Not liking the tig

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I'm new to the tig but been welding all my life. I can make the steel look real good,not a problem there. I have practiced on scaps of alum and can do a good job at that also. So now i want to make a seat mount for my boat and all I do is waste time and materal. I'm trying to weld a tee joint. 2"x1/4 flat with a square 2"x1/8 inch tube to it. I have a PT225.Gas set at 15, 200 amps,no pluse, set on penetration, green 1/8" rod. It seem like a long time to get a puddle going and then when I do the rod balls up be fore I can get to the puddle with the 3/32 rod. I really like the tig but it is getting real fustrating when it won't turn out. How long should you have to wait before you start dipping into the puddle? Or should it read how long should it take for a puddle to form. Any help would be great. Thanks]Lincoln PT 225 Tig
Reply:I'm  in the learning stages too , but your amperage setting sounds miles too high to me.200 amps on my machine will instantly burn a hole thru most things, I would try a much lower setting, even for the 1/4 and 1/8 material you are welding.I'm welding .065 wall ss at 50 amps to start the puddle off then down to 35-40 amps.How far away from the work are you holding the electrode?
Reply:had a look at my Miller Tig Calculator.For a fillet weld of 1/8" , which is your pipe wall thickness, it shows 100 -140 amps, 1/4- 3/8 cup, 1/16" tungsten,DCEN,11cfh argon, 10" per minute weld travel.I have found these Tig Calculator amp settings get you in the ballpark, but are if anything, on the high side for my inverter welder.Try starting with the lower amperage , 100 and see how it works. Keep the electrode stick out as short as it can be while still allowing the electrode to reach the work. Hold the electrode about 1/16th to 1/8th max away from the workAll tips from an amatuer , but the Miller calculator stuff is figured out by a pro.
Reply:Drich,it sounds like several tuning items and one technique method might help in this case.First, inside fillets with TIG work best with the highest frequency you can bring to the AC arc. The reason is this narrows the arc 'focus' and the joint naturally has a very wide ground point for the arc off the tungsten.Since the arc can go off top or bottom sides/edges of the electrode- regardless if you have a pure balled electrode or a 2% Ceriated ground point- the arc can 'go north or south' so to speak.  More HiFreq will direct the arc more, and a ground point will direct it even more.  Balled, or domed, pure tungsten works OK but inverters (don't know your model's power source?) are very well served by ground alloyed electrodes.But what you want is the arc in the center- that is- you'd like the arc to focus or heat up a point farther away from the tip of the electrode than either side of the 90.  It helps to put the gas cup literally on the two pc to be welded.  Then move the tungsten in or out to make the distance from the V in the fillet about 1/8" longer than the eventual weld fillet face.  That may have to be read a few times to make sense?Then if you have the machine set to very high penetration, and that is not happening in a fillet without beveling the vertical plate, reduce that until you can get a wet puddle over both top and bottom piece. The amount of time it takes to get a puddle is not only related to the total amperage flowing -but also how narrow the area that amperage is 'focused' or flowing into the parent metal.  Reduce arc gap, increase HiFreq and look at ground tip electrodes?The rod balling up is usually the argon washing out in front of the puddle melting the rod. Hold the rod as low to the horizontal as you can,keep it at or near the 5:30 to 7:30 position in the puddle with 12:00 being the top as you travel.  If the rod is held low and close the resulting control is much higher than if the rod is elevated or at a higher angle.  Also roll your torch hand to 'aim' the arc to the back of the puddle just as you thumb filler into the puddle, it redirects the gas flow partly and leaves you more time and space to insert the solid filler.By keeping the rod low and very near the puddle's lead edge it will drip into the forward edge of the puddle UNDER THE GAS and not melt outside in the air- where is will form excess oxides and pollute the puddle when you get to that lump of balled filler.If you have pulse it is VERY handy in this type of weld.  The rising amperage is about the best fusion portion of the weld, but if it gets too high- your metal overheats - so pulse or oscillating amperage is very helpful to inside fillets.  That feature allows you to keep the electrode almost directly on the 1/4" and then only incline it slightly during the amperage surge and that will flood molten puddle onto the 1/8" material.Hope this makes some sense?Cheers,Kevin Morin
Reply:sorry, ignore my earlier comments, missed the aluminium part.For 1/8" al. fillet weld the Miller chart shows :3/32 tungsten (as you have)HF stabilized A.C.140 to 160 amps17 cfh argon3/8 or 7/16 cup3/32 or 1/16 filler rod
Reply:Thanks for the nice post. I'm home from work now and I'm going to go and fire up the welder. It is a new Lincoln PT 225 which dose not have a high frequency knob. Just a pulse, amp, and a cleaning to penetration knob which also has a auto set spot. It just seems like I take to long to get a puddle going. But I'm going to give you tips a try. Thank you for your time.]Lincoln PT 225 Tig
Reply:Originally Posted by DrichI'm new to the tig but been welding all my life. I can make the steel look real good,not a problem there. I have practiced on scaps of alum and can do a good job at that also. So now i want to make a seat mount for my boat and all I do is waste time and materal. I'm trying to weld a tee joint. 2"x1/4 flat with a square 2"x1/8 inch tube to it. I have a PT225.Gas set at 15, 200 amps,no pluse, set on penetration, green 1/8" rod. It seem like a long time to get a puddle going and then when I do the rod balls up be fore I can get to the puddle with the 3/32 rod. I really like the tig but it is getting real fustrating when it won't turn out. How long should you have to wait before you start dipping into the puddle? Or should it read how long should it take for a puddle to form. Any help would be great. Thanks
Reply:Thanks for the tips. I'm doing a bit better. I'm keeping the filler rod low coming into the puddle which is helping a lot. Almost flat works well. I'm liking  the orange tungsten when on the aluminium material so I can grind a point on it.My machine does not have a high frequency so I have just been leaving it in the auto which seems to be working fine. It is a work inprogress. Thanks again.]Lincoln PT 225 Tig
Reply:Originally Posted by DrichThanks for the tips. I'm doing a bit better. I'm keeping the filler rod low coming into the puddle which is helping a lot. Almost flat works well. I'm liking  the orange tungsten when on the aluminium material so I can grind a point on it.My machine does not have a high frequency so I have just been leaving it in the auto which seems to be working fine. It is a work inprogress. Thanks again.