New welder, tig pics inside...

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Hey Guys, this is my first of many posts hopefully.Ive posted this on another forum too,Ive just started Tig'ing and ive not got a clue at the moment, ive been reading the posts on this board for a year or so on and off and finally bought a 2nd hand tig off a friend when he was moving unit. Its a cebora TIGSTAR150, its not got a pedel its on the button. Ive been mig welding for a good few years now for a living and i fancy giving tig a go.Ive only been welding for a few hours in total over the past week or so with the stuff i got with the welder, today i realised that the gas i had wit the set is argonshield not pure argon, the pics below are with PURE ARGON now.How long does your gas usually last, ive done a big (w size) bottle of argon already and ive hardly welded anything  Also theres a MIG slug in one of the pics, take no notice i was fixing a gas leak on a friends set.  The tungstens are Red stripped and the gas cup measures 8mm accros the opening. (is that a number 8 then?)The pipe is shd40 1.5 inch 316. Filler rod was 316, welded at 50amps gas at 20cfh.A couple of questions, i cleaned the pipe with a new wire brush and petrol (all i had to hand, is that ok?) when i did a root run it was all shiney and had the colour going through it but as soon as i started to add filler rod it just went to a ****ty gray colour with some scale on it, i took the heat upto about 80amps in 10amp jumps but it never made a difference, any ideas?A couple of pics,sorry there not great.
Reply:sounds like the fillwer had crap on it try to clean iot with solvent
Reply:Thanks, ill try clean it, is petrol ok?What about the cup size?Last edited by Irish rizzo; 05-22-2009 at 01:07 PM.Reason: forgot something
Reply:my teacher is a great tigwelder and he uses acetone.
Reply:ill get some but i dont thlnk that is my main problem, maybe its the size of the gas cup?Edit -  just been loking at cup sizes, a number 4 cup is 1/4", the opening on my cup is around 8mm, does that sound too small then?Last edited by Irish rizzo; 05-22-2009 at 03:23 PM.
Reply:Cup sizes are in 1/16" SAE. My #8 is 8/16" or 1/2". If I have room, I prefer the larger cups for the increased coverage. This may also help with keeping stainless shielded.8mm is about 5/16" = #5Petrol is too flamable for me. 99% isopropyl alcohol works ok.Last edited by Craig in Denver; 05-22-2009 at 03:27 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:Great info, u beat me to my edit, ill go buy some cups and tungstens over the weekend and see how i get on.  So the poor gray colour would be down to bad gas coverage? Are my amps about right?
Reply:If you're getting clean autogenous welds but dirty welds with filler then you're pulling filler outside of the gas shield (the hot end oxidises and is then dunked back into the puddle contaminating it). Petrol will leave a residue behind when used as degeaser. Only use a stainless steel brush on stainless (and don't use it on anything else).
Reply:I did notice the rod go all porus(sort of) when i pilled it out of the gas area, i was watching that, i cut the end off the rod and i tryed to keep it in the gas area but even then the weld still went gray and had small amounts of scale on it. ill get some accetone and retry it again, ive alsi just got some stainless scrap to try on too.Last edited by Irish rizzo; 05-22-2009 at 04:09 PM.
Reply:While you're at the supplier picking up parts, ask if they can provide you with a gas lens for your torch. It will have a very fine screen in it, and directs the argon flow in a more direct route over the weld area. You might try to increase the argon flow rate also, and after the arc has ceased, hold your torch over the end of the weld bead until cooling has  somewhat taken place, then turn off the argon flow.Also, continue to practice and post photos; there is a multitude od experience to tap into here.I wish you much success.  Bgbkwndo.
Reply:Originally Posted by hotrodderIf you're getting clean autogenous welds but dirty welds with filler then you're pulling filler outside of the gas shield (the hot end oxidises and is then dunked back into the puddle contaminating it). Petrol will leave a residue behind when used as degeaser. Only use a stainless steel brush on stainless (and don't use it on anything else).
Reply:Thanks for the reply, i dont think ill ne able to get a lens here in the uk  ive not gone to the local supplier, just had a quick search on ebay earlier on, ill check with the shop tomorrow, if i cant get one ill buy off ebay from austraila as the postage is cheeper than anywhere else i saw. The post flow on my set is not ajustable and flows for about 6 or 7 seconds maybe even longer, im sure thats whats wasting all my gas lol.Ill keep the pics coming.Thanks.
Reply:Originally Posted by sn0border88x2, you need to keep the filler within the gas coverage.  This is also true for aluminum if you ever try that.Dont use petrol for cleaning, you really dont even need to use acetone on stainless unless there is visible oil or grease quick wire brushing at the most and your set.