Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello,

I am having an issue on welding aluminum inside corner joints. I strike the arc and when the puddle(s) start to form, instead of me getting a puddle in the root of the corner, I end up with two separate puddles on each piece of aluminum, and the only way I can get them to join up is to add filler rod to one or both until they meet.

What am I doing wrong?

David.

Nothing wrong...
when you first start the weld, the AL is cold and sucking the heat away quick, so it'll take longer to form a puddle. If you're welding thicker material you can preheat.

Hey mate try a few more amps awhile adding a little filler and it will flow into the corner . Its all about that seat time and remember to be on the ball with it , cause depending on the thickness and what joint it is it will chew that corner off or blow a hole in it as quick as looking at it.
Cheers Troy

It is also in the very nature of the welding process. Using an electric arc emanating from a conical point, aimed at an inside corner joint, the walls of the joint are gonna be closer to the tungsten than the tip is to the root of the joint (this is especially true if you hold too long of an arc length-----hence why Jody is almost always saying in his videos "you need to hold a tight tight arc!). Electricity will therefore have a tendency to initially take the shortest path to ground, and there you have it: arc wander onto the walls and not into the root of the joint.

Some things can help with that:

• bump up the current by at least 30-50%
• reduce the cleaning action (not always possible because then you get contamination, but if you can, it will help a tad)
• increase the AC Frequency
• hold a tight arc!

Yes it is true sometimes you do simply need to add just a dab of filler to help bridge the gap, then get that puddle flowing into the root so you get good penetration.

Ditto on the small, very small, dav of filler to get the root started.

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Rather than rehash it, this Is being discussed in detail on another topic, here:
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... =5&t=11602

Steve

Warrenh wrote:Ditto on the small, very small, dav of filler to get the root started.

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The only thing I would add to that, is that IMO just adding a dab to bridge the two sides to "get the root started" is only part of it. Adding a bit more aluminum is gonna have it conduct more heat out of the root out to the sides that it actually bridges, unless you really mash the pedal even more to really punch it in now that the arc has a place to aim at, right above the root. Of course I'm just the one the hobbyists teach to, so it's just IMO.

I guess I should have added that you have to see the root melt in as you advance. If you can still see the corner you cant add filler.

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