This study explores the crucial aspect of achieving successful welding procedures, where proper heating and fusion of components are essential for creating a unified piece. While TIG welding boasts numerous advantageous features, a notable limitation lies in its lack of penetration. To address this challenge, the authors investigated the efficacy of using non-metallic backing mediums to see the effect of thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of backing medium on weld penetration in TIG welding processes. By employing these backing mediums, the study aims to shed light on the potential impact of these non-metallic backing mediums on weld quality and penetration depth. This case study focuses on Bead-on-plate TIG welding performed on plates with the same material thickness. In contrast to previous studies that utilized plates as backing mediums (Singh et al. in Sādhanā 46:203, 2021). However, for this case study, water and ice were adopted as alternative backing mediums. The study replicated previous experimental conditions, facilitating a rapid transfer of heat input to the non-metallic backing medium. Apart from evaluating weld penetration, the research also examined the grain size of TIG welds assisted by the backing medium, comparing it with the grain size obtained in standard TIG welding procedures. The findings shed light on the potential impact of these backing mediums on weld quality and microstructural characteristics, contributing valuable insights to the field of TIG welding.