One slightly tough part is welding 3/8" to .062" You need to get almost all the heat into the 3/8" material. Sometime it may require a light polishing or … A MIG welder for Aluminum will do this automatically when; the voltage is increased, Aluminum wire is used and; Argon gas (or Argon Helium mix) is the shielding gas. This coating metlts at a higher temp than the aluminum base metal itself. I’ve coached a lot of people with their welding over the years, and there is one simple tip that helps almost everyone — keep the tungsten electrode close to the weld. This dial will essentially change the “sine wave” of the AC welding process. This indicates that the oxide has been removed and it is safe to add filler and move forward. One was tungsten size. A few things happen when you immediately let off of the pedal and pull your torch away from the weld at the end of a puddle on aluminum, the first being that the molten metal is left without shielding gas for a fraction of second in which it is now vulnerable to being contaminated by the air. Thanks for taking the time to do the article. You did mention however it was previously looked at? It should be connected to the negative, work clamp to the positive. I'd disconnect what I could, so I'm left with a power source, stinger and a work clamp and try welding SMAW in DCEN,DCSP and AC. The added shielding coverage when using a gas lens allows you to turn your setting more towards the negative side for a tighter arc and weld puddle. This is insightful and relevant. The heat for TIG welding comes from the arc that streams from the tip of the electrode to the workpiece. Out of position welding is a fast whipping or steady motion with a focus of staying ahead of the puddle. So, in short, TIG welding needs pure argon to protect the tungsten electrode, and MIG welding works best on a 75%/25% argon/carbon dioxide mix to get good weld penetration and flow. Our Low-VOC PRE and Acetone are safe to use, and are the preferred solvent to clean parts one last time before welding. can cause problems. Above you can see a piece of “clean aluminum” that I pulled off the shelf and welded on. I highly suggest converting you torch gas nozzle and collet body to a gas lens to achieve better gas coverage and more efficient cleaning. Just make sure that the area is staying clean around the puddle and there isn’t black specks floating in the puddle or brown halos around the puddle. I have inconsistent results establishing a puddle for AC TIG on aluminum using a Syncrowave 250. I would turn it down. On aluminum the other thing that happens is that the filler rod starts balling up or melting before you even try to dip it in the weld puddle and can cause a mess and a LOT of frustration. A cup size of 6. TIG welding can be used to produce high-quality, clean welds on most materials, including steel, stainless steel, chromoly, aluminum, nickel alloys, magnesium, copper, brass, bronze, and gold. Techniques for MIG welding aluminum are forehand welding and in most cases stringer beads only (yes you can weave but it is not worth risking overheating a joint). Like we talked about in the paragraph above, when welding on AC the welder actually cleans the base metal before the aluminum … If I dab the filler rod, the glob either goes to one or the other side or makes a useless … it seems that when i try to feed the filler material into my puddle, it just ***** up and get blown out of the puddle. Now you mention a few other things that jump out to me. These types of welding it’s perfectly acceptable to immediately pull your welder away from the workpiece as soon as you’re done welding. You’re settings mean a LOT- Even on a simplified machine like our TIG 200 AC/DC the extra dials used for aluminum can be confusing, even more so if you’re learning on a higher end machine with lots of dials, switches, and “blinky gauges”. This is particularly important when you weld aluminum. on continuous, set low on the dial, try a few things to appease me and maybe discover a few things in the process. Check the best tig welder for aluminum. Matt demonstrates the importance of puddle control when welding steel & aluminum. At first the arc will turn a small circle of the metal white, then the area will increase in size and the “eye” of the puddle will begin get shiny and turn into a liquid. I know that you have to lead/push the puddle but I can't see the puddle. A freshly ground tungsten tip does ball up faster when set to a lower number. ... No, you're just not good at feeding filler. Welding aluminum is very different when compared to welding steel, both in technique and in results. As it was mentioned, if the power source was in front of a guy, it would be so much easier. If you’re having this problem I can almost 100% bet you have your torch laid down too far. I have tried the following to remedy the problem: * New tungsten * Torch angle and rotating tungsten to redirect arc * Different sized cups * Adjusting HF dial * Cranking up the amps * Brushing and acetone wiping base metal and The weld arc travels straight out of the electrode and the more direct its path can be to the workpiece, the smaller your arc will be and the less you’ll heat the base material up. 4. With MIG welding, the current passes through the welding wire and arcs between the wire and the workpiece. So I bypassed the foot pedal to scratch start and still had