Walking the Cup compared to Freehand on a 3g plate
How to TIG weld Stainless Steel
Walking the cup is a great technique... so is Freehand and you need to be able to do both.
When you have plenty of space around the weld to walk the cup, that works great.
But when there are obstacles in the way like other pipes or a wall or ceiling that limits your movement, then freehanding with a TIG Finger is the way.
Walking the cup is primarily used for pipe welding on butt joints, flanges, and socket welds but also can be used on some other structural shapes.
Some jobs require you to walk the cup...others might even discourage it.( who knows why but I have worked a job where it was frowned upon)
You never know what you will encounter on a job so be prepared to freehand and also be prepared to walk the cup.
Small bore pipe like one inch and under generally goes better with freehand.
Parts that are final machined with a super nice finish will have scratches from the ceramic cup if you walk the cup so free handing those is recommended.
