So i bought a diversion 165 for the prupose of some basic car stuff, but mostly to learn the art of tig welding. I set everything up, and just went at it. Im warning you what your about to see is not pretty lol.... all critisism is welcome, and feel free to laugh at it lol cuz i was chuckling when i saw it too haha.

Im using:

Diversion 165. Setting was between 90-120 amp AC.

3/32 tungsten
20 CFM 100% argon flow
i guessed the aluminum pipe i used was about 1/8 thickness
wiped down, then stainless steel wirebrushed the metal first with a dedicated brush


Obviously im doing alot of stuff wrong here lol... so let the bashing and critisism begin! but please pointers and help would be nice too lol

 

first off start off practicing on a piece of plate running some surfacing beads. make sure its CLEAN. like that tubing you have there needs that chrome coating or whatever that maybe removed completely. that tubing is also most likely 1/16" thick not 1/8". therefore you need to be at around 70 amps or so if you want to weld that.

but if you get some 1/8 plate, set it at around 140amps and use 1/8th tungsten. also what tungsten are you using?

 

Looks really hot too many amps, what filler were you using? He probably 2% Ceriated tungsten thats what came with my diversion.

 

That aluminum is Anodized its really not great to learn on. You need to find a metal supply place and go in there and go through there scrap bin and ask if they have any 6061 tube or plate.....you will learn a lot quicker on some clean raw pieces then car parts...make sure its not anodized

 

i had no way to measure the metal so i guessed 1/8th, im gonna finish wrecking this tube then go buy a sheet of aluminum.

if it is 1/16 then i guess i am way over on amperage lol. ill try toning it down a bit to around 70 amps and see what happens.

im using 3/32 tungsten... i dont know hwo to tell what type of tungsten it is though.

i didnt use much filler in any of that i was trying to start a pool with no filler and get it moving. Theres only one spot where you can actually see that i even did use filler. the filler i will be using is 4043 for aluminum.

 

not gonna happen with aluminum. you must use filled with aluminum, its not like steel at all.

and you cant tell ~1/16" vs ~1/8" with the naked eye?

 

im still very new to this stuff, so no i cant tell lol....

 

it's a thickness, has nothing to do with welding, it's judging how thick a material is lol
anyway don't start with aluminum, practice on steel first even thou it's completely different when welding.

 

It wouldnt hurt to get a welding book. It would speed up the learning process as compared to just playing around.

And like mrgsr said, dont start aluminum. Its MUCH more difficult than stainless.

 

i have the tig welding for dummies book... it gave me alot of good insight so far.

and yah apparently i need to start with mild steel... or even stainless before i dive into AL.

 

I understand it says you were welding on AC..but honestly it looks like you're on DC.. my 0.2.

 

It's 'cause you can't see the A/C cleaning, because the part is coated with something. The cheap aluminum from China often has a type of clear coat, or anodizing.

 

With my Diversion 165, if you're not using 100% tungsten, everything aluminum turns to ****.

- Derek

 

Welding aluminum your first time with a tig, talk about trial by fire. Might as well just use paper I admire your ambition. Keep at it!

 

you arent supposed to use pure tungsten with an inverter machine.

 

thanks! finally someone who understands! lol... i just dove in and i plan on keepin goin!! ill learn it eventually at my own pace! hopefully a quick pace lol..


so how do i tell what "type" of tungsten i have?

 

You should first start off with mild steel . Then alum

 

the tungsten will have a colour band on the end of it.

 

can anyone direct me to a website i can purchase stainless steel sheet metal from? theres nobody local who sells anything?

i need sheets for practicing. i can ge aluminum at home depot but no ss

 

go to a local metal supplier and ask for scrap or "drop". stores like HD and lowes overcharge for what they give you.

worst comes to worst get some online.

 

thats what i mean, where do i get it online...

i have no "metal suppliers" around my area

 

There is a directory of supplies, tools, etc at the top of this forum.

 

I find that hard to believe, look for machine shops around your area too

 

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...=&oq=&gs_rfai=




.

 

homedepot aluminum is anodized and the steel is pretty nasty I think it's galvanized