pulse settings

[fdcmiami]

I use 150-160 amps, 125Hz, 30% AC balance (as set on machine), 50-60pps., 30%pulse amps ratio and 60% pulse time on. This is on a 250EX. Same settings work at 180-200pps. and at least up to 205 amps. I also had a hard time with pulse until i found these pulse settings on weldingtricks etc. There is a lot going on and a lot of coordination in TIG welding. When you add pulse there is just more info to process and my brain couldn't handle it. Anyway i hope this helps.

that's all well and good but this guy can't weld aluminum. it is best to start at the most basic level. get some clean al, use default settings, put the amps to max, plug in the foot pedal, and light up your tungsten until you get a feel for that point where the material transitions from solid to liquid. i did not look to see what winky's machine is capable of so i should not have thrown out the 3/16 's thk suggestion offhand.


if you like jody's videos here is one, the one you should start with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR8Rlpf0ELQ

[Winky]

that's all well and good but this guy can't weld aluminum. it is best to start at the most basic level. get some clean al, use default settings, put the amps to max, plug in the foot pedal, and light up your tungsten until you get a feel for that point where the material transitions from solid to liquid. i did not look to see what winky's machine is capable of so i should not have thrown out the 3/16 's thk suggestion offhand.


if you like jody's videos here is one, the one you should start with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR8Rlpf0ELQ

NO ... that was a very good suggestion and I will go there with the pedal ... I am having luck welding aluminum ... I'm just trying to get it looking better ... and it is ... a little bit at a time ... I am finding myself more and more comfortable with aluminum. I want to hone my skills ... when I have, then I'll make repairs on some classic Triumph mc casings that are waiting for me to fix ... I want my repairs to look good as well as hold ... I'll get it down ... it's all good

[Rambozo]

I can't imagine teaching someone to weld aluminum without a foot pedal. Sure once you are good with aluminum, you can go with fixed settings, but not while learning. It requires a lot more skill to go without, because you have to adjust your technique to compensate for the way heat conducts through aluminum. This is especially true if you are not pre-heating your parts, and your parts are not huge. The thing is is takes a lot of heat to get the puddle started, but as the aluminum comes up in temp, it takes less and less heat to maintain the puddle without melting through. With the pedal this is easy as you just keep backing off along the weld. Without it, the only thing you can do is adjust travel speed, arc length and filler rod. Or just stop and turn down the welder. The other thing about aluminum is that it does not give you as many visual cues as to the amount of heat in the part, and how close it is to melting. It's a lot more subtle than steel. The good thing is that once you figure it out, most of those skills will transfer back to steel. So learning aluminum will make you a better steel welder, too. The same thing goes for pulse, upslope, downslope, etc, turn them off for now until you get the feel for the heat. Then you will have a better idea of when to use things like that. FWIW most of those functions can just be done with the pedal anyway. and usually easier and better. For example when you are ending a weld, you will see the crater forming and learn how to get it to fill in as you back off the pedal and add a little rod. Too short and you will leave a crater, too long and you will have a bump. Once you can do that on your own, by watching, you will know how long it takes you for a particular material and weld size, and you will know how much downslope to dial in, otherwise you are just guessing. The machine can't see the weld and make adjustments on the fly, like you can.
Starting with a chunk of 3/16" and just running beads is fantastic advice. Plug in that pedal and stop twiddling knobs, for now. Welders have been pulsing with a pedal long before that feature was added to machines. Practice, practice, practice, that is what will make you a better welder.

[Rodsmachineshop]

lol i must be weird i weld better with out the peddle lol . but if i had a good peddle it mite be different i have only used my peddle twice in over 2 years

[Winky]

I can't imagine teaching someone to weld aluminum without a foot pedal. Sure once you are good with aluminum, you can go with fixed settings, but not while learning. It requires a lot more skill to go without, because you have to adjust your technique to compensate for the way heat conducts through aluminum. This is especially true if you are not pre-heating your parts, and your parts are not huge. The thing is is takes a lot of heat to get the puddle started, but as the aluminum comes up in temp, it takes less and less heat to maintain the puddle without melting through. With the pedal this is easy as you just keep backing off along the weld. Without it, the only thing you can do is adjust travel speed, arc length and filler rod. Or just stop and turn down the welder. The other thing about aluminum is that it does not give you as many visual cues as to the amount of heat in the part, and how close it is to melting. It's a lot more subtle than steel. The good thing is that once you figure it out, most of those skills will transfer back to steel. So learning aluminum will make you a better steel welder, too. The same thing goes for pulse, upslope, downslope, etc, turn them off for now until you get the feel for the heat. Then you will have a better idea of when to use things like that. FWIW most of those functions can just be done with the pedal anyway. and usually easier and better. For example when you are ending a weld, you will see the crater forming and learn how to get it to fill in as you back off the pedal and add a little rod. Too short and you will leave a crater, too long and you will have a bump. Once you can do that on your own, by watching, you will know how long it takes you for a particular material and weld size, and you will know how much downslope to dial in, otherwise you are just guessing. The machine can't see the weld and make adjustments on the fly, like you can.
Starting with a chunk of 3/16" and just running beads is fantastic advice. Plug in that pedal and stop twiddling knobs, for now. Welders have been pulsing with a pedal long before that feature was added to machines. Practice, practice, practice, that is what will make you a better welder.

