Welding Tips and Tricks

Just started testing an Eastwood TIG 200 (on 115 at the moment). The PO had issues and never got it to weld correctly.
I just plugged it in and tried striking arcs on a few new pieces of 1/16 inch aluminum, 1/16" 2% Lanth Blue - wire brushed and wiped with acetone.
50 amps, 80 amps, 70 amps, 30 amps - the arc runs all over the place, accept where the bead should be - a puddle never forms and the aluminum just heats up and tuns into a pile of turd.

I wasn't trying to weld - just seeing if I could form a puddle. The metal just melts - basically disappears. I tried adjusting the gas. No dice there.. Crappy regulator - crappy ground clamp - and really no idea where to start looking...

I verified the machine is set to A/C and there's definitely shielding gas - it's kind of hard to verify the CFM because the regulator really stinks.

The metal is comically trashed... No filler rod was harmed in the process of this experiment. Neither was the operator...

I switched to DC on mild steel - 1/8" with a 3/32 electrode and 1/16 ER70s-2 just for giggles - the arc still hops all over the place like it's looking for a place to go - other than where I want it... Just straight beads on a flat piece of metal. No chance - on any setting between 90 and 140 amps it just bounces everywhere - then gets hot - deposits a ton of black soot and then blows the metal away...

Not discouraged - as I expected it to be a chore at first... But nothing even resembling a steady puddle...
I'm sure some of it is operator error - but suspecting something bigger at this point...

You have at least a gas flow problem. What gas are you using? TIG must be 100% argon, no MIG gas mix.

Switch to a new 3/32 tungsten and gas lens. Confirm your gas. Set your CFH o the gas to 2x the size of your cup (#6 gets 12cfh, #8 gets 16, etc). Aluminum must be high frequency start where steel can be lift arc or scratch start. Just saying...

The gas is 100% argon - but the tank is well over a year old and sat for most of that time. Don't know if that could be an issue. I tried a #7 and #5 standard cup - with those results.. I have a stubby kit on the way.

I also suspect I had some dicey post-flow settings - because the tungsten would foul quickly... But yes - with the foot pedal, crappy clamp and cheesy regulator this things comes with - I have a few things to rule out before I blame it all on myself. I knew it would be hard - but this? Not quite expecting it.

I'll defer to others far more expert than me, and I think there may be multiple problems including the shielding gas, but you might also check your polarity. EP on steel and too much cleaning action (wrong AC balance) on aluminum can be ugly.

i would try swapping leads over.

the pics kinda look like your using mig gas. are you sure its argon? contaminated bottle?

The machine settings are pretty simple. No real options to select for EN - EP.
It's all the flip of a switch...
And yes - the gas is correct... Other than it might have a serious delivery issue - or be bad... My stubby gets here in a few days and I'll have a chance to look it over with a new lens on it - rather than the standard cups.

Happy to admit - though embarrassing - that improper torch assembly is most like to blame for most of this - if not all of it.
It appears this stuff is far easier if you're collet tip is pointed in the right direction...
I just assembled the torch wrong.

Gas now flows - arc now stable - no soot...
Now I can focus on the weakest link in this operation.
The operator...

That's ok, it was a simple fix, always better that way

I'm happy to post my mistakes so that someone else might learn from them. What a difference a day makes. I was able to "fab" up a few usable parts for a grill project I'm doing. It's nice to be able to focus on all the right stuff - stick out - torch angle, amperage - trying to get the foot pedal, left hand and right hand to all talk to one another - the puddle, the bead... Rather than an active disaster every time I picked it up... There's enough to focus on when everything is going well...

I see why it's addictive. I waited more than 2 years to take the plunge - and it's on a loaner machine... Really happy I did. 2 years worth of MIG really helped me get ready for the next step though. That and some seat time with stick helped too.
So glad to be doing it. Thanks for all the help and concern.

The switch pictures look like your set for dc.

The switch pictures look like your set for dc.

