How to practice Aluminum Welds - what thickness material is best?

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Hi all, I'm making good progress learning to TIG steel.  I have lots of scrap 1/8 material for coupons.  I can work on fillets, laps, butts & Tees - everyday I get a little better.For Aluminum I suck.  But really, I've only tried a few beads with scraps laying around the shop.  My question is, what is a good size and thickness coupon to use for practice.  My steel coupons are 1/8 x 1 x 3.  Would something thicker be better for Aluminum?  The thin stuff I've tried is not very forgiving.Thanks,Walt
Reply:I started with .125 or 1/8" but quickly became tired of running beads so i decided to build something and out came a set of sheet aluminum valve covers . They turned out ok but the more i welded the better i became and i have something i can use instead of just a bunch of coupons.     (That the store wont accept for discounts)    Good luck time and patience is what it take for tig welding.   Jake  P.S.  Also are you using a/c to weld aluminum correct ?  Pure argon ? Using aluminum filler ?Last edited by jakesporting; 12-31-2009 at 04:09 PM.Reason: added
Reply:Thanks Jake,Yes, I'm using AC, 1% Lanth, Argon & and Al filler.  I'm looking for a project - you're right, that kicks the learning up a notch from coupons.Walt
Reply:1/8 should be plenty thick for practice. If you are having trouble with that then I think you should keep focusing on technique. Search utube for welding tutorials. Search for tig toutorials and find the vids by the welders lens.Also show some pics and tell us what your doing and what your problems are.You could try thicker material but that's not the problem.Lincoln precision TIG 275Millermatic 140 MIG
Reply:Oh and cleaning is very important. If it's dirty or heavilly oxidized it can be a nightmare and leave you wondering WTFs going on.Lincoln precision TIG 275Millermatic 140 MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by XTWaltHi all, I'm making good progress learning to TIG steel.  I have lots of scrap 1/8 material for coupons.  I can work on fillets, laps, butts & Tees - everyday I get a little better.For Aluminum I suck.  But really, I've only tried a few beads with scraps laying around the shop.  My question is, what is a good size and thickness coupon to use for practice.  My steel coupons are 1/8 x 1 x 3.  Would something thicker be better for Aluminum?  The thin stuff I've tried is not very forgiving.Thanks,Walt