Welding Tips and Tricks

I'll start off by saying I'm new to tig welding. I'm very adapt at picking things up. I'm more of a hobbyist and I'll mostly be welding aluminum.

I purchase an Everlast POWERTIG 210ext and I'm using the 26torch with newly purchased collet and body.
I can run some pretty nice looking beads then at other times they are just awful. ( practice practice is in my future)

My settings:
220v plug being used.
2% Lanthanated 3/32
130amps in AC (using a foot pedal. Welding Amps are around 80-100amps after I get the bead going.) I'm a drummer so I'm use to having my limbs do different things so the foot pedal I found some what easy to pick up.
Advanced Square Wave selected
25-30% EP
AC Freq 100-120
Pre flow .5sec
Post flow 3.0 secs
Argon Flow 15 CFH. (My regulator reads SCFH. Is that different then CFH or same thing?)
#7 standard cup size on my supplied 26torch air cooled.
3/32 4043 filler rod.

I'm welding 6061 1/8 aluminum doing butt joints, lap joints and tacking into the T joints.

I'll run a pretty nice looking bead (but a lot of crackling going on. What causes crackling?) after I run a nice pass I'll look down at my tip. It looks dull and scattered like a tip of a small cactus. Not smoother, round and shiny like some of the videos I have watched. Are there adjustments on my end that could help eliminate the cactus tip so I don't have to grind the tip after one or two passes or is this normal when welding aluminum?

I also used 2% Ceriated and it did the same thing.

Welcome to the forum! The only time I've encountered crackling is when I've welded outside, and a breeze kicked up, and blew my shielding gas away. (Since then I've only TIG welded inside.) The crackling and the grey tungsten are making me wonder if it's a shielding gas problem. Are you using 100% argon? All gas connections tight?

The cactus deal may be caused by accidentally dipping the tungsten into the weld puddle. Are you using filler rod, or just making beads with no filler?

It's possible to learn TIG by starting on aluminum; the things that can go wrong with TIG welding are amplified on aluminum. Many newbies find it easier to get into the zone by learning on steel, then transitioning to aluminum.

I'm using 4043 filler rod. It's pretty obvious to me when I dip into the puddle. I haven't dipped and I still get the cactus. I'm just running it through my head. The only thing I changed out was the argon tank (because I went through one tank already) and a collet and collect body. On the tank prior to this tank I wasn't getting the cactus tip or burr looking tip. Also, I have noticed that the tip would also have an orange/reddish hue to it at times.

I have practiced on some steel but I like to just jump right in to it.

I did some practicing last night with the argon flow. Brought it down to 10cfh then up to 20cfh and back to around 15cfh. All still having the cactus/burr tip. It starts small but then if I keep welding it gets worse. I find myself grinding the tungsten often which I think is more then should be necessary.

Possibly an argon problem? I guess one way to find out would be to return the tank.

Hi and welcome.
I find it difficult to keep the tungsten shiny below 4 s of post flow. Some will disagree but thats my experience
Keep the torch still during post flow, otherwise the draft will push away the argon. Post some pictures, will help get more help.

The blue tip pic was left from last night. The other two pics are from pre/post the weld beads in the picture attached.

Settings for that practice piece which is a piece of 1/8" 5052 aluminum using 4043 filler rod 3/32

Settings not to much different from the OP.
140amps - using a foot pedal. weld amps around 80-100amps.
30% then I bumped it down to 25% EP
2% Lanthanated 3/32 with #7 cup
.5 pre flow and I tried the 4s Post. (not sure if it made a different)

Thanks in advanced!
Kriky

Time the post flow and see if 4 seconds is actually 4 seconds.

Just timed out the post flow. 4s = 4s. I also bumped it to 10s to test and that also was as it says 10s.

Is your flow meter a dial gauge or a floating ball?

Floating Ball type. I have the bottom of the ball set at the 15 cfh mark.

It looks from the pics like a gas issue but not during the weld or else your beads would be messed up but there not. The only other thing I can think of would be contamination. Is there any kind of a coating on the aluminum? It looks brushed in the pic but if it was factory brushed it might have a clear coat on it.

Hmm, ok. Maybe a nub move on my part. I bought a container of nail polish remover that said 100% acetone on it. So, I figured that is what it was. Could this be the problem? I hand brushed that piece in the picture with my stainless steal wire brush then wiped it down with the acetone I have at hand which is a nail polish remover.

Hey there.

I had a similar experience when I started out. Bumped my post flow up to 5 seconds, problem solved - yep, by one more second of post flow! I hate wasting argon but if I have to use a bit more to protect my electrode, so be it.


Kym

Being that you are just beginning to learn TIG, use the Post-flow the AWS (American Welding Society) recommends. It is 1 second of Post-flow for every 10 amps the machine is set to.

Kriky,
When I have had my tungsten "cactus" as you say, I almost always found it to be too much amperage for the size or grind on the tungsten. If you only have 3/32 then make a shorter steep grind with a flattened tip or move up to 1/8 if you have it.

