WeldAll 160 pi and tigging?

[Fastest1]

Ok so I got my 160 set up, I have my argon connected running a #6 lens. Switch on "TIG". Pulse off. I have a 3/32 tungsten sharpened and in the torch. (Btw I have tried a very sharp tip and a slightly blunted tip, is it me or does the arc/flame front get larger if the end of the tungten is larger?). I am set in DC, ground clamp is in the + socket (though this does seem counterintuitive). I am getting mixed results. It seems like with the sharper tips the flame is so small wetting or forming a molten pool is difficult. Originally when I set it up it seems this puddle was larger and easier to form. I am welding (or trying to anyway) mild steel in the .060-.075" range. The only rods I have on hand are ER308/308L in 1/16th. I was using the pedal with the knob. The knob controls the amperage somehow but I am not sure of exactly what is being displayed during turning it. It doesnt seem to display the same info that gets displayed if the pedal is not plugged in and the amperage is being turned up by hand. Is that because the pedal is up? Judging from my thickness of metal, shouldnt my amperage be in the 60-75amp range? Where should upslope/downslope be if just welding flat? Post flow is on the 3rd mark (approximately 2 seconds per mark? so 6 seconds?) Preflow on the 2nd mark but scale is about .875 seconds per mark, so 2 seconds. I am not sure about starting and ending amps and they have been left to 0. I am getting a variety of problems, some melt thru. I have no experience to speak of so I am not blaming the machine. LOL

[Gadget]

The adjustment knob on the front of the pedal can be confusing. Leave it set at 10 (max) and just feather the pedal to get the arc you need. You won't see the amperage on the dial with the pedal in, at least on my 200PI, it displays when you are welding but not when there isn't an arc present. I just go by the arc and puddle. You can use the upslope on thin metal to prevent blow through when starting. I would use a low setting. The up and downslope is more a time factor for how long it takes to get to full amps and ramp down at the end to prevent a cooling crater. Not sure about starting and ending amps, don't have that feature on my unit.
This is what I believe. However, someone with more experience and knowledge may trump what I say and that is ok.

[Fastest1]

Btw, page 34 of the manual confirms the flat needed in the tip to help the stability of the arc. It shows the problem being the tip is radially ground. I was grinding mine to a fine point but doing it the correct way or the marks are parallel with the length of the tungsten. I have read of people using blunt and sharp points with success. I was reading where 1 of the longevtiy people at a trade show werent even sharpening the tungsten and could weld quite well. Practice, practice and then practice some more? If you want to be good, I am sure that is what it is going to take.

[Gadget]

I was reading where 1 of the longevtiy people at a trade show werent even sharpening the tungsten and could weld quite well.

That would be Stan or SICFabrications and yes he could weld with electrodes right out of the box. I swear he could lay a good bead with a pencil lead.

[Fastest1]

Gadget, Again thanks. I do have a few questions for you and whoever might chime in. First I would think you would set the dial on the pedal to a little over the maximum amperage you would need for the tungsten size, rod and material thickness not just the max of the machine, of course I could be wrong and or misundestand the controls or BOTH! LOL I guess part of my question is, how do you know your maximum amperage setting when on the pedal? So Gadget, When you are starting an arc with your pedal turned all the way up on the dial. Are you just barely pushing the pedal and the arc starts? Or do you have to go deep into the stroke to start it? After the arc is started, do you let off substantially on the pedal? I have been placing the lens and tungsten parallel with the workpiece, engaging the pedal (generally flooring it like I do my car or truck!) After the preflow timer allows the arc to be able to start, I slowly roll the torch to a more vertical position leaving the lens in contact. Once an arc is started, I pick up the torch slightly and rotate the tungsten to a more upright position, this is what I see people doing and it seems to work smoothly, then everything is downhill from there. I must be using too much amperage at times judging from the blow thru and or distortion. I think with practice I should be able to get a decent sized flame front or arc and be in a comfort range where the puddle is under control not melting too fast. Is this a correct assumption? I am not talking about the hand/eye/foot coordination required as this will improve with practice but the metal flow.

---------- Post added at 06:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:45 PM ----------

I just spoke with Simon, he was a pleasure and was very polite to a noob or anyone for that matter. Anyway the consensus was that the dial on the pedal does control the amperage overall and disables the dial on the machine panel. Also the dial on the pedal in not active, it is static. It does not work on the fly, it only works on whatever setting was set on the pedals dial at the time of plugging in the pedal (regardless if the machine was on or not). They could have put a pushbutton on off switch on the pedal too and eliminate the unplugging, simply toggle reset and retoggle. I would feel like a rock star with a Morley Wah! Three are 2 problems with this the way I see it. #1 being that there is no visual verification of your amperage settings once the pedal is plugged in. This is due to the pot in the pedal as I understand it. Also the amperage settings would be very vague if not visually available. On to more testing! Woo Hoo!

[Gadget]

I've found that with my unit if I set the pot on the pedal lower than 7 I cannot get enough amperage to get a good arc so I always keep the pot somewhere between 7 and 10. I start the pedal slowly until I just get an arc then adjust to get the puddle I need on the fly. I also hold my torch vertical to the metal to start the arc. I've never tried holding it horizontal first so I can't say which method is better. I don't know what the amperage is when welding, I always go by the puddle and adjust for that.

[Fastest1]

I understand the puddle in theory. My question is the ability to calculate and set the correct amperage and only run a little higher to prevent or help control burning thru.

[Fastest1]

I disconnected my pedal, set my torch for 2T, set the amperage via the front panel and hit the button. The difference is night and day. I might even be able to figure this stuff out. I felt like an artist with a little paint brush of fire and force. Bead sitting too high, go over it with bigger circles and concentrate the heat and it would lay down very nice. Not worthy of pictures yet but I can imagine a few in the next week or so. Inevitably I would like a pedal that is functional (I am not saying my existing one is not working just that I unplugged it to check out the difference between foot or finger control) so far finger control is getting the job done well. Tomorrow I will experiment with the pedal more but I would rather a pedal with no dial and let me set the amps from the machine and see it on the readout.

[Gadget]

Glad to hear you've had some success with your welding. I found it easier to learn without the pedal myself and thought I had suggested that but after reviewing my posts I guess I missed that. Once you get the hang of it using the torch trigger the pedal will seem a bit easier I suspect.

[KHK]

They could have put a pushbutton on off switch on the pedal too and eliminate the unplugging, simply toggle reset and retoggle. I would feel like a rock star with a Morley Wah! Three are 2 problems with this the way I see it. #1 being that there is no visual verification of your amperage settings once the pedal is plugged in. This is due to the pot in the pedal as I understand it. Also the amperage settings would be very vague if not visually available. On to more testing! Woo Hoo!

I am confused with what you are saying about the push button. To test the pedals operation, hold the torch parallel with the work, press the pedal and look at the amperage indicator then press the pedal further down, the amperage should increase. If you have the down Slope knob above zero the welder will continue to arc after the switch is released. When you are using the pedal, you should not care about the amperage that you are using, just look at the weld pool. Happy WELDING!!