Welding Tips and Tricks

OK so I did some but welds with 1/8" aluminum. They looked so pretty . Then I ground down the weld and I noticed that I could see a line where the joint matched up. I was surprised because it seems to me this means I had only the most superficial penetration (yet the joint feels solid). So I tested how much time on my inverter it would take to get complete penetration and it was a long time at a lot of heat. I swear I almost saw the puddle drop as a sign of complete penetration. After complete penetration the metal shape was pretty distorted from the heat. Long story short what do you guys/gals look at as a sign you have adequate penetration to advance the tungsten when looking for complete vs only partial penetration

Hope this makes sense. thanks

More power allows you to penetrate quickly and get moving - 3 seconds or less approximately.

170 amps starts the puddle quickly, you'll see the puddle drop very slightly - don't miss it as this will be your only signal.

thanks. I just went out and tried 170 amps and wow what a difference. I was using the miller calculator and was working at max amps 127. I was under the impression that inverters need less amps than the calculator suggested .

thanks

metaldreams wrote:thanks. I just went out and tried 170 amps and wow what a difference. I was using the miller calculator and was working at max amps 127. I was under the impression that inverters need less amps than the calculator suggested .

thanks

Inverter based welders consume less amperage from the outlet. That doesn't change the amperage output requirement at the tig torch/tungsten.

thanks Oscar,

Good to know. That explains it.

metaldreams wrote:thanks. I just went out and tried 170 amps and wow what a difference. I was using the miller calculator and was working at max amps 127. I was under the impression that inverters need less amps than the calculator suggested .

thanks

Power is your friend

Dave is right power is your friend....crank it up and get moving.

thanks everyone. I got into tig for thin aluminum so I was always afraid of burn through. This is the thickest material I have worked with. I will kick up the power. By the way I have struggled with fillet welds on aluminum but cranked up the power and it went like a breeze. Thanks again