Issues Tig welding aluminum

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The first picture is what the aluminum looks like after striking an arc. The 2nd picture is the settings that I've dialed in. I have tried going all over the board on balance and frequency. I will list what I'm using, and the settings, then describe more of what's happening.Material: 1/8" aluminum, not sure what typeTungsten: 2% lanthanated 3/32"Cup: #7 with gas lensAmps: 90, I've gone as high as 130 with no successBalance: 45%, I've gone as high as 90% and as low as ~20% I would say. Nothing in that range seems to workFrequency: I would say I've had the knob at 9 o'clock, 12, where is it, and about 3 o'clock. Machine goes between 20-250hzStart: HFPost flow: nonePre flow: .1 secondsMode: ACGas: 20 SCFH as indicated on the regulator.Machine: Everlast 185Torch is on the negative connector, ground is on the positive connector.When I strike an arc, the area around the arc immediately starts to burn, and flake, and a puddle never forms. I don't even know if it's cleaning the oxidation. I cleaned the material with a wire brush, but no acetone. When I tried to add filler rod it immediately flaked up and fell off the rod. I'm somewhat at a loss for what's going on. Right now when I arc there is a rapid popping sound coming from the arc area. The tungsten balls up slightly, but doesn't melt away into the torch. I'm really just at a loss for what's going on. The machine welds on DC just fine, and can weld steel all day long, so that's not the issue. When I switch it to AC it absolutely will not weld steel. Any other information that someone needs that I didn't think of just post and I'll try to tell you what I did. I'm pretty close to making a video to show what's going on
Reply:Coupla things I see. First you have no "pre flow" but rather a tiny bit of "post (I'd turn that up some more)90A isn't enough for Alum, steel maybe but between the AC and the rate at which Alum conducts heat away, you have to be much higher for the same thickness.How long does it take to make one of those spots? Are you just sitting there for like 5-10secs? (soaking the whole piece w/heat)How tight an arc are you holding? Are you up too far from the metal? (3/8" or so?)Turn the balance knob down a little more CC  (that's not your problem here but where it's set is for really pristine metal only) Try 150A, Tight Arc, you should see a shiny puddle in under 5sec. don't even try to add filler unless you see that shiny stuff for it to flow into...
Reply:Originally Posted by BaTuCoupla things I see. First you have no "pre flow" but rather a tiny bit of "post (I'd turn that up some more)90A isn't enough for Alum, steel maybe but between the AC and the rate at which Alum conducts heat away, you have to be much higher for the same thickness.How long does it take to make one of those spots? Are you just sitting there for like 5-10secs? (soaking the whole piece w/heat)How tight an arc are you holding? Are you up too far from the metal? (3/8" or so?)Turn the balance knob down a little more CC  (that's not your problem here but where it's set is for really pristine metal only) Try 150A, Tight Arc, you should see a shiny puddle in under 5sec. don't even try to add filler unless you see that shiny stuff for it to flow into...
Reply:I'm telling ya, More Amps (try 175), less gap at the tungsten (1/8" is better) And again, I know this is semantics, but what you're adjusting is Post Flow and I would have at least 5 secs to keep the puddle & tungsten form being contaminated while so Hot...Last edited by BaTu; 01-02-2015 at 08:12 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by BaTuI'm telling ya, More Amps (try 175), less gap at the tungsten (1/8" is better) And again, I know this is semantics, but what you're adjusting is Post Flow and I would have at least 5 secs to keep the puddle & tungsten form being contaminated while so Hot...
Reply:I agree, more amps and hold it closer.
Reply:I would also double check your regulator/flowmeter that it is indeed cfh and not in liters per minute.  If it is in L/m, try and turn it down between 6-9 L/m.
