I don't post much But I love to read this fab forum. I'm a hobbyist and do work for friends. I've greatly improved my alum welding lately via practice go figure.. lol.. I still need plenty more. My practice welds are nice and clean with little prep. I recently worked on some 6061 tubing and prepped it much better than my practice piece. And the welds have what look like splatter in the beads. What am I doing wrong?

Machine is a Miller Syncrowave 180SD, Using a gas lens 2% 1/16 tungsten. 4043 filler. Running Max 80amps with the DIG set at about 5. I prep heave with scotch brite and then clean with acetone.



Thanks

Mike

 

i sometimes get that in my welds, im not sure what it is though. have u tried turning the balance up and seeing what that does? thats my suggestion.


mike

 

You are really working the tungsten at that amperage. I would switch up to 3/32", especially since you are using thoriated. It tends to "spit" once it get's worked.
Also, prep your joint with a slight v-groove to help it "drop" down more.
You want the weld to be closer to flush.
Using 3/32" 4043 is fine, but just don't push so much in at once. I prefer 1/16" for this reason.
In my opinion, this is closer to what you should be shooting for...


The groove weld is smooth, with flow at the edges. The spackled look of your welds I believe is a combination of tungsten abuse and balance setting. The 180 has adjustable balance does it not? What do you have it set at? The DIG setting is a stick or SMAW setting, not sure what if anything, it does to GTAW.

 

when i use 1/16" it melts in to damn fast so dip really fast with 3/32" rod so i dont get super convex welds.


mike

 

When i said Dig I meant balance.

 

Yeah, ok. Thought that might be it. Turn it up to 7

 

Pure tungsten is less likely to spit I take it?

Thanks for all the help. I'll mess with the settings again. I am really pumped that i am getting this down, Most of my work in the past has been on cast and I just managed stringers...

 

No. Zirconium, or better yet Lanthanum.