Quote Originally Posted by performance View Post
Chevy,
A wandering arc is usually a result of one of about three, four, or possibly five things. ( You do have your torch in negative right?)
1) poor placement of the work clamp, not directly to the metal itself, having to route the electricity through the table etc.
2) Corrosion on the work clamp. Check to see how hot the clamp is. IF it is hot, you need to move it, or disassemble the cable and the clamp and clean all connections.
3) Contaminated tungsten, is actually one of the most common causes. Learning to tig is always a grind, regrind, regrind some more process.
4) Contaminated gas. Sometimes welding supplies get lazy and don't properly vacuum the tank before they fill it. Or they accidentally mislabel it.
5) Holding the tungsten greater than about 3/32 off the metal will cause a lazy start.
And 6) trying to weld in a breeze (in front of the welders fan in my case). The arc was all over the place.

Thurmond