Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi. Thanks for looking. I've done (hobby use) MIG for years. Bought a used Econotig and am trying to teach myself as a hobby. 1st attempt to just melt puddle is below. Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong greatly appreciated. I read the articles on "WTT.com" prior to starting! Parameters: sample piece: 3/16" mild steel. DCEN, 2% thor tungsten ground to sharp tip longitudinally, protruding 3/8" from #10 ceramic cup. 100% argon at 18CFH. Foot pedal. Amp at 50. Work grounded to machine and table. Machine, table, distribution box all grounded to 8' grounding rod nearby. Practice piece flat on table, but seem to have these funny "feathering" things going on.


...so after all the groaning, chuckling, and shaking of the head, somebody give me a suggestion ("selling it" will be ignored..ha!) Thank you. jeff

u need more then 50 amps to weld 3/16. turn it up all the way

On 3/8" steel we have our machines set at 135amps. (I am in school for TIG right now)
I noticed that you have the machine (and you stated) at 50 but that's % how many amps is it actually?
Also are you melting your tungsten or does it look the same when you stop the arc as before you started?
What psi is your gas set at?

hey thanks for the replies...
I did turn it up all the way and its better...at least now I'm burning holes through the metal.

The machine is rated at 150 amps for AC/DC TIG. So...(correct me if wrong) if I have it at 50% then with the pedal all the way down I should be giving 75 amps ?

I am now (with it turned up) melting the tungsten tip and regrinding it after every 3-4 second trial (so I assume I'm a little on the hot side and will have to titrate the %amp rheostat.

Hmmmm...don't know the psi of the gas. Only parameter I am aware I can adjust is the CFH on the gauge. I have it at 20 now.

wow, school for welding sounds like the best way to learn...I've got this day job that's too good to give up though.
Thanks for the help...I listen to all advice!

Try cleaning your metal, "shiney" with a grinder, not a bead blaster. And never touch the tungsten to the work.

i think what brian said, clean your metal, will fix your problem..but i am also a noob..i've had my 'inversion 165' about a month. steep learning curve, to say the least good luck
tom

That looks like a piece of cast something, the way the right side looks, like it was broken off of something. Could be the problem.

hey, try switching to a #6 or 7 cup. your argon is not shielding the metal and it looks like you have one those cups thats actually too big and its sucking air. a # 6 or 7 cup with 15-18 cfh should work fine. if you want to verify this , light up with your current setup for a few seconds, taper off and hold your torch completely still until the electrode cools off. if your tungsten is not completely silver, you are not shielding. could be the argon tank. or a leak, but since you said a #10 cup, my money is on that as the problem.

let us know and good luck

Jody

metafos wrote:That looks like a piece of cast something, the way the right side looks, like it was broken off of something. Could be the problem.

that's not "broken"...it's newbie torch cutting,you have got to angle into a sweep {the torch towards the end of the cut) when you cut thin metal.}...it'll make your edges look better....btw, sweep is the opposite of drag.