[pmcrafters]

I am new to tig welding and must get it down for business reasons, ive tried many times to weld with my Lincoln 275 precision tig and have no luck with aluminum. when I try to get a puddle most of the time it burns through. I set my amps to 130 and but a ball on the tip using dc+ then switch to ac. my arc is all over and I cant see to control were it hits with out getting really close. ive cleaned the metal with wire brush and acitone set my cfh to 15 ive tried different gauges of metal still doesn't make a difference. its rare when I can lay a bead and it never looks good. any and all suggestions will be taken and tried.

[GreinTime]

Well, as much as you probably don't want to hear this, the tighter your arc gap, the more easily directed the arc will be.

Try not balling your tungsten once, just grind it like you would for steel, but blunt the end so you it's not sharp. This is not to be done with pure tungsten, as it will ball no matter what you do. Try your run of the mill red band thoriated prepped as outlined above and give it another go.

This leads to another question. What type of joints are you trying to make? You might want to practice on a flat plate and just weld beads side by side across the whole thing to get a feel for how the puddle will look and react. Once you have a better idea on what aluminum should be doing, you will more likely be able to analyze what is happening, and then take a logical approach as to what to change and by how much.

Finally, if you list what thickness you are trying to weld, we would all be able to better determine whether your amperage is okay.

PS: If you have an auto darkening hood, turn the brightness shade to 11 or 12. Sometimes you can't see the weld puddle as well as you think you can, and don't realize what's going on. Too dark, you don't normally see the puddle shift until it's too late. Too light and you can't see shit period.

[Braehill]

Going with your opening statement that you're new to tig welding I'm going to ask some very elementary questions and we'll go from there. I can tell from some of the statements that followed that you have some basic knowledge but we don't know what you don't know.

Is your machine set for continuous high frequency?

Are you using a foot pedal?

What tungsten are you using.

Are you using 100% Argon?

Have you had success welding steel?

Let's start there.

Len

[pmcrafters]

First of all thanks for the responses. I'll try to answer both post.
I'm using the tungsten with the red ends. I've tried a few different sized but exactly sure what they are.
I'm using a pedal and pure argon. I have welded steel and it turned out great
I've tried my tungsten sharp, balled, and somewhat dull. I've had some luck laying down a bead but it's not being controlled very well. I've ised 12g and 18g. I really don't understand my machine very well.

[pmcrafters]

Going with your opening statement that you're new to tig welding I'm going to ask some very elementary questions and we'll go from there. I can tell from some of the statements that followed that you have some basic knowledge but we don't know what you don't know.

Is your machine set for continuous high frequency?

Are you using a foot pedal?

What tungsten are you using.

Are you using 100% Argon?

Have you had success welding steel?

Let's start there.

Len

I'm not sure how to tell if it set for continuous high freq.

[Braehill]

I've never used your model of welder but I would assume it has an "Auto A/C Balance" or something close to that and if you set it to that on A/C I would think it would be on continuous. Others here have used your machine and should chime in when they read this post. We all use different types and brands of welders since this is not a "Brand A" or "Brand B" welding forum like most so the control panels and features can be very different.

Len
P.S. a first name makes it easier to personalize our responses..

[GreinTime]

The Precision TIG 275 sets Continuous HF automatically when A/C is selected with the position switch in TIG as opposed to stick, which is actually kind of nice, so I doubt that is the problem unless the welder is malfunctioning.

*EDIT: The Auto A/C balance is on by default I believe, and will stay on until you start twisting knobs for A/C controls. However, if you would like to try bare bones, old school tried and true settings, set your balance to 50% (50% Electrode Negative/50% Electrode Positive) Frequency at 60hz (Standard Transformer frequency). Being that your welder is an inverter, I would definitely stick with red band or grey band.*

*EDIT #2: When did you purchase this machine, and is it new? If so, the inverters with a digital interface can be very confusing. I just perused the Lincoln Owners manual for one, and found it to be well written for a directions manual. Take a peek through it if you haven't already. Post up any questions about settings that come to mind, and we can help you tame this beast!"

[pmcrafters]

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The Precision TIG 275 sets Continuous HF automatically when A/C is selected with the position switch in TIG as opposed to stick, which is actually kind of nice, so I doubt that is the problem unless the welder is malfunctioning.

*EDIT: The Auto A/C balance is on by default I believe, and will stay on until you start twisting knobs for A/C controls. However, if you would like to try bare bones, old school tried and true settings, set your balance to 50% (50% Electrode Negative/50% Electrode Positive) Frequency at 60hz (Standard Transformer frequency). Being that your welder is an inverter, I would definitely stick with red band or grey band.*

*EDIT #2: When did you purchase this machine, and is it new? If so, the inverters with a digital interface can be very confusing. I just perused the Lincoln Owners manual for one, and found it to be well written for a directions manual. Take a peek through it if you haven't already. Post up any questions about settings that come to mind, and we can help you tame this beast!"

I adjusted the a/c knob from auto to the middle and that helped but I am either having an issue with my peddle control or something it's not bonding to both sides of the metal when I lay a bead. Heres some pics of my head and my unit

Steve

I adjusted the a/c knob even more and my welds are much better need some practice but I think it's set up much better.