thanks everyone. this had been really helpful. Love the videos. I have never seen the backside of the weld develop real time.

LtBadd wrote:What your seeing on the back side, the way it looks like the center of the joint doesn't fuse is normal If you purge the back side this would improve.

Thanks for that. I didn't know that would make a difference.

Are you beveling the joint? ;) No i am not beveling. I am still trying to do what i see in the videos where people have success without beveling. I try to look for signs like the puddle sinking and keyholing (I think that is what it is called) but i continue to be amazed at my lack of complete fusi...

I am working on 3/16 aluminum butt joint. i find that i can get great looking beads but my penetration is incomplete. When i hover in place longer i get two humps of aluminum on the back side of the joint but the center on the back side is not fused? How can the sides melt before the aluminum in the...

thanks Diesel.

first let me say I am a beginner. I was thinking of making some odd shaped "modern" table legs. I will plasma cut 2 symmetric curvy pieces of aluminum and then have 2 long pieces to close the gap on each side. My question is what is the best way to do this. Do I weld supports on the curvy ...

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

thanks Oscar,

Good to know. That explains it.

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

OK so I did some but welds with 1/8" aluminum. They looked so pretty :D . 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...

I was not leaving a gap so I will try that. Thank for the replies

I am trying to butt joint some 2" aluminum square tubing which is 1/8th inch diameter. when I weld it together i am not getting complete penetration. Should I expect to be able to get a full penetration weld on this thick of aluminum? I don't really need a structurally perfectly strong joint bu...

thanks again everyone

Thanks so much. So should have the flow meter valve "open" when I first crack the tank open or should it be in the "closed" position before cracking the tank? Or does it matter? Thanks again

I have scoured the internet and unable to fond an answer to my question. My dial regulator broke and I have a flow meter type with the ball that floats. Problem is when I turn on the tank the ball rapidly rises to the top and hits the glass. Is this ok? with my dial regulator I just backed it out af...