NEWB TIG...Need Some Feedback

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Hey y'all,Just trying out my new TIG and looking for some feedback; it's not turning out as planned.  I only have a few hours of stick time, but I would like do get some tips before I keep spinning my wheels.I am using an Eastwood TIG 200 and have been practicing at both Aluminum and Mild Steel.  My first pictures are some crap welds on 1/8" steel with no gap.  I had the machine set at 110amps DC, 1/16" ceriated tungsten (point), 1/16" filler, 0.4 sec pre-flow, 6 sec post flow, and what I though was 15 cfh (just re-looked at my gauge and I was set on 15 l/min, which is roughly 30 cfh). I don't know if the wrong flow is causing my weld issues.I felt like I could only get a "skinny" bead, rougly 1/4" wide.  I tried to get the bead to "flow" out some but no luck, it just undercut.  Also, I wasn't really get any penetration either.  In the last picture, you can see where it just builds up on top of the base metal.  Based on the pictures, whats your opinions?I tried switching tungsten and filler to 3/32", but still same results.  I also tried lanthanated tungsten, similar results again.My aluminum welds are looking a lot better from a top, but still no penetration.  I did my own "weld test" with a hammer and cracked the weld right down the middle.  What is causing this and what should I do to adjust?I also noticed that the Eastwood TIG doesn't have the option for "DC neg" and "DC pos", only "DC".  Is this ok?There is a "clearance" knob, which Eastwood says is for AC only.  Basically it balances cleaning vs penetration.  The more negative the setting results in greater penetration and less cleaning.  The more positive the setting results in less penetration but greater cleaning.  I don't know if this will help with my Aluminum issues, but I'll start messing around with it.  Again, my plan is to get as much stick time as possible, but as I practice, any feedback, advice, criticism is greatly appreciated.  Thanks. Attached Images
Reply:Two more pics of the aluminum, penetration and cracked weld Attached Images
Reply:Grab that "clearance" knob, and crank 'er all the way to max penetration.  I'm guessing on your machine that would be counter clock-wise.  That will help penetrate into your aluminum much better (and take a lot of heat off your tungsten so you can weld with a sharper tip on a smaller electrode, rather than a big melted ball.)You can also weld both sides (where the back side is accessible) to ensure full penetration.
Reply:How about for the steel?  Since the clearance knob is only for AC, what do you think is going on with my DC welding?
Reply:For both steel and aluminum, I am guessing that you have not developed the technique of adding the filler rod into a puddle.  When you use too much torch angle and/pr introduce your filler rod too quickly (before you have melted an appropriately deep puddle ahead of your weld bead that you can dip with the filler rod to melt it and build it up consistently), you melt the rod prematurely, with the heat of the arc.  Ever notice a big blob hanging off the end of your filler rod?  That's from too much torch angle or other less than ideal technique.  You will also melt the rod inconsistently that way, causing a varying weld bead in terms of width.  This will deposit an uneven bead and you won't be getting much penetration that way.If you are adding your filler rod correctly, all you need to do to increase penetration is to wait longer before dipping your rod, to make the puddle deeper.  If it seems like you are waiting too long, then press your footpedal down to get more welding current.  No need to wait with a footpedal - you can press down as much as is needed to make a puddle instantly, and melt the puddle as deep as is needed nearly instantly  When the puddle gets too deep, it will sag down and you can see this happening on the top also as a sag.  In this case, move more quickly or let up on the footpedal.  If it gets too far out of control with too much current and not enough moving, you can melt a big hole.Last edited by jakeru; 07-03-2012 at 01:49 AM.
Reply:Learn to crawl before you try to run in the Olympics...Your amps are a bit low for 1/8" steel and if you are using the same settings for alum, they are way low. General rule of thumb for tig is 1 amp per thousandth and with alum you need to add at least another 25 amps to that minimum to get the puddle going fast. That means you should be at 125 amps for steel and 150 amps for alum 1/8" thick. At those amps you'll find your 1/16" tungsten probably won't hold up well. You'll need to jump up to 3/32" for steel, and quite possibly 1/8" with alum.But joints are the hardest of all the joints to do. At the tech school we have the students progress from running puddles with no filler, to puddles with filler, to lap, then T, then outside corners, before they get to but joints. On average a new tig welder doing steel, might get into T joints in the 48 hrs of class time. It will take them another 48 hr semester to get to but joints IF they are lucky and apply themselves.  Alum is even harder to do because everything has to be done about 3-5 times faster. With steel if things start to get out of control, you back off the pedal and slow down. With alum, you mash on the pedal and go even faster to get things back under control. Every thing needs to be instinctive at that point. There's no time to think. You need to have all your actions down to the point where you can simply do what's needed. Usually I recommend students don't even try alum if they can't weld all position steel. There's simply too much of a learning curve to get results in the length of class time. Most can't even get the flat laps done and are still trying to manage simple beads at the end of the semester.Your last pict in the 1st post shows you don't have basic heat control down yet. That bead on flat plate wouldn't get you a "pass" at the tech school. It's pretty typical of new tig welders with almost no hours in. Heat at the beginning was fair, but it dropped off fast. Also you'd need to do at least 5" of acceptable weld, and do it in a straight line, not straggling across the plate like a drunk driver. If you think I'm being harsh, I'm not. The devil is in the details with tig. To tig weld well you must be able to manipulate multiple minute variables all at once. Travel speed, arc length, filler, amps, torch motions, just to name a few. At this point, you'll want to keep this list down to a minimum and work with one at a time until you grasp and understand what each change does and how it will effect your weld and what it can do for you.Jamming 2 pieces of 1/8" tight and trying to blow thru them with the amps too low isn't going to work. The prep on your plates looks poor. You need to sand/grind off the mill scale/rust, not buff it with a wire wheel. If trying to do but joints you probably want to bevel and or gap at that thickness. At the tech school most students pass or fail their root passes on 3/8" bevel but joints based on plate fit up and prep. If the fit up is wrong, 95% of the time they don't get good penetration similar to what your plates show. Most of the people are in too much of a rush to weld and don't take the time to prep right and it shows quick. Same applies to alum, except in this case you want to prep with a dedicated SS hand brush. Alum oxide on the surface melts at a higher temp than the base alum does. That means that by the time you get the alum oxide to melt, the bare alum underneath is already molten and things start to go south fast. Sand paper is mostly alum oxide grit, the same stuff you want to get rid of, so that's out. power wire brushes just smear the alum...These subjects have been covered dozens of times.  The same material get covered, over and over and over... with almost every "new" tig thread. Take some time over the holiday and sit and read a few dozen of the "new" tig threads. Then go out and start at the beginning with steel, learning basic puddle control with the pedal after you prep you plate correctly. Then start running beads adding filler. Follow this with lap joints. Post up picts of how you are doing with all the info on settings and we'll help walk you thru this..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 detailed response DSW.  I'll take some baby steps and see how I fair.