Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
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ESENTI
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    Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:36 am

So I thought that many have a problem with their machine set up still , I suggest this simple test . 1.6mm Tungsten 2% lanthanated 65 amperes AC we speak for aluminum . frequency above 120Hz and more . Gas 5.5 liters/m 11cfh aprox .
So you run some beads and the tungsten does not ball over the 1.6 diameter you are ok with AC balance cleaning settings and positive and negative adjustment in more advanced machines . It is simple and easy . ( for the less experienced welders and beginners ) .A little photo also as a sample , I did with 60Hz no pulse with the 1.6 lanthaneted tungsten as above, after
I spent several hours experimenting and making these little boxes that had to done any way .
ESENTI ..
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soutthpaw
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That weld looks really cold, how thick is the aluminum?
ESENTI
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    Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:36 am

3mm aprox , 65 amperes a little box I make . the welding rod is the real issue since it is a soft oxyacetylene rod i have it ages and since this box is not o significant stress I use it to save on regular welding rods i could consume 4043 ...
It took several hours of continuous work so while my had had reached the best performance I did this which was the best of all and since a nice photo is always welcomed i took one on the scanner for my friends ...
ESENTI ..
soutthpaw
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ESENTI wrote:3mm aprox , 65 amperes a little box I make . the welding rod is the real issue since it is a soft oxyacetylene rod i have it ages and since this box is not o significant stress I use it to save on regular welding rods i could consume 4043 ...
It took several hours of continuous work so while my had had reached the best performance I did this which was the best of all and since a nice photo is always welcomed i took one on the scanner for my friends ...
ESENTI ..
That's .118" almost 1/8" you should be at 150 amps to start. Way too cold. You should easily be able to autogeneous weld the outside corners without any filler at all. You just melted the filler rod onto the base metal. Probably very little fusion.
ESENTI
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Thickness is 0.786 which is critical to weld easily you need to be careful , usually I try different settings and I found 65 ampere enough I can use more , but it gets hot and then i have to stop. The time before you add feeler is important , 2~3 seconds in this case takes 4 to 5 then it gets hot and you add feeler quickly or a mess will happen . This is the nature of this
welding . Thicker aluminum needs a lot of amperage. Small pieces are like a can of heat when warm up heat can go way up
if not careful . The pedal is nice to have but in my case is very expensive so I'll post pone it for a while . It has 560 usd something much foe my pocket so I adjust it manually.
I was experimenting with new settings based on Zank's suggestions.So I use the method of variables, I ended up changing only the thickness of welding rod . Strange thing when i use 2.4mm rod I cannot lay good bead when I use 3mm it is a lot better. We speak for nice beads not welding , welding is always good but now i need a bit of appearance too . Usually look in the front of the puddle now I look and behind the puddle .The pony is a bit drunk cannot go straight in this photo . This is done with 250Hz and must be the proper tig rod. Conclusion welding artistically is not so easy after all .
Esenti ..
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If you want to have some control of your heat input you can try increasing your up- and down slope to a couple of seconds and pulse manually with your torch switch. When it starts to get too hot release trigger and current will decrease slowly. Hit it again when its getting colder. Used this method last week repairing legs of a cast aluminum table. Building up a mounting bracket, 6 mm thick, on the edge without backing. Would melt away quickly without any current control.
When I bought my first tig I couldnt attach a pedal so I learnt manual pulsing, mostly welding sheet metal. My new tig requires a digital pedal, cost about same as yours + VAT, haven't dug that deep in my pockets yet ;)
ESENTI
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    Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:36 am

AndersK thank you , every time I tried this technique you described , I lose control and i panic that i will make a good hole so I avoid it .
I learned so far the stopping of arc to be abrupt .Only in thicker pieces I am willing to try it so the crater will be less.
Pulsing is a good way for fine amperage adjustment .(keep the pulse high to avoid flickering and play with the duty cycle and base current).
I would have liked thought the use of pedal but for the moment It has to wait and yet still it would have taken a lot of practice .One person I liked through history is Thomas Edison , who said : 1 percent inspiration 99 percent sweat . In other words experience that can be work for you , in the end not all supposed to be artists. Some have it naturally the others follow.
ESENTI
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