Issue with arc initiation on thin stainless - Everlast 140st

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Hi everyone! I'm new to the site, and fairly new to tig welding. I am a hobbyist welder and just picked up my first tig, an Everlast 140st. I am comfortable with mild steel, and have had no problems with anything I've welded thus far…until tonight. I will be helping a buddy do some exhaust work on his car this weekend, and I need to weld a stainless exhaust tip to a piece of stainless piping (304). I grabbed a few scraps of 304 sheet from work (probably somewhere in the ballpark of .030" thick) to practice on since I've never welded stainless before. The exhaust tip and piping is about .050" thick, FWIW. For the life of me, with the welder turned down to 10 amps, I can't get an arc started! Once I turn it up to around 20 amps, it starts but burns right through the metal. My setup is as follows:17v torch9 cup1/16" tungsten (ground about 4:1)1/16" 308l filler rod100% argon ~20cfh of flowI will be either using flux core rod, or purging the pipes when I do the welding.I thought maybe it was the material for whatever reason (again, fairly new to this) and I couldn't get the arc started on mild steel either. I know for a fact this machine can weld at 10 amps because the video that sold me on the machine compared it to the Maxstar 150 and the guy welded at both the lowest end as well as the highest end of voltage on both machines, and they both performed very well. I couldn't come close to affording the Miller, so I went with the Everlast.Any help here would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Reply:A 9 cup is way too large, gas flow may be too high.  You need to post this in the Everlast section. If I hadn't made a random check I'd of missed this one.  Also make sure that your flow meter is truly in cfh and not lpm, polarity is set to negative for the torch and you have a spotless work connection (check clamp too for corrosion or tightness).   20 amps should not burn through .050.   Possibly bad gas??  Also how are you trying to lift start it?  What is happening.  PM me your number and when is a good time to call, and I'll give you a call tomorrow if I can at the time you are available.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:#9 cup is too large? Not questioning your abilities or experience, but I weld stainless daily and user nothing less than a 12 on a jumbo gas lens. I range from 1/2" plate to .040 sheet. Cup should not be an issue.Sent from my SGH-T999L using Tapatalk
Reply:Originally Posted by lugweldA 9 cup is way too large, gas flow may be too high.  You need to post this in the Everlast section. If I hadn't made a random check I'd of missed this one.  Also make sure that your flow meter is truly in cfh and not lpm, polarity is set to negative for the torch and you have a spotless work connection (check clamp too for corrosion or tightness).   20 amps should not burn through .050.   Possibly bad gas??  Also how are you trying to lift start it?  What is happening.  PM me your number and when is a good time to call, and I'll give you a call tomorrow if I can at the time you are available.
Reply:Unless it's a gas lens, it's too large for an inexperienced user.  He did not indicate it was a gas lens...there are oddball 9 sizes out there. Typically they are chinese, and usualy are the same as a 10 standard nozzle.  Poor or turbulent Gas flow around a large non gas lens with a lift start unit can create starting issues.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:I'll check...and pm you back.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:More amperage. Why didn't anyone else notice that? 10 amps is way too low for .050" stainless. Low amperage will cause you to overheat the steel, after it overheats and finally gets a puddle its hard to control and burns through.  You should be near 45 amps. #6 cup is fine, I like about 15CHF with that size.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Originally Posted by SquirmyPugMore amperage. Why didn't anyone else notice that? 10 amps is way too low for .050" stainless. Low amperage will cause you to overheat the steel, after it overheats and finally gets a puddle its hard to control and burns through.  You should be near 45 amps. #6 cup is fine, I like about 15CHF with that size.
Reply:Originally Posted by SquirmyPugMore amperage. Why didn't anyone else notice that? 10 amps is way too low for .050" stainless. Low amperage will cause you to overheat the steel, after it overheats and finally gets a puddle its hard to control and burns through.  You should be near 45 amps. #6 cup is fine, I like about 15CHF with that size.
Reply:Originally Posted by bullitt4113The thing that's off to me is that, generally the rule of thumb is that for ever .001" of thickness, you need one amp. I've been welding some L-Channel mild steel that's about .080-.100 (somewhere in that range, I haven't mic'ed it) and instead of using 80-100 amps, I'm at between 45 and 50 with no penetration issues at all! Had anyone else with this welder had an inaccurate relationship between the readout and the actual voltage?Exactly. I suspect that on my machine, with the way it has been acting, I could handle the .050" stainless at 20 amps and it would not burn through....even though like you said, 45 amps should be more like it. I just can't understand why it's not lighting up.
