OK, I know this is a loaded, and often asked, question, but... I'm trying out my new Thermal Arc Pro-Wave 185TSW inverter based TIG. I'm a noob, but I took a class last year, and was actually pretty good at tigging aluminum. Now, I can't even get a slight puddle to form :-( I'm just getting alot of popping, and splatter. I assumed electrode or surface contamination, but cleaning those up has made no difference? There is alot of black speckled craters and a yellowish powder on the surface. The arc doesn't seem to wander too much, but it is flared out( 1/16" out to 1/8" or more at the surface)
1/8" aluminum plate ( in fact, it's same plate that had some real nice welds on already)
150 Amps( foot control)
80 Hz freq.
20% on the wave form?
3/32 pure tungsten with rounded tip
#6 cup
15 CFH argon
Suggestions? Trouble shooting techniques?
Thanks
Try using the AC arc process with Helium. You might get different results. Its been a while since Ive been a tig hand but thats usually the process that I used. Just a suggestion.
Yellow powder = scorched tungsten, This is a gas problem.
Forget helium... More drawbacks than plusses including too much cost for what you want.
150 Amps.. Ok as long as you have a foot control. About 1 amp per thou is the rule of thumb so your in the ball park.
80 HZ is fine at your amperage for beads on a flat plate. Higher frequencies will just make more noise with little effect on the bead. I think with the 80 Hz. we can assume you have already satisfied CM's suggestion to weld AC
20% on the wave form ??????? For the electrode your using you will do best at a balence setting between 60-75% EN
3/32 pure tungsten. You paid alot of money for a machine with whistles and bells.. None of them will work optimally with pure tungsten electrodes... Try Zirconium or Cerium electrodes ground to a blunted point.
#6 cup... Thats ok, especially for fillets. #8 is better for flat plate
15 CFH argon... up to 20 is ok for that cup size... #8 cup can run up to 25. Keep the stickout shorter than your cup ID. The yellow stuff is scary... check hoses to see if they are clear and unpinched. keep torch angle near 90 degrees. Double check to make sure you have pure argon.
I just spent lunch talking to the guy at HAUN ( local welding supply.) He seemed to think the same thing: that number one problem is probably the balance, even though that's what the manual suggest. After that he also said to increase the gas 25 to 30.
Would thoriated even be better than pure?
What do you think about a pointed electrode as Miller suggests with their inverter-based boxes?
Thanks, I'll be trying alot of things tonight, Although it is making the work day long! I can't wait to get out of work and get to work :-)
You probably want to avoid thoriated for aluminum. It has something to do with causing the tungsten to spit. Find some Ceriated or or zirconiated like Lawrence suggested if you want to switch. The university will not spend the money, so all I have ever been allowed to use is pure, and though I could see how I would benefit from ceriated or zirconiated, pure will do just fine for beads, I think it's when you get into corners that the other two will really help you out.
You can grind these to a taper, but I don't think you want an exact point (I once found the recommended dimensions for the blunt, cone, and taper length on the internet, but I forget where). The taper helps to focus the arc in conjunction with the frequency control.
G. L.
OK, I tried everything ( balance, gas flow, frequency, pointed tip, balled tip,...), I even found that the ground lead was real loose where it connects to the clamp... Still no good. As I was closing the garage door... "Oh ya, check the gas and make sure it is pure Argon". Well, it says "Argon blend", but has nothing filled in for percentages of Argon/CO2? Is it normal to say blend, but write 100% - 0% ? I'm guessing no? I also noticed it is a red tank painted blue. Some left over Acetyline?. I have the tank in the truck ready to return...
Ta Daaaa!
Just a note.
Never trust a paint scheme on compressed gas bottles. Only trust the lable at the neck.... Different distributers use different color or stripe codes...
Let us know how it goes :)
Ta Daaa, meaning if it says blend, it is? What should it say "Pure Argon" or something?
I JUST WANT TO WELD :-0
Ta Daaaa meaning that bad gas is likely the case and I bet a new bottle will be the final solution.
If it says "blend" you are prolly in trouble for GTAW. If the lable doesn't provide the constituants in percentages than just take it back and ask for pure.... You don't need argon/helium mixes and you won't want to pay for it either :)
We have a pretty good guide on our site regarding grinding tungsten, and selecting tungsten (no charge):
http://www.arc-zone.com/catalog/web_store.cgi?page=library.html
-CE
Pure Argon works much better ;)
I still can't get a good bead, but I know its ME!
Thanks again, maybe I'll have a little more technical question next time :-)
By -
Date 09-26-2005 16:08
This does not seem to be a tungsten or how you grind it problem.