Yes. That was after I set the machine for steel - after the aluminum didn't go so well.

studioq wrote:I'm happy to post my mistakes so that someone else might learn from them.

we have all done similar things and no doubt will do more.

Ok! I'm lost here. How do you put a collet in pointed the wrong way? It will only fit in the collet body one way. The collet body will only fit in the torch one way. I'm lost on what you did.

I'm also finding it hard to figure out how to put the torch together so the gas doesn't flow or maybe upside down. Like putting the collet into the top of the torch head and the back cap into the bottom....does that stop the gas from flowing past the tungsten?? Isn't the threads the same all the way through the torch head with the collet sitting differently ??? I haven't been to the barn to try it, but I will.
I hope you are enjoying your experience in the TIG process.

It might be that installed the cup wrong way round. Or the insulator. The cup being backwards could cause poor flow, but wouldn't prevent it altogether. An insulator installed wrong could cause a lot leakage.

Who knows? He's new to it all. We all made goofy mistakes in the beginning. That's why its called learning.

Day 4 with the new welder. Test coupons - 1/8 aluminum, wire-brushed and acetone wiped.
3/32 - 2% Lanth - 3/32 and 1/16 filler wire - mostly between 30 and 50 amps. #8 stubby gas lens - around 14-15 CFM

Primarily focused on cleaning affect, travel speed, feeding filler rod in a timely manner and not burning through the work piece. Burn-through has been a major issue. I adjusted the amperage way down and that seemed to help.
Probably the biggest coup was that all of these were done with the same electrode - which I never dipped and didn't have to re-grind. I didn't ball it at all. Just ground it - wiped it down and started working on the opposite side of the coupons from the day before - which looked a whole lot worse. Toward the end I started picking up some contamination and the tip of the electrode started to get black - but didn't melt or burn away.

Not trying to be the worlds best welder 4 days in - just trying to develop some good habits and discover a technique which works for me.

studioq wrote:Day 4 with the new welder. Test coupons - 1/8 aluminum, wire-brushed and acetone wiped.
3/32 - 2% Lanth - 3/32 and 1/16 filler wire - mostly between 30 and 50 amps. #8 stubby gas lens - around 14-15 CFM

Primarily focused on cleaning affect, travel speed, feeding filler rod in a timely manner and not burning through the work piece. Burn-through has been a major issue. I adjusted the amperage way down and that seemed to help.

keep at it.
the reason your burning through is due to overheating the workpiece. need to cool it off before the next weld. handy to have multiple bits so you can weld on one while the others cool off.

unfortunately those welds are cold due to the horridly low amps. i would be adding at least another 100 amps to that.
1/16 filler is to small.

the werid thing is low amps tends to cause the work to overheat. thats because you spend so much more time welding.
keep the amps up high and increase travel speed.

keep the amps up high and increase travel speed

That's kind of a thing at the moment. I'm trying to find a sweet spot that allows me to see what's going on and still have enough time to feed rod - before everything goes to hell.

In football, when discussing rookie quarterbacks, you'll here analysts say, "he needs to get to a point where the game slows down for him - so that he can better see the field and understand how the plays are developing."

I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm looking for a slow lane where I can keep my eyes on everything while not impeding traffic... i.e. - I'm not quite ready for the highway yet. Still in the parking lot trying to learn stick... Enough analogies?

I'm looking for the most forgiving settings, electrodes, amperage, work piece thickness and torch configuration to give me the best opportunity to run at a decent pace - yet not miss too many things or develop bad habits along the way - and still learn the process in a way that is repeatable...

I doubt I'll ever be an X-ray welder - but I certainly would like to learn as slowly as possible...

Finding that "sweet spot" is pretty difficult when I can't slow things down a bit... My machine might be better for steel - as it's aluminum features are pretty limited - forcing me to learn how to handle heat via foot pedal - another wrench in the gears when you're a total noob.

The only way you can learn aluminum is by welding a lot of it,

There is no "slow" pace with aluminum, the longer you weld on it, the hotter it gets and the faster you have to move OR it just warps all over the place.

