Well I cranked up the CFH and put tube #4 in; think it will do just fine. Thanks for your encouragement.

Did you mean .040"? .004" is about the thickness of 2 sheets of paper. You were well advised to tack the gap first, then the tight side then maybe a couple more tacks near the first. give it time to cool in between the tacks. Then do the finish weld from tack to tack. That will help maint...

I have one tube that I just can't quite get with the angles of tubes that I have, and I the connecting piece on the opposite side has about .004 gap (2/3 the thickness of a nickel, even if it looks bigger in the pic). I know with stainless you really need tight fitup. But I also know that if I get t...

I was considering the one from certiflat
https://weldtables.com/products/fabturn ... e-everyman

I am thinking about getting a small welding positioner, but I have some very basic operation ??s. like, how do you start the positioner going once you start welding? How do you turn it on? Can it be done automatically by the pressing of the tig pedal? So if my right foot is actuating the Tig Torch, ...

I'm trying to weld some washers to 1/4" plate and my first attempt left tons of black stuff and popping of the washer metal as I was melting it. So I try just the 1/4" plate and weld it on the edge using 33 PPS. Still leaves some black around the edge. I had just got a new bottle of argon ...

Super stoked. Tried out my new FUPA 12 cup, increased CFH to 25 and lowered to 55A at .7 PPS. Almost perfect golden color (except the first part where I went back to fill my initial tack) and the back side doesn't show any sugaring. Using 1/4" copper chill blocks with aluminum angle on the back...

One other option. will the Solar Flux work? I was reading that it leaves some sort of residue and not sure how that would interact with gasoline down the road. Thoughts?

I did have a piece of aluminum angle backing the inner side of the weld. Re welding it w/o filler, I had done that earlier on some practice material and I did have less sugaring because I was able to concentrate more on a steady travel speed. However this obviously leaves the corner a bit thinner (a...

I'm trying to dial in my welds; ultimately this is for a gas tank. I'm using an aluminum piece flush with the stainless on the back, and using some copper chill blocks. I'm fairly happy with the weld. The question is how much "sugaring" is acceptable on the back side of the weld. I had a l...

I'm a newbie, and still practicing per Jody's direction on 5X5 aluminum plates. In one sense aluminum is harder because its so fast. But in another sense, I find it much easier. The puddle flows out so much easier, and the rod just melts into the puddle w/never any sticking. Steel on the other hand,...

Guys, the rectangular piece is also hollow; only slightly thicker than the piece I'm trying to tack it to.

Rookie to Tig, and I'm following Jody each week. I can work it pretty well on my flat 5" practice plates, but when it comes to tubing, I can never get it to develop a puddle. So I'm working with 14 gauge aluminum tubing, and today I cranked the Miller 210 to 100A and 65% balance. The tungsten t...

Goldhawg, Where are you located? Perhaps another member is nearby, and can guide you through the first one? I know it's a longshot, but aluminum welding of heavy to almost nothing is very hard to explain. Steve S Located near Dayton OH. Majority thinks I should start over. I was thinking of trying ...

IMG_0621.jpg IMG_0620.jpg IMG_0623.jpg IMG_0622.jpg I had a friend who does a lot of tig welding for a machine shop weld some mounting spacers for an electric fan on to my aluminum radiator. He's really a machine shop guy--not a welder, but since I had only Tig welded steel before I asked him to do...

1-8 alum plate 125A-75%-1PPSv2.jpg 1-8 alum plate 125A-75%-1PPS.jpg OK, got down to the metal store to buy some new plate out of the scrap pile. Got lots of misc pieces @ $2/lb, including the recommended 1/8" plate. Everything seems to be working great. I'm using 125A, 75% balance and 1 PPS. I...

melting rod.jpg good bead.jpg Well, you gurus are right. I took the plate over to my belt sander and ground pretty smooth, and it did a lot better. I'm pretty happy with how the one bead looks on the bottom. However I was also having a problem with the welding rod melting before I could get it into...

alum plate 1st pass.jpg alum plate sanded.jpg Ok, I had some more time tonight. I sanded the plate down w/2" sandpaper disc, then used acetone. 1st pic just shows plate after that cleaning. Then I started w/185A. 2nd pass down to 175A, then I dropped down to .7 pps, and 65% balance for more cl...

alum plate.jpg Well I picked up a piece of 3/16" alum plate that was in the welding scrap pile at work today and tried it out. CLeaned w/acetone and wire brushed. Set the machine at 175A w/no pulse and it seemed to do ok. Went about an inch. Then I dialed it down to 165 (thinking that with the...

Well, I just got back to the plate. Still can't get it to do right. I increased the CFH to 20; I had only been using 15 with the gas lens thinking that was enough. Didn't seem to change much. In the pic in the lower "bead", I started at 125A, and could never get the "shiny face" ...

aluminum plate practice.jpg I am trying to learn Tig on Aluminum and I just got a new Miller Synchrowave 210. I'm trying to start out w/Jodie's recco to get a piece of plate and just run beads. But I'm having a heck of a time getting the aluminum to quickly make a puddle, and then when I let it kee...