the problem, so that remote terminal seems fine. This happens without you realizing it because you’re probably trying to turn it to see the puddle and tip of the electrode better. All too often we see first time TIG Welders struggle with the basics and this can lead to frustration and a long learning process. Use a string bead technique as you move along the weld, but be careful not to change the angle of the electrode as you proceed. ©2017 The Eastwood Company. The difference is that some welding methods (like TIG welding) require an actual welding gas and others use a flux or coating on the filler wire that burns off creating the shield that the weld puddle needs to keep contamination out of the molten metal. You can use it along with argon for both MIG and TIG welding. Tig welding aluminum. I then suggest to follow up with Eastwood Low VOC PRE, Acetone, or a similar chemical. Some thoughts on weld puddle control from a licensed & fully insured hobbyist. Because it is lighter than steel, a weld puddle in aluminum is easy to blow around with excess shield gas. I used 3 different machines for this video… A miller dynasty 280… an everlast 210 ext. he bought it to repair leaks in auto radiators and aircond parts. Successfully TIG welding aluminum requires constant monitoring of the puddle because aluminum can get hot quickly. If you start laying the torch down too much on any material, the weld puddle opens up quickly and the workpiece heats up so much you could blow through the metal or the puddle grows uncontrollably large. This article focuses on TIG welding aluminum since it is widely used for the aluminum welding process. One small tip during TIG welding aluminum is to raise the torch a little bit to extend your arc length, because the puddle can change in height when being added with filler rod. I am going to list your response and then respond to them: All times are GMT-6. 2) Do it again at zero, establish an arc, then again at max. ! TIG can use AC current in order to achieve an optimal weld puddle in aluminum. Although they are both red, the one under the gas valve is electrode, the other work clamp. Similarly, with TIG welding, the electrical current passes through the tungsten electrode and arcs from the electrode to the workpiece. To weld aluminum with MIG is very different and challenging, and the following should be kept in mind when MIG welding aluminum for the application. Sounds like the oxide coating on the aluminum is giving you problems. But that's not enough to stop me from chiming in further. TIG welding and MIG welding can both achieve good welds in the aluminum material category. A good rule of thumb is to tilt the torch back 10-15 degrees from the way you’re traveling on the work piece (left to right for a lefty and right to left for a right handed torch holder). I have inconsistent results establishing a puddle for AC TIG on aluminum using a Syncrowave 250. This characteristic requires putting in a lot of heat to establish the weld puddle. ...and a simple Lincoln square wave 175 amp transformer welder. This oxidation will take a while to be visible to the naked eye, but it’s happening. All rights reserved. In this case the heat goes more into the torch itself. 1) On AC, balance at 3, 100 amps, strike an arc. Not much more to add to the title. It could well be something has crapped out? This can be a difficult thing to conquer when welding something that isn’t flat like round tubing or a wheel, etc where that 10-15 degrees changes as you rotate around the tubing. However, this heat must be controlled to prevent a runaway puddle or burn-through. Mig welding is a way faster process than tig welding, but can’t get anywhere near to tig weld when it comes weld finish. If you go more positive the puddle gets wider and more cleaning of the base metal occurs. Ac shouldn't be a problem to see. Tig welding machines used . I appreciate the information. This is a clue. For me this is hard to answer your question on the forum but if I could run your machine for 10 seconds I would know if it is machine or operator error. Even on a short weld like this there are small fractures that are already forming, not what you want on anything you care about! Something about internet diagnostics? First things first. by Harry haithcoat (St.Louis, missouri) hi, i have been reading up on tig welding, it's been about 22 yrs sience i did any tig,a friend of mine just bought a Thermal Arc 185tsw ac/dc cc with stick,tig-lift start and hf start. I know this may sound like a dumb question to ask, but is there a chance you have your torch connected to the wrong terminal? When I have issues, I like to start at where the circuit is made, the arc, and work my way back toward the machine. Take your time and keep some of these key steps in mind and you’ll be on a path to close-up worthy welds! What do I do?