Welding Tips and Tricks

Ok I'm having problems with my Lincoln precision TIG 225 while I'm welding aluminum. Amps r at 80, pure tungsten 3/32, and # 7 cup. The ark is very erratic and unstable. I can still weld but it not a smooth ark and now its melting my tungsten. I have also used different tungsten but same effect. the only thing I have done different is try stick welding the other day I ran 3 beads did great. Also if I weld in DC- TIG its fine. I made a short video to hopefully help u can't see the ark to good but listen to the sound. Please Help if possible.

Hey this is jody
Sometimes too much Argon flow can really make for an erratic arc.
Try 13-15 cfh and see if it settles down.
Jody


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Ok turned down the argon but still the same. I made another video turned my shade up so u can see the ark a lot better. This figures I'm right in the middle of a project to make pans. Its hard to explain but it like the ark pulsates and I don't have it on. I never had this problem before, I tried stick welding on this machine. Do u think it could be something with my polarity switch maybe in the board?

Also check your ac balance setting and try increasing it If your electrode is flairing up due to getting too hot that could be a prob. Also try using 1/8 electrode.

Jody


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My ac balance was on auto and also my tungsten was an 1/8 in that last video

Check earth connections.

I agree with jody about checking ac ballance.
Give 70% -80% neg a shot.

Not that I know much bout tigging ally

Amps sound to low, and stick-out seems to short. I had electrode burn back until I turned the balance up to 80-90; that, and chucked the pure Tungsten and got some 2% Lanth.

My ac balance does not have #s its just cleaning or penetration then auto. But it still does not make cents, I have used my original setting before stick welding with no problems. That's why I thought it might be in my welder, but anyway thanks for everyone's help so far maybe something will work out.

jgardner14,

When balance is marked cleaning/penetration, more penetration is more electrode-negative. While I would expect the auto-balance to be fine with a 1/8" tungsten, it may be worth experimenting with the manual settings. Your "pulsation" description may suggest the auto-balance is screwed up, varying from one extreme to the other and back. The balance control will not take you "fully" EN or EP, but rather some percentage (depending on machine) plus or minus from 50%/balanced.

Steve S

Is the problem still occurring with the ground lead attached directly to the workpiece?

jgardner14,

I'm slowly growing more suspicious of a machine problem. The more I think about the description of "pulsing" with pulse off, the more I think the auto-balance is "seeking" instead of "settling".

Can you share a link to the video?

Steve S

@steve,
The picture is a link to Photobucket which in turn is the video, if that makes sense.


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Thanks, Len,

Never occurred to me. Doh!

The pulsing, at least in the video, seems quite random in intensity and frequency.

The impression the OP gave me (he said he was in the "middle" of this job) is that this problem is new. I've not asked if the machine had done the same weld successfully last week and just started acting up, or if these welds define the "middle" of the job, and weren't done before now.

Steve S

Let me start with a disclaimer, I do not have a lot of experience with aluminum tig or the Lincoln Precision tig.
I was taking a tig class at the local tech, and when we started the aluminum the instructor made a comment about
having a lot of issues with contamination with the current batch of aluminum plate. We messed around with cleaning
the plate really well but it still wanted to be a pita to weld. I noticed the Lincoln Precision was on auto, and set it on
a manual setting that I though would be close to what I'm use to with my Everlast. The problem went away, no issues
with contamination or getting a weld puddle going.
I'm sure there is some sort of circuit monitor that makes changes to the balance based on resistance or something but
it just seems to me for it to be almost impossible to have a machine always select the perfect balance.

Im going to play around with the ac balance later to see if it changes. I'll let ya'll know what i come up with hopefully tomorrow. Thanks