Welding Aluminum...How to with pics inside!!!

[Gadget]

1- turn down the cleaning just a bit. Your have a little too much not much but just a little. This will give you more heat in the aluminum and make it easier.
2- I cant tell if the pulser is on but if it is just turn it off. For this thick of stuff you really have no need for it. Plus by turning it off if it is on that will give you more heat.
3-Cant tell for sure by the pictures but it looks like you may have used sand paper or flap disk to clean the aluminum. IF so again dont do it. IF you did then we can get into y not to lol
4-Try to keep your had in a position so you dont have to move it as much. Make a dry run so you can see if it is comfortable on your had to make it with out picking up your had.

Very good information Junes, thanks and welcome back.
Dan

[LONGEVITY]

1- turn down the cleaning just a bit. Your have a little too much not much but just a little. This will give you more heat in the aluminum and make it easier.
2- I cant tell if the pulser is on but if it is just turn it off. For this thick of stuff you really have no need for it. Plus by turning it off if it is on that will give you more heat.
3-Cant tell for sure by the pictures but it looks like you may have used sand paper or flap disk to clean the aluminum. IF so again dont do it. IF you did then we can get into y not to lol
4-Try to keep your had in a position so you dont have to move it as much. Make a dry run so you can see if it is comfortable on your had to make it with out picking up your had.

Good Advice,

Welcome back and lets see an avatar and some of your work. Your expertise will be a great addition to the forum.

Thanks

[junes]

i will be working on my avitar and i have some pictures of some projects on my photo albums if you look leeve some feedback

[Gadget]

i will be working on my avitar and i have some pictures of some projects on my photo albums if you look leeve some feedback

Will do Junes.

[junes]

if you want to keep a point while welding aluminum you can just use the regular size tungsten you would normally use but ceriated not pure. Turn your balance to about 30% cleaning or EP and keep the pulse off for now. Now this is the part that really keeps the tungsten sharp. You have to put the ac frequency to around 200hz.(this is not the pulse). This should keep the point and if it doesnt then adjust your cleaning to less cleaning.

[SICFabrications]

there are some points that i woulds also like to add........... the welds made in the op's first post were cold, dirty, poor rhythm, and erratic torch movements.... all of these are contributed to lack of experience, not necessarily machine.... i myself buy miller equipment just because they have a service center right down the street (as stated in a previous thread)... and as soon as i can get these transfer manifolds done, i will run some tig aluminum beads and post those pics for your critique. with winter time coming up soon, i doubt that i will be in the market for a new machine until after summer starts in full swing, just because i like to sit on my money (you never know whats gonna happen next in this country)

one thing that i am gonna tell my class peeps next saturday and the best way i can explain it without showing ya how is this....

start the puddle on the aluminum, once the puddle has reached the desired width (heat) you will usually see a slight "keyhole" right at the leading edge of the puddle... then VERY rhythmically and deliberately add and remove the filler from the puddle, be sure that the puddle melts the filler and not the arc....and move the torch along slow and steady, in a straight line, and try to maintain puddle width and the keyhole.....

BUT, be sure to keep the tip of the filler inside the shielding gas, because molten aluminum is more affected by the atmosphere than steel, and you just melted the end of that filler rod when you dipped the puddle... otherwise, you will introduce contaminates and oxidation to the weld thus creating piss poor welds, dirty and porous welds

---------- Post added at 04:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:48 PM ----------

oh yeah, to further prove the point, i would gladly take anyones ac tig machine, makes me no matter of brand, make, model or even date of manufacture, and i can turn out the same welds either way. it all boils down to being able to read the puddle and a knack for welding aluminum....

as far as using sand paper, abrasive discs, flap discs, or any other mechanical means of removing oxide layers other than a clean unused file, or stainless wire brush IS NOT OK BY ANY MEANS OF THE WORD. what happens is this.......

when using a flap disc, the heat generated by the friction will actually smear the surface of the metal. when this happens, you are taking good underlying metal and putting it on top of the bad heavily soiled and oxidized metal. you dont see it until you run the torch over it and it melts into the puddle.... its simple physics...

when you use sand paper, you are basically doing the exact same thing, just cutting grooves into the aluminum, and brushing the oxides down into those grooves, including the abrasive media and the binder chemicals as well from the paper.... bad, bad, bad....

when you use a file, it actually "cuts" the surface away, leaving good metal behind... i file my metal surface, then hit it with a fresh wire brush, spray it with rubbing alcohol, hit it again with wire brush, then spray it with acetone.... then, and only then will the metal be anywhere near close enough to be clean enough to pass any sort of xray testing... and it dont matter what you set any machine at, it WONT clean enough if you use sand paper or mechanical grinding methods to clean.... it is what it is

---------- Post added at 04:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:03 PM ----------

lmao!!! (sorry) just thought of another point....

ive heard people say "well, im not doing xray quality work, so i dont need to bother, yeah?" that my friends is the difference between someone that can sell their work and someone that can not. its also a giant reflection on todays lazy and incompetent society... and i can promise that with that attitude, youd get fired from most jobsites that ive ever been on...

sorry for the peeve, lazy people pi$$ me off more than most other things =))

rantings are done (for now)

[tjjolle]

Nice Pics. I havent been able to use my TIG yet, but this is very helpful for my first attempt.

[Lonewolf9029]

huck_this: Kind of embarrasing but I do too! Don

[Ascinder]

if you want to keep a point while welding aluminum you can just use the regular size tungsten you would normally use but ceriated not pure. Turn your balance to about 30% cleaning or EP and keep the pulse off for now. Now this is the part that really keeps the tungsten sharp. You have to put the ac frequency to around 200hz.(this is not the pulse). This should keep the point and if it doesnt then adjust your cleaning to less cleaning.

What machine are you using that can go to 200hz? Mine only goes to 100hz, is that going to screw me? I am also using a lanthanated electrode, but it seems to hold up well. I am having problems trying to do inside corner welds and keeping the arc focused on where I want the heat applied. The ball on my tip was huge and the heat was going everywhere but down into the corner. FWIW my cleaning was up pretty high(~60-65%). I'll try turning it down and see what happens.

[Gadget]

The higher the cleaning the bigger the ball on the electrode and the better chance of the arc wandering. Try setting it to around 30 to 35%. The 200PI has a max freq of 100 HZ but that won't cause any problems.
Stan welded for three days with the 250PI Longevity unit and I saw him change the freq from the lowest to the highest and could lay down a beautiful bead anywhere in the range.