Aluminum and TIG...aaaargh

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Okay heres whats happening. Whenever I think my puddle is started nice enough to lay the filler to it the dang filler rod just blows away before I can dip it in the puddle. The arc seems to jump from one edge to the other on lap or filelt welds also. Any hints on what Im doing wrong? Thanks in advance.Miller welder150 ampsAChigh freq / continuos1/8 pure tungsten rod 1/2" cupgas flow= 18
Reply:first off i think 3/32" tungestion is big enough..(i dont even have any 1/8" no need for it)when you establish your puddle try dipping the filler in from the side not directly in front..you will see a big diffrence..when you feed in from the front the arc is enough to "blow away" the filler.. so try from the side..and let the "dip" work itself to the other side of the puddle..you'll get the hang of it soon enough.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:What gauge material are you working with?John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:And make sure that you've really got a nice shiny area before trying to poke the filler in. sometimes you have to somewhat rapidly go back and forth between the two edges of the seam, get it nice and shiny, then go in with the rod.Maybe also just get good at running a bead on the middle of a piece, before attempting joints. Definitely an easier starting point.- John
Reply:What size filler rod are you using?
Reply:Originally Posted by rixxx93gtOkay heres whats happening. Whenever I think my puddle is started nice enough to lay the filler to it the dang filler rod just blows away before I can dip it in the puddle. The arc seems to jump from one edge to the other on lap or filelt welds also. Any hints on what Im doing wrong? Thanks in advance.Miller welder150 ampsAChigh freq / continuos1/8 pure tungsten rod 1/2" cupgas flow= 18
Reply:Originally Posted by JLowderSounds like you may have your torch at too much of an angle. Try holding your torch about 70 degrees and bring your fill rod "underneath the heat".
Reply:I agree that the problem may be related to too much angle and too small a wire diameter, but how about too much arc length?The idea behind torch angle is that a slight angle (10-20 degrees from vertical) allows the welder to see the puddle better and it pushes the puddle in front of the tungsten a bit and allows better access to dip the filler into the puddle.  Too much angle pushes the heat out front, toward the wire, wasting heat that could be melting the base metal.  If you think about it, a vertical torch (90 degrees to the plate) should give the most direct concentrated heating and weld penetration.The other thing to look at is your arc gap (tip-to-work) distance.  The closer you are, the more concentrated the arc heat is.  As the arc gap increases, the energy distribution of the arc becomes broad very rapidly.  The long, broad arc is very inefficient at transferring heat to the base metal, it tends to heat up a large area around the actual melt.  Like angling the torch to much, too long of an arc, will tend to overheat the surrounding area and the wire as it gets close to the pool.
Reply:You also want to 'gun it' rapidly when you start, i.e. crank the pedal up fast to try and get the puddle going real quickly, before you've pumped a ton of heat into the piece.- John
Reply:I decreased the torch angle and cranked it up a little and now all is okay. Thanks guys.
Reply:Now we have to see pictures!   - John