Powertig 200DX fairly new TIG welder

[chevyracer56]

performance- perhaps you are right and my mind is playing tricks on me.....perhaps the reasons I saw so many "shiny" welds when I did a 4130 chromoly chassis is because anywhere near the tube ends were polished before welding and once welded they had a colorful HAZ, perhaps all of that combined is why I recall the welds being shiny when in reality its just everything else made it seem that way?

On another note, I have been using er70-s6 rod, I used a little spare S2 rod i had laying around of known quality (the s6 I have came as part of the package with my welder). I will try beveling some thicker pieces later on and see what it does

Lastly I tried some more aluminum and the arc. is definitely more stable at the start than it used to be. I also realized why I might be having trouble with my filler occasionally.....it is 1/16", and even though I am only welding on 30-40 amps perhaps that is too much amperage for that tiny filler, I will source out some 3/32 perhaps.

[sportbike]

1/16 filler is fine.
When tig welding, you need to make sure everythign is shielded, including the hot end of the filler, otherwise, it will oxidixe every time you pull it out of the shielding gas, then deposit the oxided back into the weld.

I woudln't worry so much abotu the apparent oxidation you are worried with, instead, work on torck control adn steadiness with your filler.
Start with steel as the puddle is much easier to see.

somethign in teh 1/8" thick range will likely be the easiest, not too thick that it is hard to heat up, but not to thin where you ned to be on your toes to prevent overheating.

Stick your tungsten out of the cub the least amount practical, but be sure it is not like 3/8" out as that is likely too far to get shielding.

Sit at a chair, with the material on a table of some sort at about chest height.

Concentrate on watching the puddlt develop. Once the puddle is approxinately 3/16-1/4" diameter, then move the torch slightly without lifting or lowering it, then dip the wire into the puddle, move, dip, move, dip. lright, left right, left right, left...

Use lower heat rather than higher, just take your time. Don't focues on trying to penetrate the material either, you are just doing an autogenous weld on plate. No joint to worry abotu consuming or heat transfer from one side to the other.

Let the torch and filler hang out for a bit at teh end of the weld, while the post flow shielding gas is still flowing.

Lay a bunch of beads, abotu 1/2" apart, in as straigh t a line as you can manage. (Be cautious of how hot the material will get)

torch control, torch control, torch control.

Pay attention to your beathing as well. Be sure you actually are breathing and not holding your breath. I know that sounds trivial, but it is very important, otherwise you will not be abel to be steady throughout the weld.

It you heat it....it will flow.

[chevyracer56]

Sporkbike- Thanks for the advice, I will definitely practice some more as that is the only way to get good! I am really looking forward to getting my working foot pedal in, I originally "learned" how to TIG with a footpedal and it allowed me to just move my foot and keep a constant/stead pace with both of my hands which helped out tons, but now since I am only using the torch I am having to adjust my feed rate with both hands as the pieces heats up........it is definitely a bit more of a challenge to get everything looking consistent that way .

[performance]

That's why I tell people to start with the torch switch, because it develops technique and makes you a better welder from the start.

[Ram48]

Hey Chevy
I really appreciate this thread. I am in the same spot with my welding Working on the dip in and out thing and am also getting the scorch marks on the electrode and grey welds. I do have a gas lens and a number five cup but My gas may be a bit low I will check during playtime tomorrow.

[chevyracer56]

Ram48- Its no problem, that is what forums are for . I did notice another difference that I forgot to mention, then weld puddle actually seems more stable....but I assume that is due to the lens making a uniform flow of shielding gas. The scorch marks on my tungsten used to be right at the tip of the collet body.....I compared the oem one with the weldcraft one I got at airgas and the weldcraft one has a slight different design and fits a little better.....I dont know that is what my problem was since I changed a few things but I think a collet and collet body are only like $1.50 each so it cant hurt to get a new one. Plus the oem I had deformed after a short run at 200 amps anyhow. Also with the gray welds try lowering the amps some and slowing down, that helps, but only once you solve your shielding gas problem. Lastly check for leaks....a while back I thought my hoses were tight but the one going into the machine would leak a little if you pushed on it and cause tons of porosity.....so make sure everything is tight

[chevyracer56]

I decided to do a quick test on a rusty piece of steel I had laying around, I took a sander to it but no acetone. I did three tests....new collet and gas lens, old cup new collet body and collet, old cup old collet old collet body, respectively. Honestly, though there seemed to be some minor differences, I think the gas I had in combination with possibly poor torch control and possibly argon leaks were the culprits of my prior issues. Anyhow I hope to get some more pictures of a different type of weld (instead of just plate).... but I think torch angle/flow rate/cup size and good cleaning are the main things I will be concerning myself with for now.

btw the only significantly noticeable difference that I can visually tell between my tests is the gas lens provided better shielding at the end of the weld (hence little discoloration)(far left)

[chevyracer56]

Also aluminum welds seem better and different....the machine doesnt seem to be getting as much penetration for the same amperage but is producing a much better bead with a lot more cleaning. Again these are by no means perfect and could probably have used a little more penetration but it is getting better