I am getting pretty good at setting up the machine for beads on various thickness material, and my filler rod hand is getting pretty good at feeding rod without getting closer to the torch, and I rarely dip the tungsten any more. I have gone through about 2 pounds of rod between 3/32 and 1/6 filler rod.
I am using an inverter based machine, so I have been using 1.5% lanthanated and E3 tungsten's. It seems to me like the E3 holds up better to high amperage. Any thoughts?
I usually run around 15-20 cfh of argon, have tried more, and less, but I notice that the cleaning action is good at the start of the arc, but then the further I go with the bead the less cleaning action I get. The puddle/weld stays mostly clean during the run, but there is little to no frost around the bead. I have moved AC balance all around, from 10-75%, doesn't seem to make much difference. I ordered a stubby gas lens kit to see if it provided better gas coverage. Any thoughts?
Specifically, I am having a hard time with any other joints besides beads on flat stock and tight butt joints.
On my lap joints the top piece always burns away super fast before I can get a puddle, I suspect this is a torch angle problem, any thoughts?
I cant seem to get a puddle going at the beginning of a Tee joint either. I keep wanting to jam rod in to help it out but it never works, should I get a puddle on the bottom and push the puddle into the vertical piece with the torch? Any thoughts?
Thanks for any advise you can offer
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