Welding Tips and Tricks

I am trying to tig weld some 1/8 inch steel tube. I have a miller 180 sd which should easily be able to do the job. I'm using 2% thoriated tungsten that is 3/32 , I have the selector lever set to DCEN and my amps are at 130. The tungsten isn't balled at the end it is at a point and it is ground in the correct direction. The steel is clean and I have no contamination on the tungsten. However, when I hit the remote peddle only a very small and weak arc comes out. It can't even puddle the steel. I can tig weld aluminum just fine so I have no idea what is happening here.


Any ideas?


thanks,

E

sounds like a grounding problem

Hmm, ok i will check that. I'm not sure how clean steel has to be tig weld it. I wiped it down good with some cleaner and it isn't rusty. I didn't grind the spot i'm going to weld down to bare new metal. I will try the grounding thing to make sure that is happening.

E

howdy-
try grinding a small spot where you clamp the ground to.
mister bobo