Weldcoat Aluminum 4043 TIG Rods

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I made my first attempt at tig welding aluminum today. It went reasonably well but every once in a while I would have the rod melt prematurly and ball up looking contaminated. I bought these rods off Amazon and they were half the price the rods at LWS. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it the rods, me or something else??? Since it happened intermittantly I wasnt able to pin down the cause.Thanks,RGRG_______________________Hobart 187Northern Tool Plasma 375Harris 85 O/A Rig (Ireland)
Reply:Weldcoat used to be good stuff.Does it have an alloy # stamped in the rod?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:It could be your rod melted out from under the gas stream. Cut it off and be more careful. As long as you are not melting the rod independently of the puddle you are ok.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:No stamp on the rod however I didnt clean the rod at all and I didnt acetone the base. I will try that and go from there.Thanks,RGRG_______________________Hobart 187Northern Tool Plasma 375Harris 85 O/A Rig (Ireland)
Reply:When you bend it 90 degrees, does it bend sharply or bg radius?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:I think he has to work on his delivery...You can melt the end of the filler very easy if you feed it straight into your puddle...Try feeding it from the SIDE of the puddle and let it flow to where it goes by itself.....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:Originally Posted by zapsterI think he has to work on his delivery...You can melt the end of the filler very easy if you feed it straight into your puddle...Try feeding it from the SIDE of the puddle and let it flow to where it goes by itself.....zap!
Reply:Given this is your first ever aluminum TIG attempt, I'm going to guess that your problems are caused by poor technique, and that you likely have a ways to go before mastering controlling an appropriate torch angle consistently (which can certain cause the filler rod tip to melt prematurely if the torch gets angled over too far sideways.)If you want more constructive feedback, additional details and pictures would help.  But I'd suggest reading, learning, and practicing.
Reply:i would say you have too much of a travel angle on your torch heating the filler and balling it up
Reply:Thanks for all the thoughts. I retried these filler rods today and after flap disking ALL the oxide off and wiping clean with acetone a new 2% lanthenated rod instead of the "Magic Rods" that salesman at Airgas was pushing...... WOW!!! It came out perfect 10/10 beads. I atribute most of it to proper cleaning this time around but I wont buy "Magic Tungsten" ie rare earth rods again. Lanthanated worked much better and didnt foul after every couple of passes. It seemed that all of the dirt from the base was clumping to the filler as it floated to the front and making a mess of the filler rod. Thanks,RGLast edited by Rottguinness; 02-16-2013 at 04:58 PM.RG_______________________Hobart 187Northern Tool Plasma 375Harris 85 O/A Rig (Ireland)