Welding Tips and Tricks

Am a noob, but with some coaching, I have been doing some semi-decent mild steel tig. Tried to light up on aluminum for the first time ever this am and met with total disaster... don't even know what to think. tungsten melted immediately and crap flew all over the table Aluminum turned black and looked aweful

parameters:
1/8 inch 6061 plate, cleaned shiny with fresh flap wheel and wiped down with acetone
TIG set to AC
75% balance
frequency 120
#9 torch with gas lens, 9 cup
3/32 2% lanthanated tungsten sharpened to 3/16 cone
3/8" stick out
held 1/16" arc
20 cfh straight argon (flow meter)
120 amps, pedal contol

I start at 120 amps and melted 3 different tungstens back into cup immediately upon lighting up and I threw my hands up and used bad words
Am I staying on full amps a micro-second too long when lighting up?

Would someone please offer some advice?

Which machine are you using for that?

Some machines have the balance marked "backward" from the convention, so you might have needed 25% balance (This detail will be concealed in your manual somewhere if this is the case).

Also, to state the extremely obvious, be sure you're set for Hi-Frequency "continuous".

Steve S

It's definitely not your amps. For 1/8" aluminum, 150 amps (or more) is appropriate.

Like Steve said, balance is likely reversed or something.

The more pics you show of the carnage that better people can help you.

Says he has an AHP in his greeting post. Not sure how their balance is set up vs blue/red

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

It does seem like 'backwards balance' is a likely cause here.

It certainly isn't your supposed noobness, mo. Don't believe the nonsense you hear now and then about AC aluminium TIG being some kind of mysterious dark art. If you get the settings right, you will be laying down tidy beads in next to no time.



Kym

Yep, balance.
AHP is bass ackwards. re-set to 25% and immediately started laying down beads. Moved too slow at first and got hot cracking. set amps to 150, got on the pedal, and started motoring with no problem.
1/8 4043. 1/16 melted before I got close to the puddle.
Thank you everyone!

mopeep wrote:Yep, balance.
AHP is bass ackwards. re-set to 25% and immediately started laying down beads. Moved too slow at first and got hot cracking. set amps to 150, got on the pedal, and started motoring with no problem.
1/8 4043. 1/16 melted before I got close to the puddle.
Thank you everyone!

Success! Well done! Doesn't it do wonders for your confidence?

I also found very quickly that thin filler rod tends to shrink back fast from the arc and I now seem to use mostly 2.4mm which I think is 1/8th.

You are going to fly from here on in. Practise! A fortnight after I started laying down beads on aluminium, I was making basic repairs to aluminium motorcycle parts. Trust you will be just the same.

Again, congratulations and well done. Enjoy!


Kym

Otto Nobedder wrote:Which machine are you using for that?

Some machines have the balance marked "backward" from the convention, so you might have needed 25% balance (This detail will be concealed in your manual somewhere if this is the case).



Steve S

Help stamp out operator induced error "RTFM"

mopeep wrote:Yep, balance.
AHP is bass ackwards. re-set to 25% and immediately started laying down beads. Moved too slow at first and got hot cracking. set amps to 150, got on the pedal, and started motoring with no problem.
1/8 4043. 1/16 melted before I got close to the puddle.
Thank you everyone!

Yep Chinese and some European machines are reverse of American format. It's the Metric way of doing it:D:D;)
Let me know if you need any help I have lots if experience with the AHP. I posted an extensive review here a while back. Also there is an AHP Owners thread on Welding Web forum..

Thanks Southpaw.
I'm just a beginner with TIG, but so far the AHP has exceeded my expectations. Jody's videos and advice from this forum has really helped my progress.

soutthpaw wrote:

mopeep wrote:Yep, balance.
AHP is bass ackwards. re-set to 25% and immediately started laying down beads. Moved too slow at first and got hot cracking. set amps to 150, got on the pedal, and started motoring with no problem.
1/8 4043. 1/16 melted before I got close to the puddle.
Thank you everyone!

Yep Chinese and some European machines are reverse of American format. It's the Metric way of doing it:D:D;)
Let me know if you need any help I have lots if experience with the AHP. I posted an extensive review here a while back. Also there is an AHP Owners thread on Welding Web forum..

Good thing they don't sell liquor that way. If I ask for 75 and get 25 somebody's gettin' an ass whippin
OTOH if I ask for 25 and get 75% she might get a beach house

Beach House on a welder budget usually means an old motor home parked on a sand bar down by the river.

Poland308 wrote:Beach House on a welder budget usually means an old motor home parked on a sand bar down by the river.

Sounds like you saw Chris Farley as the "motivational speaker" on SNL...

Steve S

My house is about 1000" feet from the river and there's a sandy area that the locals used to swim called Braeburn Beach. When we were first married my wife asked if I wanted to go to the beach, I asked if we should walk or drive. Confused, she said, "what" and I said Braeburn? She quit asking.

Len