My favorite welding process is tig welding. It is makes a clean weld, a lot less smoky and takes less grinding. For me tig welding beats all other processes hands down. Some people think tig welding is slower than stick welding. I know it is a more expensive process due to the use of argon but for me the speed is not a factor. I use both free hand and walk the cup techniquies every day.
When putting the root in I vary rarely walk the cup. I tend to run at a high temp when putting a root in pipe and i find that walking the cup I have less control and that means more room for error when your burning hot. I leave the same size 10 cup on my tig rig and never change it to it breaks. Some welders will put the root and hot pass in and the change the cup. This is fine if that is what it takes for you to make a good weld.
After the root i add a hot pass and quite frequently change between walking the cup and free hand in the middle of the weld. This all depends on what position I find myself in and the enviroment around me. Sometimes you can get obstucted more easily when walking the cup due to the room it takes to move the tig rig. Free hand can be far less restictive in tight positions.
When capping the pipe if at all possible I will walk the cup. I makes a nice looking conformed weld that is visually appealing.
Conclusion: I see many new welders that do not have the skill to free hand. I guess in the school they attend they are not taught this valuble skill. If you can not free hand tig weld you we be far a less vauble welder. There is a time for free hand welding and a time for walking the cup. Both are very important in the fine art of welding. To be a complete welder you need to be able use both.
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