Reply:Originally Posted by bullitt4113The thing that's off to me is that, generally the rule of thumb is that for ever .001" of thickness, you need one amp. I've been welding some L-Channel mild steel that's about .080-.100 (somewhere in that range, I haven't mic'ed it) and instead of using 80-100 amps, I'm at between 45 and 50 with no penetration issues at all! Had anyone else with this welder had an inaccurate relationship between the readout and the actual voltage
Reply:Two things...The units do not have HF so there are no point gap adjustments. The other is the unit is nowhere close to the same internals as the unit SouthPaw had a couple years ago...  Look the same but significantly different.  Should be an adjustment.   I'll check.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 shovelonOk let's do some reckoning. The welding train of thought is 1 amp per .001" of metal thickness. So 5 amps to melt and weld .005" thick metal. You can go down to 10 amps, so you can weld/melt .010" thick metal. But those are melting amps. Striking an arc at 10 amps on .030" metal should be no problem. Even if it is not enough amps to melt the metal. What if the metal is .005? You still should be able to strike an arc on it and of course it should melt. Ok, so let's say you throw your metal on the ground, and now you have a metal thickness of nothing. You should still be able to strike an arc on the table at 10 amps. Maybe not a realistic comparison, but when I am tipsy, and need to get a small part done at 3 amps and completely miss my part, I can still strike an arc at 3 amps on my 1" thick steel table. Of course it won't melt but I am dazzle by the pretty arc.
Reply:Originally Posted by bullitt4113HAHA I actually lol'ed at this comment, but it makes perfect sense.I smoke with Mark (lugweld) last night and he gave me a few things to try.  Mark, I flipped the switch to stick mode to see if maybe it was backwards, but it is not. It immediately welds the tungsten to the metal as you said it would. I rocked it back and forth to see if the connection was somehow stuck, and that did nothing either. I got some CLEAN .060" mild steel coupons (none of that nasty bedframe **** I told you about) and welded a couple together. The bead was incredibly poppy and had many holes in it. This was with about 25 amps (unstable arc occasionally during the weld), 1/16" tungsten, 3/32" mild steel filler, ~15 cfh of "argon" (i use this loosely now because I suspect maybe a bad tank??). I will try and get some pics of them today and post them up. I was so incredibly pissed last night I just turned the machine off and went to bed. Whatever you suggest the next steps should be, I will try. Thanks again!
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonAs far as gas, if you can weld thicker metal fine without popping and sputtering, the gas is fine. But if it is bad gas, the arc may be hard to start.
Reply:To the OP. Stop by my house this weekend if you like. Bring your parts and your helmet. I have a dynasty 300DX. Never had an issue doing thin stainless. I am on North Benson. PM me if you want.T.J.www.tjsperformance.comDynasty 300 DXHTP 240HTP Microcut 380Hyperthem 85JD2 Hyd Bender and HF Hyd Ring Roller all in one =(Frankenbender)Bpt. Mill/DRO4' x 8' CNC Plasma TableInstagram: tjsperformanceYT: TJS Welding and Fabrication
Reply:Originally Posted by TJSTo the OP. Stop by my house this weekend if you like. Bring your parts and your helmet. I have a dynasty 300DX. Never had an issue doing thin stainless. I am on North Benson. PM me if you want.T.J.
Reply:Originally Posted by bullitt4113HAHA I actually lol'ed at this comment, but it makes perfect sense.I smoke with Mark (lugweld) last night and he gave me a few things to try.
Reply:Originally Posted by lugweldLet me make this clear for the record, I did not smoke anything with anybody last night. lol.  Never have, don't plan on starting anytime soon.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonAs far as gas, if you can weld thicker metal fine without popping and sputtering, the gas is fine. But if it is bad gas, the arc may be hard to start.
Reply:Originally Posted by lugweldLet me make this clear for the record, I did not smoke anything with anybody last night. lol.  Never have, don't plan on starting anytime soon.
Reply:Having a contaminated gas mixture can affect the settings as well...a little CO2 in the mix will cause it to seem hotter than it is.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