The first of many really stupid questions

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Got a call today from a truck driver.  He was on the way to my house with my new welder.    I rushed home and uncrated it.   Installed a plug and started playing around.  Ground the tungsten leaving a little flat spot on the tip.  Took a piece of 1/4" T6 and cleaned it up using aerosol carb cleaner and a towel.   I set the levels at what I thought would be close and started burning.   The arc wandered a bit and spread itself around the cone of the tungsten.  I found that if I lifted the tungsten slightly it had a much more concentrated arc right off the tip.   So I sat watching and waited.   It turned the material black around the arc and sorta bubbled the surface a little.  It never got hot enough to form a puddle.   I took the TIG torch off and put on the stinger.  Flipped the switches and it burned a beautiful bead on a piece of angle iron.   Switched it back to TIG and went back to the aluminum.  Didn't seem to get hot enough to create a puddle no matter what.   Do I need to be more abrasive in my cleaning?  Do I need to remove some material from my piece with some abrasive cloth?   It's salvaged machine parts and no doubt has some oxide built up.  Am I just an idiot?  I really tried a lot of different amperages and frequencies.  Adjusted the +- cycle ratio all over.  Nothing but a nice black spot and a little bubbling. It's a beautiful machine.  An impressive thing to look at.  Too bad I'm too stupid to operate it.Miller Syncrowave 200.  3/32" 2% Ceria about 1/8" below the cup lip.  Pure argon.   Varying amperage and wave adjustments.Thanks in advance for any advice.Last edited by Beezer; 12-06-2007 at 06:55 PM.
Reply:Stick the tungsten out so you can only see the sharpened part.Keep the arc no bigger than the diameter of your tungsten.Can you hear the gas coming out of the torch?DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:You got your tig torch on the connection where the gas comes out of the machine?Victor SuperRanger O/A                                         Solar migLincoln Powermig 140Southbend 9in lathe350# kohlswa anvilMiller Maxstar 150 stl etc....
Reply:????Did you switch the machine setting to AC for aluminum??For aluminum, the torch power lead needs to be on the (-) terminal side.Ground lead on the (+) side.Blackbird
Reply:I don't think you are getting through the oxide . Use a wire wheel on a grinder and buff the surface , that you want to weld , until it looks  RAW. then...clean it with acetone , or  M E K .  I like acetone. the oxide doesn't melt until about 3600 degrees  F.  Raw Aluminum melts at somewhere between 800- 1000  degrees  F . AND : remember , after the cleaning , to move the acetone , or other cleaner way away from the weld area .  Highly flammable !Last edited by Roy Hodges; 12-06-2007 at 08:24 PM.[SIZE="5"Yardbird"
Reply:Originally Posted by dave powelson????Did you switch the machine setting to AC for aluminum??For aluminum, the torch power lead needs to be on the (-) terminal side.Ground lead on the (+) side.
Reply:Cleaning the aluminum is a very goosd thing, but remember the reverse cycle, cleanes the oxides off and streight cycle lets you weld.   JohnSMAW,GMAW,FCAW,GTAW,SAW,PAC/PAW/OFCand Shielding Gases.  There all here. :