TIG Welding a 5F Carbon Steel Test with a TIG Finger®

A 5F weld test is a tube to plate weld test where the axis of the pipe is horizontal and the plate is vertical and the 5F test is sometimes used to qualify a welder for socket welds.

Obviously such a small weldment like this can get really hot quickly so a TIG Finger® is a "must have" TIG accessory. 

If you have a TIG finger® in your pocket, you always have a way to prop...even on scorching hot metal like on a 5F weld test.

Walking the cup is great and I used to do it every day when I was a pipe welder.

But there were plenty of times when there were other pipes really close to what I was welding where I had to freehand and prop my glove near the weld.

On a heavy wall socket weld or butt joint where there are several weld passes to do, that pipe gets really hot and stays hot.

Back in the day, I used to cut the thumb out of an old stick welding glove and tape in on my TIG glove for some extra heat buffer.

That helped a little bit but no where near as much heat protection as a TIG finger.

With a TIG finger, you can concentrate on the weld instead of how bad you knuckles are screaming at you to stop.

For sanitary tubing, anodized aluminum tuna towers and rod holders, preheated pipe, boiler tubes, 4130 chromoly tubing, aluminum intercoolers, and more, The original TIG finger® from Weldmonger or the XL version is the industry standard for finger heat protection for TIG welding.