Welding Tips and Tricks

Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's not but I might as well ask. I've got an inverter myself, but my shop has a 3 newer syncrowaves and an old beast of a syncrowave.

I've noticed that I tend to get more arc wander and instability with my inverter than I do with the transformer units. I'm not entirely sure why, and it usually only happens when working with plain low carbon 1018, but as soon as I switch to stainless or aluminum it's like all that arc wander, wanders off and I get a stable arc.

Any thoughts or input to this one?

Cheers,

Boone.

Please list each and every single parameter that you adjusted and to what values you set them to. Also what are the torch setup's like?

Usually when a DC arc starts to move around it's because you're in some kind of tight corner. It's called arc blow and is thought to be a function of magnetism. I've had it happen with stick but not with tig. I've seen it happen with tig when a big fat magnet was holding the work stock too close to the joint being welded (happened to the boss). Try moving your ground clamp. Sometimes you have to try several different locations for the ground before the arc stops moving.

I had an Syncrowave 200 that was awesome but tripled my electric bill because it was a transformer. I got a new 210 inverter and a 252 Mig machine and I don't even notice an increase in my bill. The 200 did a fine job but my new 210 has a way more stable arc. Grind your tungsten right and arc wander is pretty rare.

I reckon the grinding marks may have something to do with it considering I'm using a coarse grit wheel to grind it at home, vs a designated tungsten grinder at work. It's not as if this happens often, but I've notice my arc wandering more than once or twice with an inverter.

HELacey wrote:I reckon the grinding marks may have something to do with it considering I'm using a coarse grit wheel to grind it at home, vs a designated tungsten grinder at work. It's not as if this happens often, but I've notice my arc wandering more than once or twice with an inverter.

I'm sure grinding marks may have some effect on arc wander at lower amps but my theory on arc wander is it happens because of the little nodules that form on your tungsten as you weld. There is a Youtube video by Mr.Tig that rates different tungsten blends and shows what different blends look like after about 12 inches of welding. It was very eye opening. I don't want to post the link here but you can look it up.
In a few ways my transformer machine was a better welder but for overall performance, my inverter beats it hands down. I don't tig alot but the difference between the 2 machines was very obvious.
For what it's worth, Thoriated and Lanthanated fared better that any other blend as far as deterioration.

It's funny that this topic was brought up.I have a SD180 at home but at work I practice on inverter machines on lunch break , I use a Dynasty 200 or 350 depending on what's available .I practice on aluminum, .060 ,first I started laying beads.Once I got that down I started putting pieces together .I have been doing corner joints lately .I have had arc wander a few times .They are not tungsten specific when they weld at work. What ever is in the machine these guys just light up with and they can lay some beads .The welding supervisor says they use cerated for aluminum and gold for steel, but you never know what's in the machine .I have used 2% lanthinated at work here and there cause I started brining my own but I forgot if it wandered .Im gonna have to,look at that on Monday.On an other note those inverters are nice with aluminum !

I'm wondering if the quality of tungsten could also be playing a part in this. Anybody think that may be it?

I've got a pack of Anchor brand 2% ceriated, and a cheapo brand of the same. Still haven't broke into the anchor guys, maybe it'll make a difference.

What you grind them on can make a real difference. If you embed junk in the electrode then you can get all kinds of funny results.

I've got a designated grinder just for tungsten so it wouldn't imagine it to be that.

Too long of an arc length will cause it to wander, especially on filet welds. IMO the quality of tungsten or contamination has nothing to do with arc wander. I sharpen my tungsten on a belt sander that I use for everything and I don't have arc wander problems with my inverter nor did I have that problem with my transformer machine. Tungsten is a very hard and dense metal so I think that while contamination may be possible, I really don't think you could embed enough foreign metal in it to cause any problems. Sometimes I dip in mild steel or stainless and just keep on welding if its not real bad. Can't get more contaminated than that. You wouldn't want to do that on an x-ray weld but for every day welding, it isn't a problem. Dip in aluminum and you have to stop but only because it causes massive arc problems. Check your arc length and try to always ground to your work piece. You could have an unstable arc (didn't say wandering) with a bad ground.

When I stopped grinding them on a belt sander (I broke the belt and it flung my tungsten to who knows where), I quit getting getting nearly as many of those funny little nodules when using AC. I just run them on a bench grinder now and it's a whole lot faster.

RamboBaby wrote:When I stopped grinding them on a belt sander (I broke the belt and it flung my tungsten to who knows where), I quit getting getting nearly as many of those funny little nodules when using AC. I just run them on a bench grinder now and it's a whole lot faster.

Those nodules form on AC and DC. I hate to promote Mr.Tig but he has an excellent vid out about the different types of tungsten and how they compare. Out of respect for Jody, I don't want to post the link here but you can find it on Youtube.
I tried all kinds of tungstens and the only 2 I still use are Lanthanated and Thoriated as they seem very similar in welding characteristics and longevity...which for 3/32" tungsten, isn't all to great to begin with.

I usually get a ring around the electrode, within 1/32" from the point or a flattened tip with dc. I think sometimes it has to do with not using enough gas flow during the weld and also not enough post flow time.
Today I split a 1/8" thoriated on aluminum at 170 amps. Screw that. Switched to 3/32" lanthanated and cranked it up to 200 amps shortly thereafter. The smaller lanthanated performed far better than the larger thoriated. I've read about them splitting but have never seen it until today. The old boss used them exclusively but he has a square wave transformer Lincoln and I have an inverter Everlast. Go figure.

RamboBaby wrote:I usually get a ring around the electrode, within 1/32" from the point or a flattened tip with dc. I think sometimes it has to do with not using enough gas flow during the weld and also not enough post flow time.
Today I split a 1/8" thoriated on aluminum at 170 amps. Screw that. Switched to 3/32" lanthanated and cranked it up to 200 amps shortly thereafter. The smaller lanthanated performed far better than the larger thoriated. I've read about them splitting but have never seen it until today. The old boss used them exclusively but he has a square wave transformer Lincoln and I have an inverter Everlast. Go figure.

I have never split an electrode. 200 amps is pushing it for a 3/32" tungsten. I only weld thin stuff so I usually use 3/32" for everything thick and thin. I have welded over 200 amps and it has held up. I have also sharpened it to a long fine point and welded razor blades with them at 20amps. I don't have "tig collector/hoarding mania" and need to have everything in the LWS in my goody box so I just stay with what works or I make it work.

The only reason that I have thoriated is because the LWS wouldn't sell single sticks of lanthanated. I thought the 1/8" would do a better job than 3/32" regardless of variety.
3/32" lanthanated has no problem welding at 225 amps, at least for a few minutes. I know first hand from doing it several times. It sure as heck did a much better job than it's larger cousin.

Did you split that on AC/aluminum? Let me ask you this...do you snap off your tungsten when you dip and re-grind? Sometimes you get a crack when you snap 'em off like that. I never dip so I wouldn't know

Nope. That stuff is too expensive for me to go and break off a tip. Not that I ever dip either......no sir, not me - ever. It only took 170 amps - AC - to split it.