Welding Tips and Tricks

Just got an HTP Invertig 221. Nice machine. My experience has mostly been with carbon and stainless steel. Now that I have a good machine to do aluminum I need some help. I am practicing on .125 mill finish aluminum welding butt joints. Can you guys give me a good place to start as far as AC balance, Amps, Frequency, Proper tungsten....etc.


Also..........is there a proper method to keep the filler rod from melting up??? The only method I can see is to in and out of the puddle quick.

I am not used to all the adjustability of your machine on my inverter machine (it's an Everlast Super200P), but I do like AC balance at around 20% EP (80% EN). I would say for the 1/8" aluminum, a 3/32" tungsten, sharpened like a crayon at the tip would be appropriate, and perhaps footpedal at around 150 amps at full down. Any of lanthanated, ceriated, or thoriated tungsten is what I would recommend for easy arc starts on an inverter.

Also, yes there is a way to keep the filler rod from melting before getting it to the weld pool. Don't angle the torch over sideways as far, (keep it more vertical or perpendicular with respect to the weld seam.) The torch angle affects the path of the shielding gas quite substantially, some of this gas downstream of the arc, is super-heated from the heat of the arc and the white hot tungsten and the molten weld puddle, etc. When too much of the the super-heated shielding gas flows sideways straight towards your filler rod, it can easily melt your filler rod before you can even get your filler rod into the weld pool. The fix is very simple: angle your torch more perpendicular with respect to the workpiece surface, so that less of that super heated shielding gas flows around your filler rod. (The gas will flow in the direction the torch is pointed, as it generally just comes straight out of the cup.) If you point your torch totally perpendicular, an equal amount of the super heated shielding gas will flow backwards (away from your filler rod), as it does foreward (towards your filler rod.) There is a "happy angle" generally of just a little bit angled foreward. A little bit of sideways angle is helpful for pre-heating the work ahead of the weld seam, but not so much as to melt the filler rod. A little angle also can help observing the puddle a little better, by lifting the front edge of the cup away from the workpiece a bit.

sometimes too much arc gap can do this too. keep a good tight arc, about the thickness of the electrode. too small of a rod for the amps will do this also.