[Nateeendavie]

Thank you in advance for any help you all might have in trying to figure out the problem I am having.
I am useing a everlast 255ext my settings are as follows
220 freq.
25 bal
20 cfh
Advanced wave
250 amps

I am using # 6 normal cup
3/32 purple e3 tungsten

I am welding machined 3/8 aluminum to unmachined 3/16 that I am cleaning thoroughly with brake cleaner and scotch brite pads before I weld
The welds are primarily t-joints and outside corner joints

The problem I am having is porosity in the welds and when I stop and start again the weld is very dirty. After a start it clears out and welds and looks perfect except for the porosity that pops up occasionally. Also when I’m tacking with or without filler porosity pops up all in it.

I have tried messing with the settings for hours on scrap changing everything around and can’t seem to get anywhere with it. I was previously using a miller dynasty 200 and didn’t have these problems. But the everlast is all new to me.
Thanks!

[cj737]

A couple things: make DAMN sure the Brake Cleaner you are using "Non-chlorinated" else you will be departing this earth very shortly. Chlorinated brake cleaner when hit with a TIG arc releases chlorine gas into the immediate atmosphere and will kill you.

Switch the Balance setting to 35% and try again. I believe the Everlast works in reverse to the Miller, so 25% currently would be 75% on the Miller. Not enough cleaning action probably. And, a gas lens with a #6 and above is my standard configuration. 20CFH through a collet body is probably wreaking some havoc on your shielding gas too. Drop to about 10CFH if you don't use a gas lens.

[tungstendipper]

What is your pre-flow and post-flow set at?

[Nateeendavie]

On the balance I have tried going up that high and it got worse. I forgot to add earlier that the tungsten was soot black after any tack or weld above a balance or 10 or 12. I have also gone as low as 10 on the balance and it was a little better (no porosity and the tungsten was not as black it had a little color) but the puddle acted very sparactic and the weld was very glazy. Also I should add this metal is extremely clean I spend a lot of time doing prep work when I ran a miller my settings were 70 bal and 185 freq and under the same conditions it welded great. I will try using a gas lease with a lower cfh I’m thinking that will help. As far as pre flow and post flow pre is 3 post is 2.5

Thanks!

[cj737]

On the balance I have tried going up that high and it got worse. I forgot to add earlier that the tungsten was soot black after any tack or weld above a balance or 10 or 12. I have also gone as low as 10 on the balance and it was a little better (no porosity and the tungsten was not as black it had a little color) but the puddle acted very sparactic and the weld was very glazy.

These new details make me think your machine is stuck in DC. Have you tried completely different scrap material? Does all AC welding currently give these types of results? Power the machine off, then back, switching back forth from DC to AC. Might reset a board internally that is misbehaving...

[Nateeendavie]

No it does not. When just stacking beads on a flat piece of aluminum I got it to a point in messing with settings where it was welding fine except for the fact that I could still see little bubbles in the puddle before I added filler. As far as the blackness of the tungsten do you feel that maybe I should use a different tungsten other than e3? Also is 250 amps too high for 3/32? . I know that before on my Miller I was only using 185 amps and was mixing helium in to be able to weld the 3/8” to 3/16. This is the first time I have welded this thickness without helium mixed in. Also the everlast have a few different wave settings is the advanced the best for what I’m doing?

I attached a picture of what I’m welding to give you a better idea, this is the first one I did. Along the t joints porosity popped up in quite a few places, there was no porosity that I could find In the outside corner joints but I was also only running 160 amps maybe. Even without the porosity the weld still looked weird, it had this glossy matte finish I have never seen before and the starts were still very dirty for no reason that I could find.
Thanks

[kiwi2wheels]

On the balance I have tried going up that high and it got worse. I forgot to add earlier that the tungsten was soot black after any tack or weld above a balance or 10 or 12. I have also gone as low as 10 on the balance and it was a little better (no porosity and the tungsten was not as black it had a little color) but the puddle acted very sparactic and the weld was very glazy. Also I should add this metal is extremely clean I spend a lot of time doing prep work when I ran a miller my settings were 70 bal and 185 freq and under the same conditions it welded great. I will try using a gas lease with a lower cfh I’m thinking that will help. As far as pre flow and post flow pre is 3 post is 2.5

Thanks!

My .02c would be to crank the post flow up till the (polished) electrode stays bright, 2.5 sec is too low for 250 A. If the problems persist, try a 2% lanthanated electrode of a known brand ( e.g., CK ) or the electrode you used with your Miller. And go over all the connections for any gas leaks.

I've had two instances of bubbling with DC and it was the electrodes.

[VA-Sawyer]

I also have a 255EXT. When you say Advanced wave, do you mean Advanced Square (top RH section) or Advanced AC (In the Pulse section)?
Advanced AC is a mixed mode that pulses between AC and DC waveforms. It can give you a lot more penetration at a given amperage than normal AC. Jody does a demo of the mode in one of his videos.

I would move up to a 1/8" 2% Lanthanated Tungsten. 250 amps is too much for 3/32, especially on AC.

If you need more heat, drop the AC frequency. Jody reports he gets better penetration at around 50-60 Hz in his videos.

I would also go to a larger cup. At that amperage, the puddle might be larger than the coverage area. Molten Aluminum and air are a bad mix.

I agree with the advice to extend the post flow. It needs to be long enough to keep the electrode clean.

There is a fair chance that using the Advanced AC mode may let you dial the amperage down enough to use a 3/32" Tungsten.

[BillE.Dee]

I have an everlast 205si and do find that using 4043 filler makes the weld look glazy and seem to have sugar in the weld. I also find that once I get the puddle formed I have to start MOVING . I am welding 3/16 aluminum.
I do clean the aluminum with acetone, brush with stainless brush, and more acetone. 3/32 tungsten, #7 or #8 cup. Settings are AC, 150 amps, 30% balance, and 90-120 Hz, 20 cfm argon. I can hear the ac buzzing and using 3/32 5356 filler gets me a good looking weld. I also work the pedal quite a bit. That is what works for ME.
Thanks to all in here.....my bird art is improving.

[Nateeendavie]

Yes I am talking about advanced square

[VA-Sawyer]

Here is the video I was refering to about the Advanced AC. https://youtu.be/RPoYSakqX9Y