1) What do you guys use to clean AL? I notice when i start welding i get my puddle going and i can see the dirt on the puddle pool and it just makes welding horrible.

2) The school's TIG is setup to be 100% argon. How will this affect mild/SS? Ive noticed, maybe because of my lack of experiance, that the welds seem to get awful hot at moderate voltage and if the voltage goes any lower i cant even get a puddle going

3) What are some general settings you like for when you weld?
ex: 85 amps for 1/8" mild steel....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tubegown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1) What do you guys use to clean AL? I notice when i start welding i get my puddle going and i can see the dirt on the puddle pool and it just makes welding horrible.</TD></TR></TABLE>
clean it with ether or some kind of solvent to get rid of the majority of the contaminates and then buff it with a flapper disc, then ether/solvent again, then weld. should remove most of the crap.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tubegown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
2) The school's TIG is setup to be 100% argon. How will this affect mild/SS? Ive noticed, maybe because of my lack of experiance, that the welds seem to get awful hot at moderate voltage and if the voltage goes any lower i cant even get a puddle going </TD></TR></TABLE>

100% argon is excellent for most processes, the only problem is the cost of the argon compared to the other gasses. you need to get a pedal or a thumb control for your heat, always always always adjust your heat while you weld otherwise it makes for pain in the *** welds. (pardon me, i'm rather inebriated as i type this out so if it doesn't make sense, i will surely edit it or something)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tubegown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
3) What are some general settings you like for when you weld?
ex: 85 amps for 1/8" mild steel....</TD></TR></TABLE>
it really depends on your machine, someone giving you an arbitrary number will only serve as a starting point until you feel your puddle is controllable.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tubegown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">3) What are some general settings you like for when you weld?
ex: 85 amps for 1/8" mild steel....</TD></TR></TABLE>

The rule of thumb I use on the Miller TIG in our shop is Thickness +2/3 for tube, thickness + 0 for plate (which we don't do anything with). So, for 1.25" .049, I'd use 50-55 amps. Now, that is with a pedal, so I might not need to take it to the floor, it would depend on tube fitment. I've never welded Al though, I don't know what you would set for that.

 

Wipe down your metal with acetone before TIG welding. You can buy acetone at Home Depot in the paint department. I would also suggest Miller's welding calculators. They will help you with your power settings along with tungsten and rod selection. You can find the individual calculators below in the link, but I would suggest you buy the student package that includes all three of there calculators and some good books to read that cover TIG, Stick and MIG welding. I have the student package and it is worth the $25!!

Miller TIG Calculator
http://www.millerwelds.com/edu...ators

Miller student kit
http://www.millerwelds.com/edu...ining

John

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1fastVX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Miller TIG Calculator
http://www.millerwelds.com/edu...atorsJohn</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ah, so that's that thing sitting on top the welder gathering dust.