Argon/Helium Mix!!!

Cdavid82 · Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:26 am

First of all, im new at this forum, my name is David and im from Miami FL. Nice to meet all you guys. Now, what the hell am i doing wrong? i have the "y" set up with 1 cylinder of Ar and 1 cylinder of He, Check valves, two Argon Regulators and a Miller diversion 180 on AC setting. When i try the Argon and helium % ratios seen on Jodys videos my weld comes out like crap, it turns black with a skin over it. Now,the way i set up the flow rates is as follows, for 50% helium/argon for exmple, i set the argon regulator to 20cfh and the helium regulator to 10cfh. Would this be accurate or does the density of helium affect the reading on the argon regulator? I read that in this case 10 cfh of He is actually 20cfh?

Also the more helium and less argon i use, the worse the weld looks. I cant adjust the AC balance on the diversion, Is that an issue?

So, in order to get a decent weld i need to set the argon at 20cfh and the helium way under 10cfh, but the weld is not as pretty as with pure argon.

I would appreciate any suggestions thanks

Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:41 am

Hi,

Have you got pure welding grade helium? (not balloon gas) What happens if you try with just the he?

Mick

Cdavid82 · Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:43 am

just helium my weld looks black and filler ball up, welding helium

Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:48 am

Hi,

Ewww. Im not sure but there may be a leak some where. This will suck in air as well as lose has.

Mick

Cdavid82 · Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:51 am

So the bead should be clean with helium in AC? Well on the hose barbs i have tir wraps not clamps, but i put water in each one and no bubbles, maybe a leak on the torch?

Fri Jul 13, 2012 5:01 am

Dont take it as gospel but I belive straight HE can be used as a shielding gas. Or at least should provide some form of shielding. Maybe another member will shine a little more light. Sorry.

Mick

RedIron881 · Fri Jul 13, 2012 7:33 am

Can't say I've have the same problem your experiencing but when I mix He/Ar I like to go by the thickness of the material (the thicker the more He). Most of the time .125-.375 I like the normal 75% Ar/25% He. The denseness of He does have a large affect on a Ar regulator. If you get a chance at your local welding shop take a look at one that's Ar/He and you'll see the difference in the values. I'd just make a mental note of the lines on the He side and say about there on yours at home... It's not a perfect science. Mick does have a point with is it pure He? Balloon He has nitrogen mixed into it which would cause problems. With not having any problems welding with just straight Ar I'd lean more towards getting a different bottle of He. The arc balance shouldn't be a issue but I've only welded a few beads with a diversion, so I don't know where they're set at. Also, just to clarify you did use soapy water on the hose barbs? Just checking

Cdavid82 · Fri Jul 13, 2012 9:10 am

ok so i need to go through all the fittings and put hose clamps instead of zip ties, and make sure the collet body is nice and tight. oh, im also welding outdoors by the way. I appreciate all of you guys helping me out here...

Cdavid82 · Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:53 am

Ok no leaks.. i tried pure Helium at 10 cfh and couldnt get the arc started. so i increased the argon untill i was able to weld a decent bead.im guessing the reading on the flow meter im using for helium is throwing me off. So i just tune by weld appearence and argon flow. now what percent ratio would you guys say that i am running when i set argon at 20cfh and the Helium a like at 5 CFH through this regulator? You think this is like a 50% helium to argon?
Heres a test weld after tuning

Fri Jul 13, 2012 6:53 pm

I'll try to remember Monday to take a pic, or at least write it down. I have several flowmeters at work that are graduated in both He and Ar.

Steve

RedIron881 · Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:02 am

Here are a few photos of the regulators at my work. Hope this will help.

Cdavid82 · Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:42 pm

Hey thanks do when helium pushes the ball tpo 20cfh in an argon flow meter its actually 60+ CFM of helium. now i know why the right mix of helium was just gettinhg the ball to lift half way to 5 cfm in the argon flow meter. Thank for the pics man!!!

RedIron881 · Sat Aug 04, 2012 12:20 pm

Glad the photos could help set your mix. I've ran 30 cfh HE to 10 cfh AR while welding .625 thick aluminum and welded like butter. But, on the other side welding .020 aluminum I'll barely crack the HE regulator just to help stabilize the arc a bit. Really, just keep tinkering with the settings and you'll find what works best for you.