HELP: First time trying to TIG weld aluminum

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I have been welding for a long time but I am new to TIG welding.  I bought a Vulcan ProTIG 205 and learning how to TIG weld steel has gone pretty good.  I thought I would start practicing on aluminum and have had dismal results.  I have watched a number of tutorials on Youtube but still no luck.  The welds look like I have the torch and ground reversed, but I don't.  I have the welder set to a 70/30 cycle and I have tried 80/20 as well with similar results.  Any and all help would be much appreciated.  This is 1/8th aluminum that I am practicing on and I have tried 80/100/120 amps all with similar results.  I have also cleaned the tungsten several times.

Jeff
Reply:Do you have good gas flow? Is it 100% argon?You mentioned having the polarity reversed. Aluminum should be welded on AC not DC.Clean the aluminum with a wire brush before you strike an arc.Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Gas problem. Let's see your steel examples with the same bottle of gas. However, I did get a Vulcan 205 last year. Dead out of the box. It could be the welder too.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:I have a friend who bought the same machine and was getting the same results on aluminum....steel was fine.  He brought it over and when I took the tungsten out to put a fresh grind on it I noticed he had the collet in backwards.  Reversed the collet and it ran perfectly.  It was letting enough gas through to weld on steel, but not aluminum.  You want the skinny part of the collet in the front and the back cap pushes on the fat part.It could be something else, but that's an easy one to check.  Also, how thick is that aluminum?  You want roughly 1A per thousandth of an inch, so if it's even 1/8" you want to set the machine for something like 150A to be able to get a puddle started in 1-2 seconds.  If it's thicker than that you might want to just turn the machine up all the way.Check out my bench vise website:  http://mivise.comMiller Syncrowave 250DXMillermatic 350P with XR AlumaProMiller Regency 200 with 22A feeder and Spoolmatic 3Hobart Champion EliteEverlast PowerTig 210EXT
Reply:Not sure if you have a foot pedal but however you start you have to give it all you got, then when puddle quickly forms, back off to maintain puddle. That was the best advice I got when I started on aluminum.Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:You mentioned having the polarity reversed. Aluminum should be welded on AC not DC.
Reply:Yes, I am welding with 100% argon.  It appears I have good flow, I have a good regulator and a new hose, no kinks.  Also I am welding with the machine set to AC and I wire brushed and wiped the aluminum down with paint thinner to get it as clean as possible.
Reply:my first Vulcan 205 was dead out of the box too but I have done quite a bit of welding with this one and it seems to be working great, on steel at least.  I will post some pics of steel welds.
Reply:

Originally Posted by G-ManBart

I have a friend who bought the same machine and was getting the same results on aluminum....steel was fine.  He brought it over and when I took the tungsten out to put a fresh grind on it I noticed he had the collet in backwards.  Reversed the collet and it ran perfectly.  It was letting enough gas through to weld on steel, but not aluminum.  You want the skinny part of the collet in the front and the back cap pushes on the fat part.It could be something else, but that's an easy one to check.  Also, how thick is that aluminum?  You want roughly 1A per thousandth of an inch, so if it's even 1/8" you want to set the machine for something like 150A to be able to get a puddle started in 1-2 seconds.  If it's thicker than that you might want to just turn the machine up all the way.
Reply:

Originally Posted by wb4rt

Not sure if you have a foot pedal but however you start you have to give it all you got, then when puddle quickly forms, back off to maintain puddle. That was the best advice I got when I started on aluminum.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Jack Ryan

True but the "polarity" still needs to be correct or the cleaning ratio will be reversed. On that note, I assume by 80/20 you mean 20% cleaning - not all TIG welders use the same terminology.Jack
Reply:Find somebody around you who welds aluminum regularly, invite them over, buy him (or her

) a pizza, and let them give it a Go.In Tig welding Aluminum, there are So Many important variables that can go wrong, little stuff you'd never imagine. It's all got to be right and, when it's not, a guy with the "feel" will find it for you. We've all struggled with weird results that just show-up one day and that experience will be more helpful to you that anything else...
Reply:

Originally Posted by 1StopJeff

Yes, 20% cleaning, you were correct in your assumption.
Reply:

Originally Posted by 1StopJeff

The collet will only go on one way.  I can try using a smaller collet to get more concentrated gas flow to the weld.  Also sounds like I might need to bump up the amperage according to your calculations.
Reply:I have a Vulcan205 and maybe I can identify some things that can affect your alum welding. Firstly is the torch dinse connecter retaining the rubber o-ring nicely and does it seat well? What is your gas flow and are you able to confirm flowgauge amount at the torch? I use a portable sheilding gas flowmeter at every tig welder. You can get one here. http://netwelding.com/prod02.htm

Next the standard copper collet body and soft copper collet were junk and I had to put a proper gas lens for "17" style torch on mine. Weldmonger has gas lens kits for aircooled torches. https://weldmongerstore.com/collecti...kit-3-32-2-4mmTomarrow I will try to fire up the 205 and see what settings I have it on for alum. I have downsized and tucked it away for a while.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR"