Aluminum is an absolute pleasure to work with once you've gone through the initial trials that make you want to condemn aluminum as the devils creation.

Just keep trying, the bead should be flatter and shinier, make sure your filler rod is clean, aluminum is the pickiest metal when it comes to clean.

studioq wrote: Finding that "sweet spot" is pretty difficult when I can't slow things down a bit... My machine might be better for steel - as it's aluminum features are pretty limited - forcing me to learn how to handle heat via foot pedal - another wrench in the gears when you're a total noob.

i have an entry level ac/dc tig myself. you don't need the super fancy stuff to weld it.
the catch22 is that going to slow causes more issues.
settings are not bad, tons of advice around on that. here, on jody's videos etc.

you want the puddle to form in a few seconds. if its not there in 4 seconds then crank up the heat. (even then 4 seconds beside an edge will probably melt the edge away)
yes you need to learn how to control heat with pedal. welding on small bits of material makes that more apparent as it heat soaks faster.

Lengthy post coming:

Your test pieces show some "long arcing". That why you have schmootz in some of your beads and not others. Forget trying to learn everything at once. Learn the fundamentals first.

Take a fresh piece of 6" long, 1/8" stock. Scribe a line 3/16" from the edge. Make parallel scribed lines to that, full length, edge-to-edge. Set your machine to 170 amps. Yes, 170. 60 or 120 Hz, 70% on your Balance. Now throw away the filler for the moment.

Understand, the pedal is just like the accelerator in your car. From 0-100% pedal, do it smoothly but deliberately. Not so rapidly you'd break traction leaving a light. But get it there. That will give your a puddle promptly.

With no filler, start at one end, get your puddle and wait until the width of the puddle grows to 3/16" wide. Then advance half the distance of the puddle width. Linger until the puddle grows to the scribe lines, advance, linger, advance linger. When the puddle begins to grow too quickly, ease off the pedal just like you would in traffic (establish and keep your following distance).

Take a pair of pliers, grab the stock, and drop it in a bucket of water to cool it. Retrieve it after a few seconds, wipe it off, and repeat. Do every "lane" with no filler until your puddle width is consistent and your "dimes" are overlapping.

Once you get that down, then it's time to repeat with filler. Get your puddle, add some filler until the puddle grows to the edges, then advance. When you advance, the filler you added should move forward with the torch. If not, add more filler next time before you advance.

This is a very mechanical drill. But it will teach you to watch the puddle, control the pedal, and move your torch consistently. The distance of your tungsten to the puddle should be 1.5x the diameter of your filler rod, no farther. You can get closer, but you'll run the risk of dipping your tungsten. If you do, stop, clean the tungsten, and start over. Don't weld with a fouled tungsten. Bad habit, don't start it.

Aluminum takes a lot more heat to weld. It takes a ton to break through the oxide layer but far less to melt the aluminum once you get going, so you will have to taper off the pedal.

170. 60 or 120 Hz, 70% on your Balance.

I'll be happy to.. Not sure how I can come close to this given the control surface of the Eastwood TIG200... Thinking that might be "some" of the issue...

studioq wrote:

170. 60 or 120 Hz, 70% on your Balance.

I'll be happy to.. Not sure how I can come close to this given the control surface of the Eastwood TIG200... Thinking that might be "some" of the issue...

nah.
freq doesn't matter, its minor. it does not make or break a weld. doesn't matter that your machine doesn't have that.
balance matters. 70% is fine and your machine has that.

cj737 wrote: Aluminum takes a lot more heat to weld. It takes a ton to break through the oxide layer but far less to melt the aluminum once you get going, so you will have to taper off the pedal.

small correction here. we generally don't use heat to break through the oxide layer. you can with helium but thats another conversation. the cleaning action is what we use to break it down.
you need to taper off the pedal as the heat builds up in the work piece. the longer you weld the hotter it gets. you can do short runs without having to back off which is handy for when you don't have a foot pedal.