Syncrowave 250 machine

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Good day:: What additional safety measures should I inplement to do AC TIG on Aluminum ?  Groung the work bench ? I am a newbie and attemping to teach myseld TIG..  Please don't suggest a school course, my hearing is so poor I would miss 90% of what;s said.... I intend {with your help} if you would please   to do this on my own................  I have both an gas cooled torch with the valve on the handle and a water cooled torch , which i have not fully grasped the hook up yet.........Thanksaltec
Reply:While it's possible to learn tig by starting with alum, you are trying to do things the hard way. Alum is much more difficult to weld than steel. To do alum, you need to weld hot and fast because alum is such a great heat sink. That means when you start to have issues, usually the correct response it to speed up and add more heat to outrun the problem. It seems counter intuitive, but using more amps and moving faster actually decreases the total heat input into the piece. To pull this off, you really need to have your skills to the point where you can do these sorts of things by reflex.Steel on the other hand is much more forgiving. You can easily see what is happening as the material changes color unlike alum, and if you start having issues, you can simply back down a bit and go a bit slower. I pretty much covered how you should go about trying to learn in your other post.As far as a hearing issue stopping you from taking a class, that pretty much a cop out. In all the classes I've ever dealt with, both helping and as a student, more than 95% of the class is lab time. There are some things that really can't be easily conveyed with picts and text or even video. Having some one stand there and watch you weld is the best way to find issues and move forward quickly. A hearing problem can be worked around if the instructor knows you have one.Can you do this on your own, starting with alum? Yes, but don't expect to get any where fast, and expect it to be very frustrating. I'd say to expect to spend at least 3-5 times as long to get to the same point you can if you started out with steel. With students I help teach, the ones who start out on steel, can usually get thru flat laps and into T joints in the flat position in the 10 week class if they are dedicated and pay attention to the suggestions. The ones trying to start on alum, seldom ever get to doing joints. Most are still trying to run basic beads on flat plate at the end and usually are very frustrated that they can't do what the steel guys can.  It's simply much harder to get the basics down with alum.If you want to learn on your own, start with steel.As far as additional safety precautions, no there really aren't any. The same precautions apply to both AC and DC tig.Last edited by DSW; 09-05-2012 at 04:20 PM..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:thanks for the new info..I did read your first response with great interest............. I have TIG welder steel, but an far from a master..................
Reply:We just connected the Syncrowave 250 into the wall panel and stomped the pedal.  Bzzz, bzzd, done.  Work clamp on the work and torch in hand."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I would just make sure it was wired such that I could disconnect it from the grid. Lightning can get expensive with computers and welding equipment.
Reply:I started on aluminum, and while the learning process took a while, I did not find it overly frustrating, and found that I could put in more chair time with aluminum because steel oxidizes quickly, forcing me to stop laying down beads and clean the coupon.  With aluminum I can just keep going and going and...well you get it.  The other advantage with practicing on aluminum - is it forces you to control the pedal as the coupon heats up.  You learn that skill quickly otherwise your beads spread and flatten out from one end to the other.  Once you can control your puddle on aluminum, steel is easy and you should find yourself laying good beads down in no time.Disclaimer: That's just my experience.  I have a lot of patience, so this method might not work for everyone.Mike
Reply:Download the Syncrowave manual.  There is info about grounding and high frequency interference."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by b2major9thI started on aluminum, and while the learning process took a while, I did not find it overly frustrating, and found that I could put in more chair time with aluminum because steel oxidizes quickly, forcing me to stop laying down beads and clean the coupon.  With aluminum I can just keep going and going and...well you get it.  The other advantage with practicing on aluminum - is it forces you to control the pedal as the coupon heats up.  You learn that skill quickly otherwise your beads spread and flatten out from one end to the other.  Once you can control your puddle on aluminum, steel is easy and you should find yourself laying good beads down in no time.Disclaimer: That's just my experience.  I have a lot of patience, so this method might not work for everyone.Mike