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Reply:onstopjeff,paint thinner is light oil, you may be leaving a film of oil on the surface?? - use acetone to clean there's no film left.Cheers,Kevin MorinKenai, AK
Reply:Ok, I fired mine up this morning to do an alum tool chest repair. Balance is 75% dcen and welded clean with 5356 filler. Preflow is .2 seconds, post flow is 8 seconds. Argon flow rate with #7 gas lens is 19cfh. Stickout is 3/8", tungsten diameter is 3/32". Everything welded like a champ. Flow rate at nozzle matched the flow gauge. AC amps maxed out at 120 amps on 120 volt input. Like the others I think you are having a gas delivery issue, whether it be torch, collet body, bad collet, loose or punctured hose, or bad flow gauge. You really need to check flow at nozzle.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:

Originally Posted by BaTu

Find somebody around you who welds aluminum regularly, invite them over, buy him (or her

) a pizza, and let them give it a Go.In Tig welding Aluminum, there are So Many important variables that can go wrong, little stuff you'd never imagine. It's all got to be right and, when it's not, a guy with the "feel" will find it for you. We've all struggled with weird results that just show-up one day and that experience will be more helpful to you that anything else...
Reply:Aluminum welding is a bitch! And describing how to do it here is like getting a hair cut over the phone.   Basically you need someone with experience with you or watch Jodi at Tips and tricks on you tube.   Then practice til the cows come home.It seemed like a good idea at the time!
Reply:

Originally Posted by welding1

Aluminum welding is a bitch!
Reply:

Originally Posted by John T

I never found that to be the case myself..I found aluminum welding via TIG to be about equivalent or easier than welding mild steel via TIG.
Reply:

Originally Posted by John T

I found aluminum welding via TIG to be about equivalent or easier than welding mild steel via TIG.
Reply:

Originally Posted by BaTu

Not me brother....

EVERYTHING, from prep, cleanliness, torch angle, visual "feedback", and especially speed, becomes much more critical in Alum.With Alum you don't get the color change that would give you an early indication that things are getting too hot.With Steel you don't get "over cooked" welds if you linger a little too long. Out-of-position, when "near perfect" torch angle isn't possible because of space constraints, can be more easily dealt with in Steel. Without proper angle, the Alum weld just Stops and cruds-up.It's a whole different animal from steel, it's always felt to me that welding Alum is closer to Brazing than welding and that O/A experience preps you better for Alum.If you were just learning to weld, and started with Alum, you'd be a much better Steel Tig welder. Not so much the other way around...
Reply:I don't that's true either though

If we look at the simplest, flat, down hand, weld on the table.Aluminum, for me, would first have a greater V. Then I would go Max Amps right from the get-go until I saw "shiney" and then the "C" form with the proper torch angle. At that point, if you want to have a pretty weld, you have to MOVE, like Now! Fast and Even

(and I think that's part of the difficulty, you have to, from muscle memory, be machine-like precise in the dippin' & movin') That's not at all the way I would weld Steel...Plus, during the process,,, everything else I discussed (color, angle, etc.)
Reply:Some people make TIG welding aluminum sound impossible.  The rest of us practice a bit and realize it's different, but far from impossible.  

Check out my bench vise website:  http://mivise.comMiller Syncrowave 250DXMillermatic 350P with XR AlumaProMiller Regency 200 with 22A feeder and Spoolmatic 3Hobart Champion EliteEverlast PowerTig 210EXT

Originally Posted by 1StopJeff

I...wiped the aluminum down with paint thinner to get it as clean as possible.
Reply:

Originally Posted by G-ManBart

Some people make TIG welding aluminum sound impossible.  The rest of us practice a bit and realize it's different, but far from impossible.  


Reply:

Originally Posted by BaTu

and the idea that "it's just like Tigging Steel" rings so untrue to me


Reply:Forget the Prep, it was the smallest part of my (post #22) reply and I don't know how it keeps circling-around as being the point I was making there. It was mostly the process I was thinking about (speed, critical torch angle, color change) that seems different to me (and these are admittedly subtitle differences). Maybe I'm being too picky,,, too critical of any weld I make that doesn't look just like I want it to and what it takes to make it look that way


Reply:

Originally Posted by 1StopJeff

I have been welding for a long time but I am new to TIG welding.  I bought a Vulcan ProTIG 205 and learning how to TIG weld steel has gone pretty good.  I thought I would start practicing on aluminum and have had dismal results.  I have watched a number of tutorials on Youtube but still no luck.  The welds look like I have the torch and ground reversed, but I don't.  I have the welder set to a 70/30 cycle and I have tried 80/20 as well with similar results.  Any and all help would be much appreciated.  This is 1/8th aluminum that I am practicing on and I have tried 80/100/120 amps all with similar results.  I have also cleaned the tungsten several times.Jeff
Reply:

Originally Posted by Fab54

That to me is a gas problem. Wrong gas, bad gas, contaminated gas, or a gas leak. I just pulled my hair out an entire weekend before I determined the gas was contaminated. Switched out the tank and welds went back to beautiful.