Aluminum practice!

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So the other day I decided to try welding up some aluminum with our syncro 250, I've seen dad do it lots of times and he always made it seem pretty much impossible and he seemed to have not a hard time welding it, but he always complained because it welded "crappy", well after piddling around this site for a few months and read up on AC balance learned we might wanna change those settings around, and of course they made a dramatic difference for him! anyhow some pics!first attemptsecond attemptannnd the fruit of my labor! my first aluminum jobIts for a boat display for a local audio shop my buddy works at, supposed to remind you of a tower on a boat, it looks a bit crooked becuase its not bolted down in the pics, Would you guys have any advice for making the pop can welds look a little "sexier"? I'm running 3/32 red tungsten, very low amps and i have the ac balance set at around 2 or 1 (max cleaning) and the filler is like 1/8" i know its to big but its all we have, we usually just do large aluminum repairs. Thanks for looking guys!
Reply:I would start by using a smaller electrode.  I probably wouldn't use filler that large either, I'd aim for 1/16ths or maybe even mig wire filler if I had it.  I believe if you change these two things you may get slightly better results.  But as many would say, nothing can replace practice.Miller 330 a/bp water cooledI believe in gun control, I hold my gun with two hands.  If you want to know why, click here.Buy American or bye America.
Reply:while being completely new to the world of tig welding myself. from what i have read, you should be using the green tungstens for aluminum welding. red is for steel.
Reply:Originally Posted by -olllllllo-while being completely new to the world of tig welding myself. from what i have read, you should be using the green tungstens for aluminum welding. red is for steel.
Reply:Originally Posted by pinjasThere are many variables that determine which electrode is best suited for what you are trying to accomplish.  Many people here believe and practice that red or thoriated tungsten can do it all.  If he is working on an inverter, green would probably not be the best choice.
Reply:ac, aluminum, transformer machine???? gimme the green one...... every time.... inverter? (still tryin to decide which one i like best still on inverter machines)nothing fancy, just a few hot glue guns for metalwww.sicfabrications.com
Reply:Never have liked the greenies. Yellow or orange for me these days. Minor point on the end, then take a piece of scarp and "prep" the tungsten to form a small round tip.
Reply:Originally Posted by jontheturboguyNever have liked the greenies. Yellow or orange for me these days. Minor point on the end, then take a piece of scarp and "prep" the tungsten to form a small round tip.
Reply:Originally Posted by con_fuse9You ball the orange ones?  Or are you refering to the pure tungsten?  Didn't even know the ceriated ones ball up.  I have burned them up (tip just disappeared in the weld pool) though.
Reply:Lots of bad info put out here.1.  On a Sync 250 set your balance to 7-8.  At 1-2 you've got too much cleaning and not enough heat.  Setting of 3 on the Sync is a balanced (50%/50%) wave (half DC-, half DC+).2.  Thoriated tungsten is not recommended for AC welding with a transformer machine.  Tip will form multiple small balls and split.  I prefer the 2% Lanthanated.  Green (Pure) works best on the sine wave machines (transformer/pre squarewave) without a balance control.3.  As mentioned, a smaller tungsten and smaller filler will improve your "beer can" welds.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by SundownIII2.  Thoriated tungsten is not recommended for AC welding with a transformer machine.  Tip will form multiple small balls and split.
Reply:That's odd I was just gonna ask about the tungsten splitting issue, I was just keeping the red tungsten sharp and it would weld great for about two inches, split, and then slowly cause the arc to go a little wild and wide and produce a poopy weld lolEdit: still listening...
Reply:Since this thread turned to tungsten electrode selection, this video seems to demonstrate which electrode works best with an AC inverter on Al.http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...odes-gtaw.htmlAlso, see the guidebook at Diamond Ground Productshttp://www.diamondground.com/downloads.htmlI was taught AC Al with a transformer machine using 2% Thoriated.  It was acknowlaged that the ball would sometimes split, but we simply stopped and cleaned up the ball with DCEP a piece of copper.  The instructor had aircraft experience and noted that 2% Thoriated was used over pure to prevent spitting of tungsten into the weld.  Now it appears that 2% Lanthanated may be the superior choice.Last edited by pulser; 10-05-2010 at 09:40 PM.