Reply:Has it ever worked in AC or is it brand new? That looks like a serious shielding issue to me. If everything was ok with the machine and setup, but the amps were simply too low, he wouldn't be seeing that kind of a mess. Gas is actually flowing when you light up on AC?Mike ZanconatoZanconato Custom Cycles @mzank on Instagram
Reply:I have the same machine. Turn the balance almost all the way to the left.   And 3 sec of post flow or more.  Amps set to max,  with pedal I have it floored to start and have a nice shiny puddle in about 1 second on those coupons.   Is it a stainless wire brush?  Most of all you don't have enough amps.  It will look like that I'd you are cold with too much arc gap and just sitting there waiting for the puddle that never forms.     Get 1/16" arc gap .  Turn the frequency a bit higher if needed till you get a whine/whistle/squeal your sound from the HFTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Also flip it over to DC and try TIG on some steelTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:The white ring around the weld is either tungsten vaporizing from lack of shielding, or something else inside the cup vaporizing, either due to contamination or lack of shielding. I'd use 6 sec post flow, make sure the tungsten is perfectly clean every time you light up. 200A and hit it hard, 1/8"-1/16" arc gap or so. If you contaminate the tungsten and keep trying to weld you could get the pictured results. If you had no argon you wouldn't get the one fused spot, just grey ash. Try the cleaning right at 50% and freq where it is until you figure your other problem out.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:First was 70 amps puddle in about 2 seconds backed off a bit on the pedal and got moving. 2nd was all well over 100 amps. It puddled and started melting away really quickly on all of them
Reply:Originally Posted by AquaticbobFirst was 70 amps puddle in about 2 seconds backed off a bit on the pedal and got moving. 2nd was all well over 100 amps. It puddled and started melting away really quickly on all of them
Reply:Originally Posted by OscarStop shooting yourself in the foot by practicing on those atomic-sized coupons.  For proper aluminum practice you need multiple large pieces.  You see how the bead keeps getting larger and LARGER until it eventually starts sinking?  That is the piece telling you "hey I'm heat soaked already because you don't wanna pony up the $$$ to buy large practice pieces, so now I'm going to crap aluminum all over the place if you keep going!"
Reply:I'm betting your travel speed is too slow as well. It will make it drop out.  Personally I hate the way the puddle behaves at 50% cleaning and that also will contribute to vaporizing the tungsten as more heat is put into the torch.   70-90 percent penetration works well on my 185.  50% is the upper limit of even being usable on this machine.  If I was at 50% I would also be using 1/8 tungsten.   The main reason I'd use smaller diameter is if I'm having arc wander or stability problems.   Jody has a video which illustrates this well.Last edited by soutthpaw; 01-03-2015 at 06:03 PM.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:To bump an old thread, I've finally gotten a moment to sit down with the TIG and get a little practice in. So with the above video, this is the sound I'm getting regardless of where I set my settings it seems. Those are the settings I used in the video that are in the picture. I was at 115 amps (best I can do on 120v, my 220 is currently occupied). I need some help figuring out that sound and what it means. I cleaned the ever living daylight out of the aluminum. Brushed it real good with SS brush only for aluminum and cleaned with acetone until it wiped clean. 2% lanthanated 3/32" tungsten ground to a point with 1/8" stick out. Argon at 18 cfhTl;dr watch video and help me figure out what to do to make welding better on aluminum. 115 amps, view picture for other settingsPs: **** iphone video filmed in vertical mode. You have been warned
Reply:sounds like your frequency is set very low like around 50hz? maybe the frequency dial is broken if you turn it up you should hear the sound change?
Reply:If your settings are what you have posted and in the picture then the welder needs to go back for repair.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:Turn that freq all the way up and see what happens. it sounds low, but the knob shows it to be higher. i agree it may need repairTorchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:I will give that a shot. If it's doing the same thing I will be calling everlast up for a warranty claim. It makes sense to me that it's broken since I haven't been able to dial it in to weld and it's been driving me crazy
Reply:Sorry I can't hear the video,   But I find the control on my 185 also seems a bit low. I run mine around 1 o clock positron feels to be about 100-120hz there.    Later next week, I could make a video that you could compare to yours with same settings.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Here is a video on what different frequencies sound like.He only ran 130 amps on 1/8" which is clearly too cold, but the sound changes you should get are unmistakeable.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I posted a question in Electrical forum,    once I get direction there,   I may be able to make comparison video to help the OP. Using the same model machine he has.   http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=498121 Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:The first video is all the way up, which is the first time it's made that sound. Next video is dialed back a bit. Unfortunately it's not letting me upload a picture of the settings. I would guess it to be about 3 o clock on the dial if you look at the first picture. I got a much cleaner puddle on the 2nd video which I assume is getting there on the correct setting. I appreciate all the help getting this figured out. I will check out the video posted aboveEdit: got the pictures to attach
Reply:so try to weld now and what happens?Where you located at? I still want to try one of these machines.Last edited by Gamble; 03-22-2015 at 12:23 PM.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal DealerBoth sound fine - on 1/8" material, 150+ amps and try it out.Lower amps cause the whole piece to heat up instead of directly under the arc.This saturates the piece with unnecessary heat that does you no good at the weld puddle.A nice shiney puddle should develop in 3 seconds or less, if not, amps are too low - that's your indicator in general.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveBoth sound fine - on 1/8" material, 150+ amps and try it out.Lower amps cause the whole piece to heat up instead of directly under the arc.This saturates the piece with unnecessary heat that does you no good at the weld puddle.A nice shiny puddle should develop in 3 seconds or less, if not, amps are too low - that's your indicator in general.
