I just recently picked up a very good condition Lincoln Squarewave 175 tig machine at a garage sale. I purchased some new tig gloves and a new argon tank with regulators for the setup. This is my first tig machine but I cannot get this machine to weld a seam of aluminum for the life of me. It just melts the edges of each side of the seams no matter what amperage I set the machine at. When on a solid surface, I can get a nice bead. But, the second I try and weld two pieces of tubing together, it wont even remotely work. Am I missing something here? I have had a 30+ year welder try and weld on it and he's experiencing the same problems. We are using the green 3/32 tungsten.
Reply:Are you using filler or just trying to fuse? Aluminum doesn't like to fuse. It always melts back and pulls away from the edges. Filler is pretty much mandatory.Rene
Reply:We are using filler. We have both the 3/32 and 1/8 rods.
Reply:My first TIG machine was a SW175, and it worked well on aluminum. Not being a smart a$$, but you do have it set to AC, don't you?Rex
Reply
o you have a frequency setting that might be too high? weld it like you own it
Reply:How thick is your alum? 1/8" is easier to learn on than 1/16".Lay your filler in the seam and arc to the filler. As the filler becomes molten, feed in a little more to make a ball, bridging the gap. Pedal up, arc on the ball. Watch the edges of the ball carefully, one side will start to fuse with your base metal. Then move the arc toward the opposite side and add a little more filler.In order for the above to work, the metal needs to be shiny clean. What you're doing is x-ferring the heat through the ball, but if the ball is sitting on an oxide coating, the heat will be insulated from the base metal. Then the ball will overheat and evaporate. If this is a butt weld, it will burn back. You just have to feed rod faster than the melt away.Last edited by Craig in Denver; 12-19-2008 at 04:00 PM.9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:I took it in yesterday to a welder repair facility and he said most likely there's an issue with the PCB. He wont know anything for sure until after Jan 1st as they're backed up with work and holidays. I'll keep you guys posted.
Reply:To weld the aluminum.FIRST it needs to be clean.You have to brush the seam with a stainless tooth brush.Tack at each end. possibly the middle depending on the length.Did you form a ball on the end of the tungsten?Was the ball of the tungsten flush with the end of the cup?Without a foot pedal it WILL be harder to control.Do you have some 4043 filler wire?Set on AC.High freq continious. Right?Last edited by Donald Branscom; 12-25-2008 at 04:26 PM.AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:Ok, I took it in and the tech found nothing wrong with my machine. The only thing I can think of is the argon is contaminated somehow. Have any of you experienced this before? The tank was purchased brand new when I bought the welder.
Reply:Originally Posted by texasmeatOk, I took it in and the tech found nothing wrong with my machine. The only thing I can think of is the argon is contaminated somehow. Have any of you experienced this before? The tank was purchased brand new when I bought the welder.
Reply:I have the same machine and had the same problems. First problem was the welding supply place sold me a tank with C02 in it. I wasted quite a bit of time assuming it was something I was doing wrong.Once I figured things out everything works well. My guess is you just need to clean things a bit better and start welding within a few minutes of cleaning. Make sure you are not in a windy area.
Reply:Got it all sorted. It was definitely the gas. I welded up some tubing this afternoon and it was great! Sucks cause as soon as I get used to the machine, I may have to sell it. A good friend of mine has a nice Miller syncrowave 250 for a deal I dont think I can pass up. What should I be asking for it? It still has the original owners manual and stick leads in the box.
Reply:I have had the same issue, dudes at the gas depo were baked or something and are always trying to give me argon c02 mix instead of pure argon. Makes welding aluminum a fairly futile effort.
Reply:Been there, done that. Tried to weld up a set of cast valve covers once. Earlier in the day, someone hooked the wrong cylinder up to the bank (manifold system), opened it, realized it was the wrong one, took it off and never told anyone. Took forever to get the line purged again.
Reply:Texasmeat, sent you a PM about the Lincoln 175...
