[johnnyv449]

Hello everyone,

Im looking for some suggestions on techniques for welding aluminum. I've read a number of posts but thought I should post what i'm doing now to see what I need to change.

First off let me give you some history. I am totally new to welding especially aluminum. I bought a longevity 160x a long time ago to do some repairs and make some things for my boat. I've made a diving chair and some brackets but it took a great deal of polishing on the joints, but it does what I need. I never could get aluminum to work on that welder even off 220. I recently purchased a AHP AlphaTIG 201XD (225A). What a difference.

I need to repair tubing welds on my hartop so I have been practicing on some scrap. Many of my welds are high (picture) and i've gotten to the point where I think they look "ok" for a person with zero experience. I can't seem to get any welds to have the wider stack like what I have on the hardtop of my boat. I've tried different cups, tungsten width, filler width and different settings on the welder ( higher amp, pulse, different freq). I have also tried to almost circle the torch as I weld. I attached a pic of the best welds i've gotten to at this point. I have some 1/8 plate and some tubing I used to make my chair. Tubing is actually old tubing from a chain link fence so I'm not sure of the type of material. I know some of it has not been cleaned properly but even if I do it has no difference.

Setup:
AHP AlphaTIG 201XD
Tungsten 2% lanthanated 1/8 (used 3/32 as well)
Filler 1/8 (also 3/32)
#7 Cup (tried 5,6,8 also)
Freq 80 to 100 seems to work best
Argon 15 cfm (3-5 seconds post flow)

Also how does the frequency play into this?

Unfortunately there are no schools or welders around to learn from. School just wont fit the schedule. Any suggestions would be great.

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Best weld so Far

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[noddybrian]

Welcome to the forum Johnny449.

Plenty of folks should chime in on this as many members weld a lot of aluminum once they catch up ( I rarely do so limited experience ! ) I would say if you have limited or no experience your on the right track & have some beads that look OK - in answer to your question I would say the frequency will have an effect - the higher it is the arc tends to be more focused or confined & the lower it is tends to put more heat in - so I would come down to probably 60hz - but essentially it's a combination of things effect the bead width - how many amps starting a puddle combined with how long you wait as it grows before adding filler - then size of filler / how much you add each dab which chills the puddle & travel speed so in effect if you want wider / lower profile start with more amps - let the puddle grow to the width you want then add small amounts of filler & don't travel forward till that dab has wetted out - don't let off the amps unless the puddle is getting out of control or heat soaking the part & pick up the travel speed as needed - hope that makes sense - I expect CJ or one of the other regular aluminum guys will explain it in like 1/4 of my rambling ! - good luck with your project.

[Poland308]

From the picture of your post you might try changing the grind angle on your tungsten. Higher amps in general will also cause your bead to flatten out or get wider. But that’s a double edged sword depending on your metal thickness. Frequency will also change how the arc spreads.

[ekbmuts]

Johnny449, I have nowhere near the experience of cj737 or the other super-experienced aluminum members on this forum (and I'm sure they will respond to your questions), but I have the following to offer:

a. I finally settled on a fairly "blunt" tungsten. I use super a sharp grind for steel and stainless and a pretty blunt one for aluminum. I learned that right here, talking to these folks.

b. What is the rod you are using? It looks grainy. To me, it looks like my welds when I was using 4043. I switched to 5356 and or 4943, both of which give a much smoother looking bead although not necessarily taller.

c. Looks come after integrity. You could under-weld (leave the current a bit lower than you should), not penetrate enough, and get a gorgeous weld that breaks at the slightest strain. This was important for me. Welds need to hold first and then look good.

d. I think for a 1/8" plate, you'd only need a 3/32" tungsten and a 1/16" filler rod. 1/8" tungsten seems way too big for me and I know from the 1/4" aluminum that I have welded that I can get along quite well with 1/16" filler rod.

e. In my enthusiasm, I often weld for too long on aluminum and the piece gets too hot to support a nice stacked bead. I have learned to weld a few inches and take a break to let the part cool. Too much welding without a break and the whole thing just turns into a soft, squiggy piece that just melts.

Those are a few of my thoughts. My belief is that time in the chair welding balanced with an hour or so a day on this forum, asking and reading, will get you where you want to be.

Best of luck.

Jon

[Toggatug]

Me personally to get a wider bead I either turn my frequency down (not a huge difference noticed)

Or I just sit till the bead is as wide as I want and then move forward to the next dab and rinse and repeat.


I've done some pretty wide welds due to part fitup. Widest I can recall is about a 1/2" gap or just shy of. That was on a 3/8" tank to a 3/8 header plate. If I'm remember right I used a fair bit more heat then I would on a tight fit up and moved very very slow.



I'd recommend just trying a slower travel speed. Get your puddle started put a small dab in and let the puddle grow to as wide as your after. Of your material is is a little thicker you'll have more forgiveness with it that way if your welding 1/16" tubing etc.


Hope I've helped and at least given you something else to try.

Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk

[johnnyv449]

Thank you everyone. That helps a lot. I know that I was afraid to wait too long so im moving fast. The videos i've watched seem to move fast but ill slow down. Lower freq seems to work much better for me I just have to learn how to get a puddle and not totally melt the material. That seemed to be what I was doing. I would slow down then the aluminum would turn to a soft mess to where I couldn't weld at all.

Ill try all of the suggestions and post some weld pics. Thanks again!

[Toggatug]

Thank you everyone. That helps a lot. I know that I was afraid to wait too long so im moving fast. The videos i've watched seem to move fast but ill slow down. Lower freq seems to work much better for me I just have to learn how to get a puddle and not totally melt the material. That seemed to be what I was doing. I would slow down then the aluminum would turn to a soft mess to where I couldn't weld at all.

Ill try all of the suggestions and post some weld pics. Thanks again!

The biggest piece of advice I read on this forum that helped with my Ally welding immensely was

With aluminium dont wait around for a puddle, romp down on the peddle and get a puddle in 3 seconds or less then back off as required.

Gotta Pierce through the oxide quick or else the Ally underneath is a molten mess.

Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk

[BillE.Dee]

Hello Johnny and welcome. I also began anew with TIG welding aluminum. I did find that there are lot of folks in the forum that are more than willing to help you, others and each other when questions come while welding. The advice is very valuable and requires a lot of practice. A LOT of practice. Every day and every weld will be of value to you. I do know there are others that haven't at this time chimed in and offered advice, but they will without doubt. When they start talking about a "ball" on the tungsten, they will most likely mean a dull point or round end and not an actual ball or blob on the end of the tungsten. Be patient with yourself and practice. Enjoy.
Bill