-----Angel, I’ve brushed with a SS brush only for aluminum, cleaned w/ denatured alcohol, played with AC balance and still can’t form a puddle. Cleaning your workpiece as much as possible can also help since the machine doesn’t have to work as hard to clean the metal. Overzealous tightening of the backing cap, or using mismatched collets/collet bodies/tungsten size, can twist or distort the collet. In the photos above you can see where I laid the torch down mid-weld and how much the puddle grew in size and then when I tilted it back up it slowly got smaller again. This dial will change how long (we’re talking fractions of a second) the welder will stall on electrode positive to electrode negative to gain either more cleaning or more penetration into the workpiece. Like we talked about in the paragraph above, when welding on AC the welder actually cleans the base metal before the aluminum turns molten. For most TIG welding, that is 1/16 of an inch….about the thickness of a dime. Once you get that puddle going good, twist the torch a little toward the .062" and add filler as soon as it starts to melt. Helium is the gas that kind of changes everything. DC welding aluminum is no different. In Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, a tungsten electrode is used to heat the metal, while Argon gas protects the weld puddle from airborne contaminants. Because the heat input is often controlled by pressing on a foot pedal, similar to driving a car, TIG welding allows you to heat up or cool down the weld puddle giving you precise weld bead control. Visit my store at https://weldmongerstore.com for TIG Fingers, DVDs, and other quality welding tools. In the grand scheme of things the aluminum was “clean” but not enough for TIG welding. I would also suggest, electrons are flowing from the conductor to the plate, hence the sand blasting of oxides, and from the plate up, the penetration and melting. The other thing that can happen is that the weld is “shocked” from going from hot to cold so quick in that it could develop hairline cracks in that last bit of weld that WILL spread (Crack is bad Mmmmkay?). tig puddle problem 07-12-2005, 07:20 PM. Lastly, when TIG welding aluminum, do not start welding until the puddle has the appearance of a shiny dot. Question is why? With the foot pedal disconnected, hi freq. Pull long arc, run some short arc, and adjust amperage up and down confirming a complete range of amperage control. Also remember that there are many grades of aluminum which can change where you set the dial on the machine (IE- older low quality castings vs. fresh new plate aluminum). Great info. Hold the electrode closer to the workpiece. Are your consumables in good shape? If not raising your torch, the puddle can jump onto the tungsten and contaminate it. I'm no substitute for the expert advice you've been given, and from what I've read, I'm not sure anything I have to offer would be of much value or was besides a cursory check? 3/32" if memory serves. The reflective heat and weld puddle are very hot when MIG welding aluminum. All other functions off. Shortly there after the puddle will open up and start to get larger. I decided to throw together a few common mistakes and corrections for beginners when learning the “black art” of TIG welding aluminum. Double-check your gas flow setting before working on aluminum. I'm 14 and just started, I keep my auto-darkening helmet to go to around shade 10 in dark-state and I don't know what I'm doing wrong to not be able to see the weld puddle that is 'present' during welding. If adjustment of the balance control dial changes that, or those values, I would see it as functioning? However, it’s expensive and hard to get. Don’t pull away!- Most of us learn MIG or ARC welding before we tackle TIG welding. This will keep the shielding gas flowing over that vulnerable last weld and keep it from developing a crater and a crack at the end. You have to adjust your work style to meet the needs of the metal, filler, and setup that you are using. As well the melting and balling of the tungsten. The process that I’ve tried to get myself into over the years is when you get to the end of a weld puddle, add one last small dab of filler as you slowly let off of the pedal. There’s a reasonable limit how far you can go positive on the Clearance Effect, much past 0 will cause the electrode to get overheated and start balling up or potentially fracturing at the end. It’s been a long time since I’ve welded. Keep the electrode close to the puddle. This means you will have to wait a few seconds before a puddle starts. Just a thought? Well, as the owner of a seldom used Syncrowave 250 I'm interested maybe more then most to discover what has gone wrong? Taking it slow — and taking the time to practice — can help you reduce aluminum scrap and build your skills as you learn to TIG weld aluminum. This means that minute particles of the Aluminum welding wire is sprayed into the weld puddle. The ring of cleaning should have changed as well it should be noticeable the indication of surface melting or appearance of such change occurring. A big mistake we see beginner TIG welders make when learning how to weld aluminum is not waiting for the puddle to fully initiate. The more negative you go on the dial will net you greater penetration and a tighter arc/weld puddle, but less cleaning of the workpiece. Tig Welding Aluminum or should I say getting good at it... opens up all kinds of possibilities for any weldor.... automotive parts like intercoolers, expansion tank coolers, marine parts like tuna towers,rod holders, and boat propellers. Electrode tip shape for AC welding is “ball” ranging in diameter of 1-1.5 times the tungsten electrode’s diameter. TIG welding aluminum can be more difficult than steel; even with a simplified TIG welder like the Eastwood TIG 200 AC/DC. I noticed in a picture you have hi frequency set to max. Wait for it, Wait