Need a little help...

[225]

I am trying to weld aluminum. Running @ 150 amps. 1/8 thick. 3/32 rod, 1/8 2 % thor tungsten.

Everytime, the electorde gets a ball at the end of it. Or it blows the tip off. What am I doing wrong?

[Rodsmachineshop]

you are welding in ac mode ,were do you have you ac balance set and the amps are to hi for thin stuff . try 80 to 90 amps to start out-- 150 amps is what i use to start out when welding a thick aluminum head

[225]

The AC balance was at about 12' o clock. I will turn the heat down. I read I need to turn the AC balance all the way counter clockwise? Is that correct?

[Rodsmachineshop]

yes i always have my balance almost at 9 o clock pointing to the left . on my 250 if i go past 12 o clock it burn my electrode were do you have your post flow , ac freq at and are you using the pulse on or off . forgot are you using the pedal or just the torch by itself

[Ray]

watch out,

on a 200DX all the way down is 30%.
on a 250EX all the way down is 10%.

so yea, on a 200DX I would run it all the way down for most stuff.

[225]

I have been using my foot pedal. I tried using the switch on the torch. Screw that.

Just ran a few more beads. Looking better. It's a steep learning curve. I am catching on though.

Thanks for the help.

[Rodsmachineshop]

I found out when i started welding aluminum i started out low on amps then worked to higher amps if needed that way you don't fry your tungsten or burn threw your aluminum . also make sure your aluminum is nice and clean before welding

[jerky]

you want your tungsten to ball up on the end when welding aluminum

[Rodsmachineshop]

Mine don't ball at the end . http://www.thefabricator.com/article...ten-electrodes

[everlastsupport]

The ball on the end is normal. Drop the power down for sure (see Rods post), 150 is HOT unless you use the pedal and 1/2 the amps. Make sure you have straight argon too. Any co2 will toast the tungsten. Run the balance at 30% (see Rays post). Clamp is +. Gas flow at 8-10lp should be plenty. That is about it. Are you running 4043 or 5356?

Yesterday, did a measure once cut once, weld it back, grind and cut again... It was 1/8th aluminum angle 50-60 amps will do it for you, 70 if on the pedal should be fine.

[posixPilot]

you want your tungsten to ball up on the end when welding aluminum

So, hang on a second, are you saying that a balled up tungsten is actually desirable when welding aluminum? Or are you saying that a balled up tungsten is the normal result of too many amps? I'm new to TIGing, and I was planning on trying some Al next week some time.

Thanks
Mike

[jerky]

its normal for the end to ball up, nothing to worry about

[Rodsmachineshop]

if pure tungsten yes ball that was the rule on older tig machines , not on the newer sinc pulse wave welders since they don't use pure tungsten. rule for new machines electrode pointed for lower amps and higher amps pointed and truncated tip . that means grind to point then make tip flat on end about .010 - 030 . me myself i just knock the point off about no more than .010 . for what i weld and in a tight area i have to have a point so the heat and arc go exactly were i want it to go ,for example welding aluminum heads inside a intake or exhaust ports that has a crack or a crack between the valve seats ,cant have the arc dancing all around in a tight area

[everlastsupport]

The ball is pretty much something you will see with the 2% thoriated. Nothing to worry about as long as it is not bigger than the electrode . Grind them to a point and I tap the end to flatten the point.

[posixPilot]

Nothing to worry about as long as it is not bigger than the electrode .

Ok, so not as large as the monkey's fist I end up with after dipping my tungsten a few times . Gotcha, thanks!

[everlastsupport]

Ok, so not as large as the monkey's fist I end up with after dipping my tungsten a few times . Gotcha, thanks!

LMAO, never thought of it quite that way, but yes, you're 100% correct. Small ball, preferred not larger than the tungsten.

[Zmechanic]

When I was using thoriated for AC and a machine stuck with 50/50 balance, I used to grind the tungsten to a fine point. Then I'd put it in the torch, and put the machine on DC+ on purpose. Then light up on some clean metal, and slow ramp up the current and intentionally burn back the electrode until I had a nice cone shape with a rounded off tip. This worked a lot nicer than letting it ball on its own, which can sometimes cause it to form weird shapes and patterns on the tip. You can change the size of the balling based on how much current you are going to use.

Not sure you can do that with an Everlast welder though, can you?

[225]

I know these look like crap. But here is 30 minutes of learning to weld. First I had to learn how not to blow the tip of the tungsten off. Then, heat issues are another thing I am working on. But these beads are the first time I have ever used a TIG welder.

And one thing that was weird for me is how loud the HF noise is when burning a rod. Crazy.

[everlastsupport]

AC freq or HF? If AC frequency, turn it a little more clockwise.

[225]

Today I went and bought some pure tungsten. Bad idea. It welds like crap. Going back to 2%.