hacadacalopolis wrote:Well with that being said Dave, I'm going to keep the dial at 200 A.
I try and keep my balance as low as I can( between 3-5 on syncrowave). Would you recommend my amps as previously stated with 1/4 " aluminum? I also tried starting off without balling tungsten. I'm just on standard tjoint coupon right now.
Balance setting of 3 on a syncrowave is 50/50 balance like my welder - then you are just welding old school.
May as well at least be at 5 so you get some extra penetration and less heat in the tungsten tip.
On the last set of 1/4" aluminum I ran 230 amps.
I also start without balling the tip since it will round off all on its own anyway. I grind a short blunt angle and put a little flat spot on it.
Pic is 1/4" angle and 3/16" diamond plate. Not perfect, but normal for me.
image.jpg (39.96 KiB) Viewed 1247 times
Last edited by MinnesotaDave on Sat Feb 01, 2014 6:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dave J.
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~
Syncro 350
Invertec v250-s
Thermal Arc 161 and 300
MM210
Dialarc
Tried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Ill never ban for a hijack, because my brain works in very stange ways. Im like: welding welding welding........oh look a squirrel (not literally in Aus)....lol
Ill never ban for a hijack, because my brain works in very stange ways. Im like: welding welding welding........oh look a squirrel (not literally in Aus)....lol
Mick.
Perfect description - I'm with ya man
Dave J.
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~
Syncro 350
Invertec v250-s
Thermal Arc 161 and 300
MM210
Dialarc
Tried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
When a thread is hijacked here, it almost always goes in an interesting and informative direction. Usually, if the original topic gets buried, one of us will bring it up, and we'll either get back on topic, or have parallel topics on the same thread. I've never seen it as a problem, or heard a complaint.
And, if I'd got to my camera faster, I'd have posted a pic of the squirrel I saw outside my window while typing this
Otto Nobedder wrote:When a thread is hijacked here, it almost always goes in an interesting and informative direction. Usually, if the original topic gets buried, one of us will bring it up, and we'll either get back on topic, or have parallel topics on the same thread. I've never seen it as a problem, or heard a complaint.
And, if I'd got to my camera faster, I'd have posted a pic of the squirrel I saw outside my window while typing this
Steve S
....welding...welding....metal....welding....look a squirrel !!! .....welding.....
image.jpg (66.71 KiB) Viewed 1202 times
Dave J.
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~
Syncro 350
Invertec v250-s
Thermal Arc 161 and 300
MM210
Dialarc
Tried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
MinnesotaDave wrote:Some grind information for you (by way of pics)
I use the middle of the first pic on aluminum and the bottom two taper grinds on steel.
Is this thread hijacking because someone mentioned steel taper grinding or because someone mentioned grinding? I suppose if someone mentioned they used ceriated tungsten and I replied I used lanthanated I would be guilty of hijacking. Where are the limits? Just on the other side of squirrels?
If I was on the other site I would post a nasty comment about "if you are looking for squirrels, use the search function. Squirrels have been covered in numerous topics. Don't waste our time." Or something like this.
Now I am threadjacking. Sorry.
Thanks for posting the information on weld penetration versus electrode grind angle. That info. is the exact opposite of what i was thinking. I have been preparing all of my electrodes for steel at a 30 degree angle. I'll go back and resharpen them to 90 degrees. This info. relates directly to the use of correct electrode dia. withthe best angle for the thickness of the material being welded.
Where did you get that information? Excellent reference material!!!
No problem Jim. I like your take on tungsten prep - using the correct diameter tungsten allows using the best grind angle for the job.
Using a tungsten too large for the amperage requires a long thin taper, which probably eventually becomes the grind usually used out of habit. I'm guilty of it when I grind a long taper on 3/32" when I should be using a smaller one.
I think I remember Jody say that a 3/32" tungsten was good for 150 amps. It could be used up to 200 amps but it is better to go to 1/8" tungsten if doing a lot of welding at 200 amps. This is because the thinner tungsten cannot carry as much current without overheating. I have only used 2mm (5/64")and 3/32" tungsten. It seems like when I sharpen a long taper on 3/32, after a few passes it becomes more blunt but it still welds fine on 1/8" steel or aluminum. Is there some rule, based on experience, for best tungsten diameter for a certain material thickness?
I've been saving up my money to buy a 2004 Syncrowave 250DX and I was wondering about "tungsten for aluminum?"
Ok this is not a hijack.
Can these machines only run pure tungsten on AC?
Any ceriated or lanthenated ????
~John
Just a couple welders and a couple of big hammers and torches.
Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it.
Trump/Carson 2016-2024
AKweldshop wrote:I've been saving up my money to buy a 2004 Syncrowave 250DX and I was wondering about "tungsten for aluminum?"
Ok this is not a hijack.
Can these machines only run pure tungsten on AC?
Any ceriated or lanthenated ????
~John
If you keep a heavier tungsten than required, and the balance toward "penetration", you can even use 2% thoriated on a 250DX. I don't recommend it for critical welds, as it can be unpredictable depending on brand/quality.
Somewhere on here, I have pics of several aluminum repairs on failed previous repairs, where someone used too small a thoriated tungsten at way too high a current, and destroyed the base metal by spraying it with "tungsten fog". I'm not convinced they didn't do it DCEN, it was that F#$KED UP.
AKweldshop wrote:I've been saving up my money to buy a 2004 Syncrowave 250DX and I was wondering about "tungsten for aluminum?"
Ok this is not a hijack.
Can these machines only run pure tungsten on AC?
Any ceriated or lanthenated ????
~John
If you keep a heavier tungsten than required, and the balance toward "penetration", you can even use 2% thoriated on a 250DX. I don't recommend it for critical welds, as it can be unpredictable depending on brand/quality.
Somewhere on here, I have pics of several aluminum repairs on failed previous repairs, where someone used too small a thoriated tungsten at way too high a current, and destroyed the base metal by spraying it with "tungsten fog". I'm not convinced they didn't do it DCEN, it was that F#$KED UP.
Steve S
Yep, I watched my 3/32" 2% thoriated and 3/32" 2% lanthanted both do that on a piece of scrap with my Airco.
I was just goofing around with amps too high for that size (230) and I could watch them spray. Pretty interesting
1/8" tungsten of either worked fine at 230 amps for my machine.
Dave J.
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~
Syncro 350
Invertec v250-s
Thermal Arc 161 and 300
MM210
Dialarc
Tried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
We have to use 2% thoriated and pure with the syncrowave at school, I probably already mentioned that. I am going to try lanthanated though since I bought some HTP