Reply:Well explain this...All done with 2% Red...http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...hlight=StumpedI don't know why you guys have this problem......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:I feel like it's because I don't turn my AC balance up enough, and probably because I need a lot more practice
Reply:I have experienced exactly what sundown just described, on my machine, I don't know what magic you are using zap but the end of my tungsten always looks like a odd crown or a molar tooth when using thoriated.I prefer welding aluminum with zirconiated or pure tungsten on a transformer welder.  I am not trying to tell anyone what is the right or wrong way to do something concerning their tungstens.Miller 330 a/bp water cooledI believe in gun control, I hold my gun with two hands.  If you want to know why, click here.Buy American or bye America.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterWell explain this...All done with 2% Red...http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...hlight=StumpedI don't know why you guys have this problem......zap!
Reply:Zap,"Back in the day" (mid 60's) using a Linde Heli-Arc machine that I learned to tig on, the only choices were pure (green) and thoriated (red).  Green was used for AC, Red was used for DC-.  That was the standard.Using the Miller 330 A/BP machines I always used pure for AC.  The red always formed multiple small balls, split, and dropped tungsten into the bead.When I first started using the Syncrowave machines I used the green for AC and red for DC-.  Ten years ago or so I switched over to the 2% Lanthanated on the sync and have stayed with it for AC.  Still use red for DC-.Use both the red and blue (2% Lanthanated) in the inverter.  Would never think of using pure in an inverter.  Have "used up" most of my green tungsten.  That "crap" makes for decent scribes and punches.In answer to your question.  Yeah, I'm sure.After I posted I went back and looked at your photos.  As far as the Argon vs mix, the results were about what I would expect.I saw also that you "don't even have 1/8" tungsten".  All I can say to that is that you must have the only 330 A/BP that yields those kind of results.  You should thank Steve.  According to my references a thoriated tungsten, 3/32" is only good for 100-180A when used with a "balanced wave (50%DC-/50%DC+) which the 330 A B/P uses.  I guess if you're using 3/32" red tungsten with that machine and welding at 300A, then you're working magic.BTW:  In looking closely at your tungsten (Argon) used in the test, I did notice that several small balls were starting to form on the tip.  The tungsten used with the mix was melted too bad to tell much of anything.Last edited by SundownIII; 10-06-2010 at 12:17 AM.Reason: additionSyncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:I can try to bite my tongue, but it hurts.  I see no problem, except the failure to accept new ideas and the documented experiences of others.It has been documented that 2% thoriated is a valid all around electrode for all TIG welding, Zap has demonstrated this, I support this with my exerience, and the Diamond Ground reference states this.It has also been documented that 2% thoriated has the tendency to form a spit in the ball when welding aluminum AC on a transformer power supply (don't know if it is different with an inverter), this I also know from experience, and Diamond Ground states this.It has been shown in the above video that 2% lanthanated  performs better than other electrodes for the given welding conditons, and Diamond Ground disucusses attributes in this respect.So, in closing, use any electrode you like, but if you use pure for anything, you're obviuously poorly informed.
Reply:Well at least for once this didn't turn into a pissing match..We can finally have a civil "Conversation"..Everyone has their way and whatever works then just do it..Thanks everyone!...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:a lot of tig welding is personal preference, so noone is necessarily wrong here, but here is my opinioin...i weld aluminum and stainless for a living, and on a transformer based machine, ill choose the green, pure tung over 2% thoriated, red, any day.  the red will work just fine, but the green holds a uniform ball a lot longer than the red one will.  zirtung also works very well.  but on an inverter machine, i tend to use red for everything.  also, with proper tungsten preperation, there is no reason that you shouldnt be able to do the beer cans with 3/32 tungsten.  albeit a smaller one will work better, but there is no reason to go buy smaller tungston for something that you are only screwing around with.  as already mentioned, setting your balance to 8 on the syncrowave will also help with the aluminum welding, as well as help to allow the tungsten to last longer, since less heat will be concentrated into the electrode, thus lowering the possiblity of the tungston spitting or melting...all in all, the welds look pretty good!  just keep up the practice...dam aluminum is fun, aint it?
Reply:It's hard to tell in the pic but I've been practicing quite a bit lately annnndAnd a bellhousing on a transmission, the whole front half was broken off, I'll get pictures of the outside tomorrow.All with 3/32 red tungsten, and 3/32 4043 aluminum filler. The wide spot you see on the overall shot is from dad burning all the way through and adding lots of filler rod and not realizing it haha...