Welding Tips and Tricks

hey y'all been doing a aluminum job been going perfect like normal stacking clean dimes changed argon bottles and now its got horrible peppering in my welds full of junk nothing i do will clean it up tungsten won't hold sharp like it was i can't figure it out its good gas reputable gas company am i missing something obvious? thanks

If that's the only change, smart money says it's the gas. From all the stories I've heard "reputable" doesn't mean anything anymore. They are all driven by profits and hire people who sometimes don't follow the procedure. Therefore, it's easy to get a contaminated cylinder. Take it back and ask for a refund.

Also do a soapy water leak check on all joints loosened during cylinder changeover.

ok so i agreed with the gas being the the missing link so took it back they swapped me a new one took it back home and same issue then i thought of this this project I'm doing iv never had to weld this hot before on this welder and i noticed my torch getting really hot and even smoked a couple times could something in the torch head have melted or something causing the gas not to cover right or something like that iv welding big aluminum before just not on this machine its not a water cooled torch or anything what y'all think thanks for the responses i don't have anyone around me that tigs so i don't have anyone to bounce things off of

You could have definitely melted the gas line causing suction of air. Take out the electrode, pull the trigger with your finger blocking the end of the shroud. Let it go. If there is a a leak the pressure will drop down at the flow meter. If not it should stay constant as the gas can't escape... If that makes sense

The heat might have chased back thru the head and weakened the hose under the handle or the fitting may have come loose. When you do the soapy water test, pull the handle back off the torch head and investigate there also. Keep us posted, please.
Bill

Smoking hot air cooled torch will usually only hurt the O ring on the back cap / the end of the power lead inside the handle where it's crimped & the collets deform & bulge restricting the gas - all of these should be relatively easy to spot by eye & change - hopefully it's something cheap & simple - also worth confirming expected gas flow & the ceramic with a pee shooter gauge.

ok looked at everything and must have missed it the first time but the collet tip end does look almost drooped on one side not flat and straight so ordered some new ones needed some new glass furic 8 cups anyways so waiting on those and then ill retest and see if that makes any difference ill keep y'all posted once they get here thanks