Welding Tips and Tricks

I have a miller 350 lx and i am welding aluminum.

The question is what is the best tungsten to use? I was using the blue stripped which i think is lanthinated but it didnt seem to be holding up well.

Also on my pulse settings i can only go up to 10 pps so how do i adjust considering the rule of "33" the Jody suggests?

Thank you for your help.

Well considering you only go up to 10 pps , I'm sure you've seen that video of Jody's that used pulse and he would only use 1 pps or over 30pps anything in between is annoying. Here's the video, http://welding-tv.com/?page_id=197

Watch the whole video or at about 5:50 is the part I'm talking about.

So considering the video, You might as well chop the last nine pps off and throw them away!!
Anybody on this?
Are the last nine pps ever usable?
I'm gonna be buying a Syncrowave 250dx here soon, and It also has a pulser up to 10pps.
When would you ever need those other nine pps?
Otto?

~John

Chilliepaste,
Here is a topic that will answer your tungsten questions.
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... f=5&t=4423

I like multiples of 2 pps for aluminum, depending on thickness. For sch. 10, 2 pps was fine, I could advance and dip in a rythym. For thinner, 4, or 6, and advance/dip every 2nd or 3rd pulse, respectively. Above avout 6 ppm, I couldn't keep up, but for very thin material (.049 tubing) the higher pulse rates did seem to help with heat control.

Steve S

Wasn't three or four pps unbearable? look at the video in my link, at 5:50 - 6:50.

AKweldshop wrote:Wasn't three or four pps unbearable? look at the video in my link, at 5:50 - 6:50.

I think your link was broke?
This worked though http://welding-tv.com/?page_id=197

That 3-4 pulse raised my blood pressure just watching it

So in other words, 2pps up to 20-30pps is useless?

I actually liked 4 & 6 ppm for thin material. No, I'm not trying to advance at that speed... It's not the speed of the pulses, but the duration. I'll still advance every second, and feed in between, but the short pulse period makes a small puddle when I do feed.

It took me a lot of practice to get an even rythym, though, and I doubt I could do it today, as this was a specific job several years ago.

Steve S

So is a Miller Syncrowave with a pulser from 0.25-10pps very useful?

AKweldshop wrote:So is a Miller Syncrowave with a pulser from 0.25-10pps very useful?

At my present job, not often. My aluminum welds are usually heavy sections.

For thin stuff, though, I'd say yes. You'd most use the low end for the reasons mentioned by others.

Steve S