Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi everyone, FNG here with a question. I recently got a smoking deal on a Miller Syncrowave 200 to get back into TIG after a 15 year break. I primarily want to weld aluminum but I do need to do small projects on mild steel as well. Practice has been going well and I have been playing with the machines settings and different tungstens and am actually getting pretty decent. I know that some guys say don't use pure tungsten but my machine welds the best with it. I have thoriated, lanthanated and pure and of the three it does best with the pure. Miller doesn't suggest using pure on its inverters but the SW is a transformer so is there a difference? I just can't get the other tungstens to ball like pure and the arc seems the most stable. Thanks in advance!
By the way, welding 1/8" 4043 properly cleaned, air cooled torch, 3/32" electrode, #7 gas lens at 18 cfh (been experimenting with gas flow) 3/32" 4043 filler rod.

Totally fine. Use what works best for you!

zank wrote:Totally fine. Use what works best for you!

Thanks zank, I just can't seem to find alot if info on the older SW machines.

I use pure tungsten on a SW 250 every day. Look for welding school books on the subject, such as, Hobart School of Welding. These will give you some average settings for different materials and technique tips. Hundreds of thousands of welders have learned by these books, myself included. It's a decent, uncomplicated manual to have around.

zank
do you always use pure on alumn with your syncrowave
or others as well?
I've been using 2% lath with good luck.
used pure with my old miller goldstar
craig

I preferred 2% lanthanated with my transformer machine for both AC and DC. I had some pure that I used early on, but I didn't use it for the last couple of years that I had the machine.

I just tried the 2% lanthinated today for the first time .Im by no means an experienced welder and wow ! I feel like I have better arc control .Just my 2 cents .

LIGOOMBA wrote:I just tried the 2% lanthinated today for the first time .Im by no means an experienced welder and wow ! I feel like I have better arc control .Just my 2 cents .

I was going to post the exact same thing. I was practicing on aluminun with lanthanated sharpened and blunted like a new crayon and I was able to better control the arc until the ball got bigger and then I resharpened. Its all coming back to me now and I am really excited. Thanks Tamjeff for the lead on the book, I will definitly hunt one up.

Also, "Metals, and How to Weld Them" by the James F. Lincoln Foundation is good too.