Trying aluminum

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Well I have been practicing on some aluminum and officially suck at it. Any pointers for beginners on aluminum. Should I stay with mild steel and get good at it then move on to aluminum?Will   Supports Autism Awareness                            My ToysBobCat 225 PLusMillermatic 130Miller Spectrum 300 CutmateEverlast Power Tig 185 Micro April is Autism Month .
Reply:Mig or tig?Alum is much harder to run than steel in both processes. I'd definitely suggest learning with steel 1st and then moving on to alum. Alum likes to be welded hot and fast and many times you almost have to anticipate issues and correct for them before things start to go south, especially with tig. With tig, heat control needs to be second nature. You don't have time to think about what to do, you have to almost instinctively react  to what's going on..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:Amen to that!!!Sure am glad I grind my welds smooth for my work.   Not the prettiest ones I have ever done for sure...From the desk of Kevin CaronTrying to be the best me I can!www.kevincaron.comAHP Alpha Tig 200x MillerMatic 251Miller Syncrowave 200
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWMig or tig?Alum is much harder to run than steel in both processes. I'd definitely suggest learning with steel 1st and then moving on to alum. Alum likes to be welded hot and fast and many times you almost have to anticipate issues and correct for them before things start to go south, especially with tig. With tig, heat control needs to be second nature. You don't have time to think about what to do, you have to almost instinctively react  to what's going on.
Reply:With alum and tig, you need to hit it hard and fast and then back down as the material heats up. One of the big issues I see students have is they try to treat alum like steel and take their time trying to slowly ramp up to get a puddle going. Because alum is such a great heat sink, by the time you start to get the puddle to form, a huge area is almost at melting point. The second issue is they try to combat this by trying to run too cold and usually end up melting the filler with the arc rather than the puddle or not getting a big enough puddle.The idea is to hit it with a lot of heat all at once so you pour more heat into the material than the alum can pull away and get the puddle going fast. Then as soon as you get the puddle going, ramp down and move fast to outrun the material as it tries to heat up.Most guys that can run steel in all positions with tig on 1/8" and can tig weld thinner material, usually transition easily to alum once they get the speed thing down. It's all about heat control and being able to make rapid decisions almost instinctively. Heat control is much easier for most to learn on steel..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:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=51983Above sticky "GTAW of Aluminum"is a good place to startBlackbird
Reply:Just about everybody sucks at alum the first time out.If you have a decent supply of sheet or plate, just run beads without filler. Then when ready, write your name in pencil, and trace over it with rod. You will be pleasantly pleased.I would stick with it, but the best way to get on with it is to find some one to tune the machine for you, run some welds while you watch, then sit you down and coach you while watching you weld. That person may say "more heat", "less heat", "more rod", "move faster", and such. You will get a sense what is in his or her mind.Put in the time and you can get good at it. You may even prefer to weld alum over steel over time.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 dave powelsonhttp://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=51983Above sticky "GTAW of Aluminum"is a good place to start
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWWith alum and tig, you need to hit it hard and fast and then back down as the material heats up. One of the big issues I see students have is they try to treat alum like steel and take their time trying to slowly ramp up to get a puddle going. Because alum is such a great heat sink, by the time you start to get the puddle to form, a huge area is almost at melting point. The second issue is they try to combat this by trying to run too cold and usually end up melting the filler with the arc rather than the puddle or not getting a big enough puddle.The idea is to hit it with a lot of heat all at once so you pour more heat into the material than the alum can pull away and get the puddle going fast. Then as soon as you get the puddle going, ramp down and move fast to outrun the material as it tries to heat up.Most guys that can run steel in all positions with tig on 1/8" and can tig weld thinner material, usually transition easily to alum once they get the speed thing down. It's all about heat control and being able to make rapid decisions almost instinctively. Heat control is much easier for most to learn on steel.
Reply:Originally Posted by SteelwillThat's the problem I was running into I ran a few practice beads on a scrap piece and was kind of happy with those, so I though I would try to build a box and kept melting the edges so I turned down the amps and would just melt the filler wire. But I think it's too soon for aluminum now I'm going to get better with my speed and torch control before I move up to aluminum.