bright welding arc with tig

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hey guysim still pretty new to the welding scene (welding up alot of pipes etc. for my car)but just recently, i changed over my tungsten and a new bottle of argon gas (95% sure it was a red tip - steel/stainless)ive been tig welding 1.5mm stainless steel with argon gas (~7-8 lb/m) on about 30-32amps and it has been working fine for all my previous weldsnow there is this really REALLY bright arc (tungsten didnt 'melt') that just seemed to start occuring when i was just using the torch only.i quickly stopped and checked that everything was set, amps, gas.. thats about it :| oh and made sure the safety light wasnt on my welder. i turned her off and let it cooli went back about an hour later and the same thing happened. i could weld for a bit but then a really bright arc would appear, and it would get really hot (was so bright my mask couldnt handle it!)so i turned it off for the day/nighti attempted to weld again, and it started to get more frequent. the mild steel would sort of get hot and the bubble/corrode away (this was on a much lower amp for .9mm steel)now i cant even get an arc anymore! does anyone know whats going on?my welder is a cigweld 170, with a cigweld torch, i changed all the internals of it (but used the same tungsten that was producing a bright light)are there different types of argon gas?i did tell them i was tig welding, and to give me the "same" bottle as last timeim not sure if its my welder, or gas.. or torch.. i really have no idea.it really sucks casue im about 70% completed fabrication on my car! and i would really really like to finish it all myself!if anyone has any ideas what to check/do please let me know!thanks!!
Reply:Sounds like the only thing that really changed was the gas.  If the gas you got had CO2 instead of Helium it might have caused the issue you are having.  I would take the bottle back and ask for an exchange after explaining the issue you are having.  Others will/ might chime in, but thats the approach I would take since more  LWS stores dont know or remember much unless you spend a ton and a half of cash with em every month.  Just my .02 FWIW.BobI'm spending my Kids inheritance, I dont like him that much anyway!!!!!!Enuff tools to do the job, enough sense to use em.Anybody got a spare set of kidneys?  Trade?
Reply:do you have a auto darkening helmet? i think it died.30-32 A for 1,5 mm ss is too low, ~40 is the way to go.--------------------------------------------------------------www.becmotors.nlyup, I quit welding.. joined welder anonymous
Reply:thanks guysyes i have an auto darkening helmet, and i was told to try a normal helmet which i will doand gas was confirmed by shop to be argon (same as what i got last time)im going to buy a tungsten too.. make sure im using the right one!edit: had a look on the bottle and cant notice anything that would tell me if the argon contains co2there is a red dot on the bottle thoughLast edited by Jezzza; 11-22-2010 at 05:07 AM.
Reply:When welding low amps on SS, I will get that with tiny tungsten. It's partially the hood; you are inadvertently blocking the sensor on the hood, or the hood is not sensitive enough. And, sometimes the tungsten will flame out because the arc gets too long if you light it up too far from the work piece, or if you wander off the close gap you need to maintain.One thing that helped was actually to put a decent size mirror as a shield for wind. It helped to reflect the arc and the hood responded very well after that. (Cheap mirror, cardboard backed from Salvation Army for $4)And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Rojo, don't you live in Cali? You don't get enough sun that you need to add the mirror to work on your tan while welding?  I could understand this if you lived in Canada... .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