You can always sharpen a larger tungsten smaller but you can't make a small one carry more amps. Your tungsten is trying t carry too many amps through a very small tip and it is degrading, and you get a cactus. You can also reduce the cup size until your weld starts to suffer, thus keeping more Argon on the tungsten. Aluminum doesn't need as much gas cover as most other metals. Post flow is important, as is keeping the torch in place until it cools.

Len


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Braehill wrote:Kriky,
When I have had my tungsten "cactus" as you say, I almost always found it to be too much amperage for the size or grind on the tungsten. If you only have 3/32 then make a shorter steep grind with a flattened tip or move up to 1/8 if you have it.

You can always sharpen a larger tungsten smaller but you can't make a small one carry more amps. Your tungsten is trying t carry too many amps through a very small tip and it is degrading, and you get a cactus. You can also reduce the cup size until your weld starts to suffer, thus keeping more Argon on the tungsten. Aluminum doesn't need as much gas cover as most other metals. Post flow is important, as is keeping the torch in place until it cools.

Len

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Good advice
I haven't tried ceriated tungsten, generally lanthanated tungsten is considered best for inverter machines running AC and DC, still the "cactus" effect looks somewhat normal with AC current if you're running at the high end of the rating for a given diameter of tungsten.
The bluing of the tungsten I presume has been solved by having a longer post flow as others have pointed out. I have seen welders, when they finish a weld, instead of holding the torch in place until the post flow is done, they'll pull the torch back, sometimes very quick and the argon cannot shield the tip, as Len suggested in his last sentence.

First off thanks for the replies.

I tested the post flow. I set it at 6s which seemed to help and then set it down to 5s and left it there.
I don't have any 1/8 tungsten but ill be sure to get some and try that out as well as trying a not so steep of a grade on the tip.

What are your thoughts about switching to a gas lens? Would this also give me better coverage on the tip with the post flow?

I ordered a bunch of different size cups, collets, collet bodies, and gas lens.

The pictures is from after running a bunch of beads with the 6s and 5s post flow setting.

Keep the post flow at 10s. They other issue could be moisture in your argon. Jody has a video on this.

Mick

As long as the postflow is there and you don't go wielding the torch around like Conan The Destroyer, a gas lens will do nothing for that. It will save you on argon if you keep a short stick-out though. However, it is independent of the post-flow requirements that you have now found at an optimum.

Kriky wrote:Hmm, ok. Maybe a nub move on my part. I bought a container of nail polish remover that said 100% acetone on it. So, I figured that is what it was. Could this be the problem? I hand brushed that piece in the picture with my stainless steal wire brush then wiped it down with the acetone I have at hand which is a nail polish remover.

Nail polish remover often contain a little bit of oil.

If you wipe your skin with it and it doesnt get white when dry, the acetone isnt pure.

Kriky wrote:First off thanks for the replies.
What are your thoughts about switching to a gas lens? Would this also give me better coverage on the tip with the post flow?
I ordered a bunch of different size cups, collets, collet bodies, and gas lens.

If you don't have any leaks in the gas line, and you're setup and welding in an area without any drafts then either the standard or gas lens setup will provide the protection the tungsten needs.

That said, many TIG welders, myself included prefer a gas lens for better shielding of the weld. Just about the only time I switch to a standard setup is if the size of the gas lens prevents me from getting into a tight spot

Here are my thoughts on post flow time:

The way I know I'm getting enough post flow is that the tungsten remains any color (blue, gold, etc...) other than dark gray or black after the gas stops flowing. Yours is a pretty blue. So in my opinion, there is enough post flow gas shielding the tungsten until it completely cools. If the tungsten is still glowing red and the post flow gas shuts off, your tungsten will turn dark gray or blackish and be contaminated. So I don't think that's your problem.

I'd stick with the 2% lanthanated and just put a decent size ball tip on your tungsten to start. Most budget welders won't keep a sharp point when welding AC no matter what you try. Sharpen the tungsten at the same angle as you are, but grind the sharp tip flat back about halfway on the taper, then ball it. Also, it looks like you are using a pretty rough grinding wheel to sharpen it. Using a finer wheel will help. The rougher the tungsten is, the more prone it will be to growing those irregular shapes everywhere.

This is a lot of great info! Thanks a lot all. Going to get back at it and try all the different recommendations until I get the sweet spot.

I appreciate it all!

Kriky,
Check out Jody's newest video testing out the Lincoln Squarewave 200, he talks about how he sharpens his tungsten for different applications, good stuff.

http://welding-tv.us2.list-manage.com/t ... 25c6a78527

Len

Ok, I did a few bead tests today. I think the biggest improvement for me was when I balled the tungsten. The arc was a lot easier to control which made it much easier to control the puddle. And no crackling! Thank you for that suggestion!
When I had a sharp point I had a lot of crackling and the arc wasn't smooth and inviting.

I posted some pictures. Don't mind that lap joint. I know I need work on my lap,butt, T-joints and my movement across the piece. But for a beginner how are the beads looking? Any suggestions on that front?

Thanks again for all the posts. It's much appreciated.