October 31, 2026 · Indumor

TIG welding course · Appendix B← Previous

Cutaway of a TIG torch welding, with its parts numbered

The TIG terms in English, the language of AWS and ASME standards and of tungsten and filler rod data sheets, next to the Spanish heard on the shop floor in Argentina. The middle column is there for anyone dealing with a Spanish-speaking crew, supplier or document.

English	Spanish	What it is
AC balance	Balance	The share of each AC cycle spent electrode negative and electrode positive.
Alternating current (AC)	Corriente alterna	The current used for aluminum and magnesium.
Autogenous weld	Soldadura autógena	A joint made with no filler metal, just by melting the edges.
Back cap	Tapón trasero	The torch cap that covers the back end of the tungsten.
Back purge, backing gas	Purga de respaldo	Gas that shields the root from the inside.
Cathodic cleaning	Limpieza catódica	Breaking up the aluminum oxide in the positive half of the AC cycle.
Ceriated tungsten	Tungsteno ceriado	With cerium oxide; thorium-free.
Collet	Pinza portatungsteno	The part that holds the tungsten inside the torch.
Consumable insert	Inserto consumible	A ring that melts into the root of a pipe joint.
Cup, nozzle	Boquilla	The part, usually ceramic, that directs the gas.
DCEN	Corriente continua, electrodo negativo	The normal way to run TIG on steel, stainless, copper and titanium.
Down-slope	Rampa de bajada	Gradual reduction of current at the end of the bead.
Ferrite	Ferrita	A phase wanted in small amounts in austenitic weld metal.
Filler rod	Varilla de aporte	Metal added by hand into the pool.
Foot pedal	Pedal	Foot control of the current.
Gas lens	Lente de gas	A mesh that straightens the gas flow from the torch.
Grinding	Afilado	Shaping the tungsten tip on the grinder.
Heat tint	Coloración	Oxide bands that heat leaves beside the bead.
High-frequency (HF) start	Alta frecuencia	A high-voltage spark that strikes the arc without touching the work.
Hot pass	Pasada en caliente	The second pass, laid over the still-hot root.
Lanthanated tungsten	Tungsteno lantanado	With lanthanum oxide; thorium-free.
Lift-arc start	Encendido por contacto	Striking by touching the tungsten down at very low current.
Orbital welding	Soldadura orbital	Mechanized TIG that travels around a tube.
Oxygen analyzer	Analizador de oxígeno	Measures the oxygen left inside a purged pipe.
Passivation	Pasivado	A treatment that helps stainless recover its protective layer.
Pickling	Decapado	Chemical cleaning that removes heat tint from stainless.
Post-flow	Postpurga	Gas that keeps flowing after the arc is broken.
Pre-flow	Prepurga	Gas that flows before the arc is struck.
Pulsed TIG	Pulsado	Current that alternates between peaks and background.
Pure tungsten	Tungsteno puro	No additions; for AC on transformer machines.
Root pass	Pasada de raíz	The first bead in a joint.
Sensitization	Sensibilización	Loss of corrosion resistance from chromium carbides.
Sugaring	Azucarado	A dark, granular crust on a stainless root welded without purge.
Thoriated tungsten	Tungsteno toriado	With thorium oxide, mildly radioactive.
Trailing shield	Escudo de arrastre	An attachment that follows the bead with gas, on titanium for example.
Tungsten electrode	Tungsteno	The electrode that does not melt.
Tungsten inclusion	Inclusión de tungsteno	A piece of tungsten trapped in the bead.
Up-slope	Rampa de subida	Gradual increase of current at the start.
Walking the cup	Caminar la copa	Root technique that rocks the cup while it rests on the bevels.
Water-cooled torch	Torcha refrigerada por agua	The torch used at high currents.
Zirconiated tungsten	Tungsteno zirconiado	With zirconium oxide; for AC.

If a term is missing, its lesson in the TIG course explains it; wire and stick terms live in the MIG-MAG and stick welding glossaries. All three glossaries were put together for our Steel Knowledge Hub at Indumor.

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TIG glossary, English-Spanish

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