Hello
having trouble getting tig welding down. working on some scrap aluminum to get beads and a steady line down with filler, but cant pin point where its going wrong.
ive tried various settings and its not looking like the pictures online
65A, no pulse, 75%AC, 110HZ
85A, no pulse, 75%, 125HZ
40A, no pulse, 60% AC, 140 HZ
using green rod for aluminum with 3/32
id like to get something like this, but with 26ga sheet metal
Knowing very little about welding (I’ve taken the MIG class and played a little) I’ll say that thin materials are going to be very difficult to weld properly and aluminum doubly so.
i know its gonna add another layer of complexity but thats half the fun
there are videos online, but the pros make it look easy haha
Are you clamping the ground directly the aluminum?
ive tried both, to the table and to the table with alum
yes, argon is on. i try to keep it close as i can without dipping into the stock. the torch is at a straight and perpendicular angle in relation to the sheet then i adjust the angle but keep it close as i move the torch.
tried to put in some practice hours the other day and another member hinted that it may be due to not starting a bubble/pool or getting the material to fully melt. we’ve also noticed that when trying to add filler rod it doesnt really fuse and the rod kind of boogers up.
pulse, AC, and HZ and machine settings default but tried various amperage and still not narrowing it down at this time.
im guessing its doing some cleaning/penetration but not clue as to getting it to pool
What is the alloy of the base metals and the rod you’re using? Some Aluminum alloys don’t weld very well. Just looking at possible causes, you seem to be going through everything systematically to find the root cause.
You do absolutely have to have a puddle. You can’t successfully add filler without a puddle for it to mix into. Otherwise you might as well be pouring molten solder on it.
thanks yall
figured out the issue after working with lee and jason
That’s great!
Care to share for future learners?
was using the wrong electrode
the rod that goes into the welding handle was ok for the previous tig welder dms had but not the newer welder
the welder is inverted and cant use pure aluminum electrodes, blue works best if tig welding aluminum
Wimp! A little radioactivity creates superheroes…
This is a pretty good place to start for tig. https://weldguru.com/tig-welding-aluminum/
BTW the rod that goes in the handle is tungsten not aluminum for all TIG welding. Tungsten is the T in TIG. Your test welds look very contaminated and over heated. I suspect not enough argon and too much amperage. Be sure the AC and HF are on and that cleaning takes place in the arc zone before the puddle becomes mirror. The puddle is usually only about 1 to 1.5 times the diameter of the Tungsten.