for it- Patience is something that is tough sometimes, especially when you have so many things going on at one time when TIG welding. In reverse things would be backwards? Once you have a puddle thats the desired size you can begin to add a dab of filler rod, move forward half the puddles diameter and add another dab of filler. Aluminum with MIG Welding. On the Eastwood TIG 200 this dial is called “Clearance Effect” and goes from -5 to +5. If you see your filler rod balling up too early or the puddle opening up try changing your torch angle mid-weld and see if that solves the issue. am i using to much gas? Click, click, click. Avoid large weave beads on aluminum. Welding aluminum generally will weaken it, and for a few different reasons.The main reason is that heat will affect the temper of the aluminum, which can result in a loss in yield strength of roughly half in many cases if measures aren’t taken to correct it. Aluminum tends to be less forgiving and there are some simple steps you can take before, during, and after the weld that can help you successfully weld aluminum. 7. Any help would be greatly appreciated! The difference between TIG welding and MIG welding equipment is drastic. When welding, keep the proper aluminum filler electrode or rod free of contaminants and melt it with the base material to create a constant welding puddle; GMAW/MIG. That said, it also appears that is where you are having such issues? Proper heat input is a critical factor in successfully welding aluminum with GTAW. TIG welders use a tungsten electrode which keeps the weld … It also makes the aluminum puddle … Holding the tip closer than recommended could lead to the wire burning back to the contact tip and other feeding problems. Takes a bit longer for it to ball up on normally used 6.5-7.". You can see the pics above of an electrode that was overheated due to incorrect settings. Let the amperage slowly bleed off until its down to nothing, then hold your torch over that area until your post flow shuts off on your machine. I suggest to at the least use a dedicated stainless wire brush to scuff the surface of the aluminum until you have a dull, brushed finish. Create high quality, clean welds With superior arc and weld puddle control, TIG allows you to create clean welds when appearances count. The ideal distance from the electrode to the weld puddle is the thickness of the electrode. Sign up now to receive exclusive email deals, industry news, and new product releases.*. This bad habit can be tough to break if you’re use to these other types of welding, but it’s necessary to break if you want to make sure your beautiful stack of dimes weld doesn’t fail! A bad habit many beginners learn is “laying the torch down” when welding. Practice the Weld First. Adding a little more filler metal with each dab will produce a pronounced appearance, and adding less material will create a smooth appearance on finished welds. I'd go back to basics. Above you can see an example where I let off the pedal very quickly and immediately pulled the torch away on a hot weld. How to MIG Weld Aluminium Strike a clean welding electrode around an inch from the start of your weld, then quickly move it over to the point where you want to start welding. In the end nothing can beat practice and repetition, but if you’re conscious some of the common mistakes others make you can correct as soon as they happen to you. The second a piece of bare metal is exposed to the atmosphere it starts oxidizing on a molecular level. "Yeah, full pedal. check out the. But as the owner of one, I'm following along with interest, and hope it's nothing so serious of a problem that doesn't get easily solved. Because aluminum is so conductive, the heat of the weld puddle can be pulled away quickly. Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), commonly referred to as metal inert gas (MIG) welding, is another common method used for aluminum welding. Need advice on making actual TIG joints in thin aluminum, especially how you get them started I have open 45 deg halfway between lap and T. Ok I get the torch very close before I start, and last time had both metals glistening side by side, but how do you form that initial fused puddle?. You can also use a fresh sanding pad or disc as well. A MIG welder welding Aluminum correctly, spray transfers the wire into the weld. Your not trying to melt anything so don't let that be a concern for the moment. 2. This page was generated at 03:24 AM. With proper planning, studying, and of course practicing, the goal is to eventually enter the welding profession again. Chances are that even if it’s jacked up, it won’t hurt your arc quality too much, but it can make the tu… I have tried the following to remedy the problem: What is the material thickness you're welding? I am trying to weld aluminum and I cannot get a puddle to form, I’ve tried pure tungsten 3/32, 1/8, and 5/32. This time will vary on your amperage, clearance effect (AC Balace), and how clean your material is. Technique for DC-TIG Welding Aluminum. would of like to see all he wrote on on a video .and showing some of the mistakes and how to over come them a lot of good in fo read it carefully and learned a lot thanks joe. Some tips that will help you use direct current to TIG weld aluminum are: Be safe. Is this aluminum or steel?

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