Tig welding tips, questions, equipment, applications, instructions, techniques, tig welding machines, troubleshooting tig welding process
atatro
- atatro
-
New Member
-
Posts:
-
Joined:Sun Jul 10, 2011 11:29 pm
-
Location:Strawn IL
-
Contact:
I just purchased my first tig welder about 6 months ago. It is a Miller syncrowave 250 DX. It had about 10 hours on it when I purchased it. It was purchased new in 2007. My question is how often should you have to sharpen the tungsten. I'm sure that some of it depends on how good you are at tig welding. I'm new to this but it seems like I sharpen more then I weld. One thing that I'm not doing is using a dedicated grinder for sharpening. I'm sure that this isn't helping any. I really struggle when welding Aluminum. Any tips would be great.
- weldin mike 27
-
Weldmonger
-
Posts:
-
Joined:Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:59 pm
-
Location:Australia; Victoria
Hey there,
The thing with aluminium is as Jody says, everything that can happen in tig welding will happen alot worse on aluminium. And that it can be impossible to weld if there are contamination issues. Not like steel were you can still weld if there is a bit of dirt and crud around. The tungsten will almost explode if you touch it on the weld or on to the filler rod. And yes the dedicated grinder is a must with Al because any contamination and you're gunna have a bad day. Don't stess too much, practice makes perfect. Well better anyway. And remember with aluminium the rule is clean clean clean. Gloves, work, rod, grinding wheel, everything is a possible source of contamination. Make sure you use a dedicated STAINLESS STEEL wire brush because a steel one will embed steel in the Al and screw it all up. Jody has made lots of videos on Al welding on this site (bless him).
Good Luck.
Mike
The thing with aluminium is as Jody says, everything that can happen in tig welding will happen alot worse on aluminium. And that it can be impossible to weld if there are contamination issues. Not like steel were you can still weld if there is a bit of dirt and crud around. The tungsten will almost explode if you touch it on the weld or on to the filler rod. And yes the dedicated grinder is a must with Al because any contamination and you're gunna have a bad day. Don't stess too much, practice makes perfect. Well better anyway. And remember with aluminium the rule is clean clean clean. Gloves, work, rod, grinding wheel, everything is a possible source of contamination. Make sure you use a dedicated STAINLESS STEEL wire brush because a steel one will embed steel in the Al and screw it all up. Jody has made lots of videos on Al welding on this site (bless him).
Good Luck.
Mike
- weldin mike 27
-
Weldmonger
-
Posts:
-
Joined:Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:59 pm
-
Location:Australia; Victoria
PS Also it helps to have a few Tungsten electrodes ready, so when you mess one up you can just swap over and keep welding. If you cut and or break a new electode it gives you two electrodes for the price. Avoid sharpening both ends of the electrode because more often than not you will end up with two big globs on the ends and the collet and diffuser stuck in the middle. It doesn't save any time in the end.
Good Luck again
Mike
Good Luck again
Mike
TheExpert
- TheExpert
-
Workhorse
-
Posts:
-
Joined:Thu Sep 08, 2011 7:48 am
-
Contact:
Determine if your tool needs sharpening. Find a professional sharpening service. If you are interested in learning how to sharpen blades yourself, it is recommended that you locate a teacher. Carbide tools require diamond for sharpening, due to their hardness.
Greg From K/W
- Greg From K/W
-
Ace
-
Posts:
-
Joined:Sun Nov 27, 2011 8:55 pm
Carbide who is talking about carbide? Its Tungsten he is talking about not carbide any grinding wheel will do.
Return to “Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding”
Jump to
- Introductions & How to Use the Forum
- ↳ Welcome!
- ↳ Member Introductions
- ↳ How to Use the Forum
- ↳ Moderator Applications
- Welding Discussion
- ↳ Metal Cutting
- ↳ Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
- ↳ Mig and Flux Core - gas metal arc welding & flux cored arc welding
- ↳ Stick Welding/Arc Welding - Shielded Metal Arc Welding
- ↳ Welding Forum General Shop Talk
- ↳ Welding Certification - Stick/Arc Welding, Tig Welding, Mig Welding Certification tests - Welding Tests of all kinds
- ↳ Welding Projects - Welding project Ideas - Welding project plans
- ↳ Product Reviews
- ↳ Fuel Gas Heating
- Welding Tips & Tricks
- ↳ Video Discussion
- ↳ Wish List
- Announcements & Feedback
- ↳ Forum News
- ↳ Suggestions, Feedback and Support
- Welding Marketplace
- ↳ Welding Jobs - Industrial Welding Jobs - Pipe Welding Jobs - Tig Welding Jobs
- ↳ Classifieds - Buy, Sell, Trade Used Welding Equipment
- Welding Resources
- ↳ Tradeshows, Seminars and Events
- ↳ The Welding Library
- ↳ Education Opportunities