Touche' ... that's my next step ... always done things the hard way ... that's probably why I joined The Corps instead of The Navy lol.

[Rambozo]

Touche' ... that's my next step ... always done things the hard way ... that's probably why I joined The Corps instead of The Navy lol.

You want the hard way, learn on a dinosaur, like this, instead.
If it was good enough for grandpa, it's good enough for you.

[Winky]

You want the hard way, learn on a dinosaur, like this, instead.
If it was good enough for grandpa, it's good enough for you.

I love dinosaurs ... maybe I wont sell my old Thunderbolt at the yard sale Saturday ... or maybe raise the price! LMAO

[Rambozo]

I want to hone my skills ... when I have, then I'll make repairs on some classic Triumph mc casings that are waiting for me to fix ... I want my repairs to look good as well as hold ... I'll get it down ... it's all good

If those are engine castings that have been soaked in oil, you have picked probably one of the hardest things to repair as a first project. Best to put that off for awhile. Castings in general are not the nicest alloys of aluminum, and the oil will cook out of the pores and mess you up even more. Go to a junkyard and grab some other castings to practice on before you light up on something not easy to replace. But until you have gone through at least a tank or two of argon, I'd stick to clean new material.

[Rodsmachineshop]

I would be lost with out my oven to bake stuff before welding , before i got my oven i used a large propane bbq worked good to bake part before welding what works good for cleaning oily stuff is Wesley's white wall cleaner

[Rambozo]

A friend's shop has a vacuum furnace for heat treating, I have used on occasion for that. It's amazing what it will cook out of what looks like a "clean" part.

[Rodsmachineshop]

my oven go to 900 degrees . great for cooking pizzas hahahahaha

[Winky]

Well … Now that my 2T welds on aluminum looking much better now … I’m ganna add instantaneous control … yes … those who have been telling me this is where I should have started … I just hooked up my foot pedal. I know it’s weird but I’ve always done things “the hard way” first … actually there is a method to my madness … I have lived a life filled with lethal dangers … I’m eligible for SS in less than three years … so … it works for me

[Winky]

OK! I just spent the last 10 minutes using my pedal ... all I can say is WOW ... all I had was some 1/8" flat stock aluminum ... I made a couple practice passes in then butt welded a bunch of small pieces together ... YES YES YES!!! I LOVE THIS MACHINE!

[Winky]

If those are engine castings that have been soaked in oil, you have picked probably one of the hardest things to repair as a first project. Best to put that off for awhile. Castings in general are not the nicest alloys of aluminum, and the oil will cook out of the pores and mess you up even more. Go to a junkyard and grab some other castings to practice on before you light up on something not easy to replace. But until you have gone through at least a tank or two of argon, I'd stick to clean new material.

Very astute ... that is exactly why I'm honing my skills before attempting. As far as going to a wrecking yard for other casings HEHEHE it's a 1969 T120R Bonneville Triumph 650 ... there are none left in junk yards ... the repairs needed are tiny cracks from which there are small leaks. I will bake them out first. I could probably fix with epoxy but I hate going there ... JB Weld works ... but it's a band aid; don't like doing that ... nor to I to use Heli-coils and such things ... just doesn't seem right.

[Rodsmachineshop]

lol i had a couple of triumph cub's they was neat also have had some BSA and Norton's

[Winky]

lol i had a couple of triumph cub's they was neat also have had some BSA and Norton's

I remember those ... Triumph Cub 200cc single four stroke ... what fun!!!

[Rambozo]

As far as going to a wrecking yard for other casings HEHEHE it's a 1969 T120R Bonneville Triumph 650 ... there are none left in junk yards ... the repairs needed are tiny cracks from which there are small leaks. I will bake them out first. I could probably fix with epoxy but I hate going there ... JB Weld works ... but it's a band aid; don't like doing that ... nor to I to use Heli-coils and such things ... just doesn't seem right.

I didn't mean that they had to be the same kind of castings. Just get any castings to practice on. An old transmission, an A/C compressor, whatever you can find. As long as it's cast aluminum and had some kind of oil in it, you will learn a lot about cleaning, and welding. JB weld, let's not go there. Although Heli-coils do have thier place. There are a lot of brand new parts that use them to reduce wear on things that will be taken apart and reassembled a lot, and where studs won't work. Aluminum threads have a set life but with an insert, they last so much longer, because there is no abrasive wear on them.

[Winky]

I didn't mean that they had to be the same kind of castings. Just get any castings to practice on. An old transmission, an A/C compressor, whatever you can find. As long as it's cast aluminum and had some kind of oil in it, you will learn a lot about cleaning, and welding. JB weld, let's not go there. Although Heli-coils do have thier place. There are a lot of brand new parts that use them to reduce wear on things that will be taken apart and reassembled a lot, and where studs won't work. Aluminum threads have a set life but with an insert, they last so much longer, because there is no abrasive wear on them.

I've used a lot of Heli-Coils in my day ... Thread-Zerts too all have their place ... point well taken ... practice ... yup ... I get it.