Newb Tig welder - Critique and Advice

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Well I've been a hobby mig welder (Automotive) for many years but I decided to get into TIG.Got a Lincoln Square Wave TIG 355 but I have all the features turned off for now.I've got a WP17, 2% Lanthiated 3/32" tungsten, ER70S-2 for CS and and some 4043 for Aluminum.I made some pretty decent welds when I first hooked up the machine, but I got to practicing last night and I'm having some struggles.  Mostly welding 1/8" plate.I have been following the 1amp per 0.001" method, is this ok for steel and aluminum?I think I am putting way too much heat into it on the steel because it often times lays really flat and even makes a bead on the opposite side.  From looking at the top while welding, how do I know when I've got the correct amount of heat?  Puddle size? Fluidity? I had the argon at 25cfh, but then turned it down to like 18 or so. My first aluminum welds were super shiny and smooth, but these below seem speckled?  Is this not enough gas flow? Contaminated tungsten?Any constructive advice is much appreciated!Nick
Reply:Oh yea, and ignore the short welds on the left in the aluminum picture, I was just playing around with the different features to see what they did.
Reply:You have a gas flow issue on your alum welds. Your machine is a beast so of course it will weld hot. 1 amp per .001" is just a ballpark setting so that you can fine tune it later. What is your cup size, type, and tunsten stickout?Move faster and taper off your stops to avoid the crater. Slowness is your enemy.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:Thanks, So just more gas flow on the aluminum?  What flow rate is typical? Should I do a decent amount of post flow on the aluminum?  I figured that was more for keeping the tungsten cool.Using a #6 ceramic cup, no lense, tungsten stickout is about 1/4"-3/8"Ok, so its not that my amperage is necessarily too high, just that my overall heat input (kJ/in) is too high because of my travel speed.Last edited by nichoms; 11-21-2013 at 11:05 AM.Reason: I'm a fool
Reply:For 1/8" mild steel, no problem going down to 80 amps.  More time figuring what's going on in your puddle.  Concentrate on feeding filler through your fingers and experiment with different profiles.  Intentionally build a high bead and then try low and wide.Last edited by OldSparks; 11-21-2013 at 10:49 AM.
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Reply:Originally Posted by OldSparksFor 1/8" mild steel, no problem going down to 80 amps.  More time figuring what's going on in your puddle.  Concentrate on feeding filler through your fingers and experiment with different profiles.  Intentionally build a high bead and then try low and wide.
Reply:Hot and fast is the key for alum. Get a puddle right away, don't hang around, mash the pedal, get a puddle, dip, move, dip and maybe backoff the pedal a little and keep going fast. You really need to move.www.tjsperformance.comDynasty 300 DXHTP 240HTP Microcut 380Hyperthem 85JD2 Hyd Bender and HF Hyd Ring Roller all in one =(Frankenbender)Bpt. Mill/DRO4' x 8' CNC Plasma TableInstagram: tjsperformanceYT: TJS Welding and Fabrication
Reply:Originally Posted by nichomsThanks, So just more gas flow on the aluminum?  What flow rate is typical? Should I do a decent amount of post flow on the aluminum?  I figured that was more for keeping the tungsten cool.Using a #6 ceramic cup, no lense, tungsten stickout is about 1/4"-3/8"Ok, so its not that my amperage is necessarily too high, just that my overall heat input (kJ/in) is too high because of my travel speed.
Reply:Originally Posted by TJSHot and fast is the key for alum. Get a puddle right away, don't hang around, mash the pedal, get a puddle, dip, move, dip and maybe backoff the pedal a little and keep going fast. You really need to move.
Reply:Thanks guys, I really appreciate the pointers.  I will get to it this weekend and try moving a lot quicker.I'll post back with my progress after...