Reply:I don't know why you're fighting yourself with trying to diagnose a problem coupled with only 115v supply Take the time and get proper voltage to the machine (220v), have enough amperage available to find if that's a contributing factor, Then once you know if there's a fault with the machine or not you can "dial it back"...
Reply:Originally Posted by BaTuI don't know why you're fighting yourself with trying to diagnose a problem coupled with only 115v supply Take the time and get proper voltage to the machine (220v), have enough amperage available to find if that's a contributing factor, Then once you know if there's a fault with the machine or not you can "dial it back"...
Reply:But "thinner" just complicates things (for diagnostic purposes). It's harder to do without a fair amount of experience. I would still want to see you go to 220v, 1/8", machine @150A or more, get that puddle shiny in the 1.5sec you say it takes, dip in some filler rod and start to move. (you have a pedal or are you stuck with the machines setting?) Once you start moving, if you have a pedal, back out of it a bit if you start off "floored".I have a 250A Everlast that looks much like that, it welds Aluminum beautifully. The only real difference is I can do 1/4" with the extra power. Other than that all my controls and settings are pretty much the same.Maybe there's something wrong, I can't tell from here  Any chance you've got somebody around you who's experienced enough with Aluminum to tell you if it's You or the Machine?
Reply:I have to ask, are you using 100% argon?
Reply:I am using 100% argon. Soon I will have another 220 outlet that I can use. Currently my other one is across the shop, and in use
Reply:There is a possibility of contamination of your gas.  But the flow rate I heard seemed too much.  Verify that your meter is labeled for CFH or LPM.  If it is LPM, then you are flowing way too much gas(about double of CFH).Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Originally Posted by lugweldThere is a possibility of contamination of your gas.  But the flow rate I heard seemed too much.  Verify that your meter is labeled for CFH or LPM.  If it is LPM, then you are flowing way too much gas(about double of CFH).
Reply:I would check your ground in your newest video it looks like the piece is not firm on your table. I have had problems in the past with small parts not grounded properly causing that irregular arc . That might explain the noise you are getting. I would also put a clean piece of aluminum under your workpiece  something bigger and thicker. If your coupons are .125 thick  and you are hanging in the same spot like that you run a good chance of pulling contaminates from your welding surface and over heating your workpiece (picture on the right). If you can run the bead on the left side in your picture all you need to do is practice. From your post it looks like you were using 70 amps thats works for now. I would be focussing on hand speed and bead width. If you only have small coupons let them cool before you run additional passes on them.
Reply:Bob, When I did my Tig course years ago the teacher told us about a thing he called the "Three Second Rule" That if it doesn't puddle within three seconds,then you don't have enough Amps. Also if you dwell too long in one place the heat soaks in, the metal collapses and you get crap. You need at least 6 seconds POST FLOW, 0.2 second Pre flow is OK,120 to 200 HZ, cleaning action at about 35 %. Like many others have said to keep your arc length quite short, and your torch angle about 10 to 15 degrees. Always add filler rod (making sure you have the right one for the material) and add a little more filler at the end of the weld as you taper off so that you fill the crater.Above all else CLEAN-CLEAN-CLEAN.