gas involved and the effects of shielding gas have been produced through burning the flux while using the welding process. Furthermore, it requires some high skills and prevention. The methodology of doing TIG welding without using any gas can be stated as follow:
1. The initial step is to confirm the welder’s safety and security measures. So regardless of the skills, you are, beginner or professional the welding process always demands proper precaution and safety measures. While using the different welding processes the high temperatures have been achieved and can also cause damage to the equipment and welder. Thus checking the safety equipment at an early stage of the welding process, always turn a great approach.
2. The TIG welding without using any gas will provide an advantage that gives a cutting edge to dirty workpieces to weld through decent ways. However, if one of the provided metals is either dirty or the other metal is clean then there will be a visible difference to remain by performing the welding. Thus, the next step is to make sure the place you are working is clean. Make sure to brush it thoroughly or grind it. The main objective of cleaning the workspace is to remove the extra external particles while releasing the trapped air bubbles.
3. The other most crucial part is to pick the right welding unit. As there are numerous welding units available in the market that can perform the jobs of tig welding with compressed air. Hence, it is recommended to have a 115-volts welding unit or above to do the welding without gas. This is due to the factor that in 115-volt welding unit will penetrate each metal up to an 8-inch thickness. Since you can select the welding unit based upon the hit and trial method. As the proper marking on different pieces of metals can further be cut down while selecting the appropriate units.
4. After you are done with the welding unit selection and test down the weld. The next big step is to place working pieces into a precise position. One has to make sure that the pieces are quite sturdy and are firmly placed into their positions. Now it’s time to hit on selecting the electrode that eventually needs flux-core, a thickness that can turn on the welding unit. You might also adjust the welding unit parameters based on the metal. As some metals require some high specified settings while some can easily be welded by using simple general settings.
5. Now it’s time to begin the welding process. So while performing the TIG welding without using any gas make sure to remain consistent as much as you can. As when you perform TIG welding without using any type of gas then you might get a chance of facing the excessive loss of electrodes and noxious smokes. This enables the distortion in vision and enables the welder to not see things clearly in the welding pool. So for beginners makes sure you spend enough time on learning and practicing on increasing the consistency. There are some tips for beginner tig welders.
6. Lastly, after the completion of your welding process, make sure you properly use a brush to remove contamination or other particles and clean the slag. This way one can achieve a decent weld. Though to have a neat weld one that might be produced through light grinding the welding area.
The Pros and Cons of TIG Welding Without Gas:
So after having a deep clear understanding of how TIG welding without gas works, it is time to elaborate on the advantages and disadvantages welders might face. So before you are making up your mind to hit TIG welding without gas we suggest you take these pros and cons notes with you.
The most promising and highlighted advantages of using this include:
- The welder will feel lightweight as it does not requires lifting an extra weight of gas cylinder with them. So in a very rare case, if the welder might need gas then instead of a large heavy cylinder, one can switch to a small one and use a small-sized cylinder. Carrying heavy weights brings some critical issues such as weight load, space, and portability. Typically a big heavy cylinder can even weigh up to 200 pounds and above making it difficult to carry and move around. Also, any fault in the cylinder or even falling can cause severe accidents.
- It is always a recommended option to use TIG welding without gas within outdoor conditions. Due to the stability of the argon gas which is not suitable during windy conditions.
- You can easily get the neat, smooth weld for the dirty metals by using TIG welding without gas. Furthermore, it can easily work on different rusty surfaces giving an edge over TIG welding with gas which cannot weld on such rusty spaces.
- The most highlighted feature of this TIG welding without gas is its capacity to produce higher temperatures. Though the quality of the weld is always a big debate question. For some reason, the quality of the weld involves some other factors that depend upon the arc penetration within the workpieces.
In addition to advantages, these are the disadvantages that we face during our testing phase of TIG welding without gas. These cons include:
- The ability to see within the weld pool is quite tough that requires keen observation and time.
- Using TIG welding without gas can cause hazardous fumes and gases. So one should make sure to do welding in a properly ventilated room.
- Be patient as TIG welding without gas will take some more time as compared to TIG welding with Helium or argon gas.

Luis Ferency with experience of 35+ years is a semi-retired welder. Though his passion for welding and learning keeps him going further. He loves sharing his knowledge on his expertise in SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, and FTAW. Hence, this helped the new welders to seek leverage knowledge and improve their welding skills.