Hows it going fellas. Just registered today, but Ive been a long time lurker. Last week I bought a divesion 180 in hopes of learning how to tig aluminum. Ive been messing with the machine for the past week, but I cant seem to run a bead if my life depended on it. Ive done a ton of reading and watching of vids, but I cant do it.

Here is my setup

miller diversion 180
1/16 tungsten 2% coriated
1/16 4043 filler
messing with 2mm flat aluminum plate to make beads
100% argon with 20cfh flow
#7 cup with matching gas lens from retail shop

first off, what amperage should I be with? I am currently using the finger switch, as I was told I can still make beads with that. Foot switch, I havent tried yet. I will take any adivce I can.

Currently, when I try to run a bead, the filler rod gets all balled up, while the base metal has a decent pool. When things start to flow, the beads lay very flat and seems to sink into the base metal if that makes sense. I will try to get pics up as soon as I can.

 

also, I am currently running about 75a

 

Try using the pedal that will help get you learning quicker. Give it a lot of heat fast then when the puddle looks like a mirror ease up on the pedal. Also try keeping your filler away from the tungsten if you are having trouble with it balling up ,it is because you are keeping it too close and heating it up so by the time you get near the puddle it is balling up. So pull your hand back then when you see reflection in the puddle go in to dip. Try turning your amps up to 120, use the pedal and give it heat fast. If you sit there and it is taking a long time to puddle the whole area gets heat soaked and melts through. Also I found it was easier to learn with 3/32 aluminum filler it wasn't as sensitive to me over heating things.

 

Ive used my Div.180 for a couple days, I picked up a scrap piece of Al from a local metal shop and have found my best looking beads come out @ 120 amps, hit it hard quick and get the puddle formed then dab and keep it moving fairly quickly. Ill most likele start my own progression thread in the next couple days...

Oh and by the way im practicing on a piece of 12"x12" 1/8 plate using 3/32 5356 filler and 3/32 2% ceriated tungsten

 

practice on steel first to learn how to tig weld. it is a lot more forgiving.

 

Pictures would be really helpful to see what you're doing wrong.

 

Get some MAPP gas canisters and a torch, pre-heat where the piece or where you will be starting the beads. Get it really hot and it will make everything work better.

That was the single most useful thing for me to learn out side of the standard tig techniques to get good with aluminum. After that its just practice, practice, practice.

 

Now, in my experience, when the aluminum gets hot is when it's the most difficult to deal with. I am in no way a good al tig welder, but when I strike the arc, and make the bead, it gets harder to control the longer I weld. Wouldn't pre-heating make this more of a problem? Or am I missing something?

 

It's a middle ground, just like everything else. When the material as a whole isn't very hot, it will keep pulling heat away from your puddle until the material heat soaks. This can constantly keep heating up and cooling the puddle which makes it hard to keep consistent.

I find that the puddle is much much easier to control and flows a lot nicer once the piece has heat soaked. You just have to watch your edges and keep control of your heat input, because as you pointed out, it can easily run away from you.

Best way to do aluminum is to start really hot, and then back off and simply maintain the puddle.

 

I am also not the best aluminum tig welder but I did learn to tig on aluminum and have found pre heating it to help A LOT.

A friend actually has a skillet in his shop that he sets tubing on to heat up, they work really good because it doesnt dirty up the aluminum.

 

Use the foot switch and start with some steel. The foot switch will make it much easier to learn.

 

Pre-heat the material. I just pull the torch away from the base metal and run a few low amperage cleaning passes back and forth across the material, then go to your start point and establish your bead width. Be careful that your bead doesnt get increasingly large as the material heats up as you weld.

Amperage should be 1 amp per 0.001 of material thickness +/- 20% depending on personal speed and weldment type.

 

Going to the variable foot pedal and getting away from the torch switch will help you a lot.

 

Need to start with few basic thing.

Pure argon gas. 15cfm to top of the ball. depending on your regulator/flowmeter

Also. When welding Alum. you want PURE Green tungsten Balled. Can be balled with a piece of copper or brass. Take some old copper pipe and smash it flat. Dont use your ground. Balling the tungsten is key to welding alum.

I dont know what "2% coriated" Tungsten is. I have been welding for years and never heard of that.

 

Hey man for many of these new inverter machines (for example a dynasty) you are not supposed to ball the tips. Most work best with sharp tip and ceriated tungsten is actually given by miller in their torch/contactor kits. The recommened tungsten to use on a miller inverter is a 1.5 lanthanated.

 

MUST BE NEW WAVE_

 

This is an inverter type welder as said before. DO NOT USE Pure (green) on an inverter type welder. Please go educate yourself on the difference between a transformer type and inverter type welder. Everyone and their mom uses 2% Ceriated, if not 1.5% or 2% Lanthanated, or anything else besides 2% Thoriated (it's fine for DC welding, just sucks ***** for AC) or Pure (green)

Dynasty300s have been out since the late 90s, not really "NEW WAVE"

 

whatever dude. I went to school for welding.

Sorry I dont know about these little inverter welders.

 

Right..... You must have missed when they were discussing theory then, because this is basic **** bro. FYI inverters are used on everything from power sources for production MIG welding to 700amp TIGs. It's a superior power source due to their efficiency, power consumption, and control of weld parameters.

 

Put yourself on one and you'll understand what all of the fuss is about, especially behind aluminum.

 

calm down everyone no need to fight

 

Don't worry iaintmad. Just trying to drop some knowledge on this foo

 

On my transformer based syncrowave, I never ball the tungsten. I sharpen the tungsten the same for all metals I weld.

I noticed if I try to sharpen the tungsten for aluminum, arc control sucks. It wants to wander around too much or the puddle is too large.

 

I TIG weld aluminum 60 hours a week so ill chime in

I always turn the amps up high so I can get a puddle quick and let off to run the bead. say on 1/16" sheet ill run 100A, 1/8" ill run 150, and if im on 3/16" I usually have the machine maxed out.

I always sharpen the tungsten to a point on both transformers and inverters.

no need to preheat unless you are welding 3/16" or thicker IMO.

other than that its all about torch time, you really need a good feel and rhythm for adding filler or it will look like crap regardless.

 

we only had 30 year old transformers at my last job and I produced just as nice welds as I do with a dynasty now.

but the added features and adjustments are nice on the dynasty