arc not coming off tip of tungsten

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 15:35:31 GMT

go to see Welding Machine for arc not coming off tip of tungsten

I was out trying to experiment a little with tig welding aluminum and everything was going well for a while.  Then I noticed all of a sudden the arc was not coming off the tip of the tungsten. It seemed to come off an area higher in the cup for some reason and wander all over the place. I had not contaminated the tunsten or anything so I am kinda lost as to what may have happened ..  The only thin I did notice was the tip of the tungsten where the little ball is was a blueish color.  Could I have needed more post flow ???thanks
Reply:If he tips blue, it's not in shielding gas before it cools.  Check your gas.  All the fittings and flow, your torch collet and back cap, all of it.   You'd be surprised what contaminated gas can do to your arc.I had a major problem a month ago with my machine with a sputtering arc and aluminum contamination and it was all from contaminated gas.  Machine worked fine on DC.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:And check the ground.  Sometimes when the arc is dancing around you don't have enough amps. You may need to use a smaller tung.
Reply:What grade tungsten are you using? Fouling of the tungsten, and glazing of the ball will cause an erratic arc initiation.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:One possibility is a tungsten not ground correctly will cause the arc to swirl.REAL TRUCKS DON'T HAVE SPARK PLUGS