need some settings to help me start practicing on aluminum. first few times i couldnt get any penetration but it would puddle BARELY. now im just blowing holes through the piece.

 

how thick of material?

 

Yes, please post tungsten alloy and size, aluminum alloy and thickness,etc.
Filler rod size, cleaning done...
The default setting will usually get you rolling if it's new.
If it's used, who knows what the settings are for.

 

1/8" diamond plating. i had to turn the amps up really big just to get it to melt. i think maybe my cup size is too big. i keep melting my filler rod before i even get to it. i did lay down 1 bead but the rest just "fused" together.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 9bells &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes, please post tungsten alloy and size, aluminum alloy and thickness,etc.
Filler rod size, cleaning done...
The default setting will usually get you rolling if it's new.
If it's used, who knows what the settings are for.</TD></TR></TABLE>

green, 3/32 tungsten
3/32 rod, just wire brushed the piece.
new syncrowave 200, just a couple months old.

 

my aunt lives in lacombe BTW.

 

does the diamond plate have a shiny coating on it??
also if you preheat the peices it will be easier to get a puddle started and you wont have to run so much amperage at it and hopefully you wont blow any holes in it, but 1/8" shouldnt have a problem getting a puddle going. run it like 130amps for starters. also tuck your tungsten up into your cup pretty tight .080"-.100" if you are welding flat butt-welds, or beads across a flat peice. i dont know how far you have it hanging out.
you are running AC right? what sheidling gas?? also if you had used that wire brush for cleaning steel or if it has been used on anything dirty it could give you trouble. try to use a new, clean wirebrush and only use it on aluminum.
also make sure your torch is together properly, so the sheilding gas doesnt pull a vacuum and bring outside air.
you might want to find some other AL to practice on, the diamond plate might not be the best to start with. dont get discouraged, you will get it

 

its pretty dull looking al. i couldnt get the stuff to melt until i put it to 180 and i believe i was using the pedal to the floor. the tungsten is balling up at the end pretty big. i probably had the tungsten 1/8th or so out maybe 3/16".
im not really trying any joints in particular. just trying to get a basic feel for aluminum since i havent done it before.
yes im on AC, im using pure argon. also im on a large gas lense #12 cup.

 

i usually run a smaller cup just so i can see what i am doing better. what is your shielding gas set at?? try bumping it to 25-30 to see if you can get good coverage with the big cup. also with the 3/32 tungsten i dont know if you want to go much more than 150amps. you are running it a little too hot if the tungsten is turning into a big ball, a small ball not much larger than the tungsten diameter will be normal. also once the whole peice is hot it will be much easier to weld.
with steel you can slowly roll into the pedal and get your puddle going and kind of take your time, where as with AL once it is warm you pretty much roll on the pedal hard and then back off. instead of easing into it and getting all the "static". sorry i dont know the technical term. lol

 

1/8" should be melting WAY before 180 amps. I usually run about 120 amps or so on .125" aluminum...maybe a little more. All your settings seem right though...kind of a weird situation going on....

 

the only thing i can think of is the diamond plate is some dirty/weird aluminum. kind of ironic but i think the first peice of AL i tried to weld was some diamond plate **** and wow was i frustrated. also try getting your hands on a 5 or 6 cup

 

well the ball is slightly bigger than the tungsten, looks big to me. ill try again tomorrow. i mean shoot its the first time on the aluminum. might try my smaller cup tomorrow just for ***** and giggles. at lower amperage it just wants to arc and oxidize. i might go 150A tomorrow just to make sure. i got plenty of that plating to practice on.
i did notice in my endeavors that you feed the filler fast for al.

 

If the filler is melting before it gets to the puddle, you must have the torch inclination pointed too much in front of the puddle. Try very close to 90*, and try to keep the cup really close to the work. Everything else sounds good except the heat. How big of a piece are you working on?
Weird indeed.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1 2 NV &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my aunt lives in lacombe BTW.</TD></TR></TABLE>
That's really close to me. I used to go up that way to buy crickets for my lizard collection.

 

thats why i was thinking my cup was too big too. i noticed it melting right at the edge of the cup. toward the end of my journey i was holding the torch really close to 90* from the piece.
like i said ill screw around with it some more in the next day or so and see if i can get better results.

 

bump for answers....

 

yah with aluminum i find myself holding the torch more towards 75* to the peice, more so than you do with steel

 

Man you guys are obsessed with cups, size, gas lens, everything that has to do with the cup. For a beginner this is most likely the last thing he has to worry about. He needs to figure out the basics in technique. Torch angle, push angle, feeding rod, how much amperage, machine settings etc...

I suggest to set the machine at is max amp range. As long as you have a remote to control this it doesn't matter what the max amps are.

Somethings you can do to figure out heat input when starting out welding on all different thicknesses:

Strike the arc with the torch 90 deg. from the part with a 0 deg. push angle and let it heat up until you see the metal start to melt. Play with the heat a little to get a feel for it and then add a couple of dips of rod. You may need to increase the heat a little. When adding the rod makesure that the rod is not too close to the arc as it will melt off before it gets to the puddle. If the rod ***** up before the puddle than you either the rod is too close or you are not adding rod and getting it out of the arc fast enough or you have too much push angle.

As far as how much the tungsten stickout it doesn't matter as long as the gas is getting to the arc. You have to stick it out further on certain joints like a t-joint. Sometimes you have to decrease the cup and stick the tungsten way out there just to get to some tight places.

It is odd that your tungsten is balling up bigger than the tungsten dia. on the lower amps. Sometimes the diamond plate has plastic on it and it is usally very dirty.

Get some tri mix (grey) or some 2% thoriated(red). I don't like the green.

 

i seemed to have figured it out. started to use the amps really low and let it "heat" the material first. i think i want to try 1/16" tungsten instead. i wish i had a more consistent way of laying a bead but its kinda sketchy at this point. still i ended up with pretty good results. i havent welded anything together just been practicing making passes on a flat panel. before i figured out my technique i was having a tough time "heating" both pieces and getting the filler material to melt into the pieces.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1 2 NV &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i seemed to have figured it out. started to use the amps really low and let it "heat" the material first. i think i want to try 1/16" tungsten instead. i wish i had a more consistent way of laying a bead but its kinda sketchy at this point. still i ended up with pretty good results. i havent welded anything together just been practicing making passes on a flat panel. before i figured out my technique i was having a tough time "heating" both pieces and getting the filler material to melt into the pieces.</TD></TR></TABLE>




Modified by Six Sigma Racing at 7:32 PM 3/4/2007