tigin 24 gauge copper

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trying to tig 24 gauge copper, but after i weld everything is covered with black soot.if i use less heat then i cant get a puddle going.85A peek38 background1/6" red20 cfh argon1/16" deoxidised copperDCEN200 hrtz pulseis this normal (the soot) any sugestions?G
Reply:But the soot cleans up right?
Reply:gord,Any particular reason you're playing with all the settings on your machine.Have you tried without pulse, without peak, without background, etc, etc.Set the dang machine on DC, 85A and control the heat with the pedal.  Copper is an even better conductor of heat than is aluminum, so you're going to be heavy on the pedal.Sometimes I feel we try to "out think" ourselves.Unless those odd ball settings were given to you by someone you really trust, who has the same machine as your's, and was welding the same material, I think they're just making the situation worse.Get it down with the basics and refine from there.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:SundownIII said the first thing that came to my mind. While I never welded copper, I have welded brass with TIG and that is some dirty crap. However all the residue removed easily with a quick swipe of a wire brush."SOUTHPAW" A wise person learns from another persons mistakes;A smart person learns from their own mistakes;But, a stupid person.............never learns.
Reply:well i tried again today with no pulse and a fresh tungsten.looked about the same. a fine covering of black soot.maybe im just over concerned with the soot cause with other materials it usually means that something is wrong/ contaminated, but looks like that is just the way copper is.I was making some post flashings, but after i tried to tig the first one i went back to solder as it was stronger and quicker.The reason that i was using pulse was because the copper was so thin and also to help with the fluidity (might be a madeup word...) of the puddle.G
Reply:i just watched this:http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...rary/tig.html#(the one about tiging copper)mine are much sootier than his.gona try some moreG
Reply:Here is an old post of my copper TIG messing around.  This is machine weld of a lap type joint without filler metal.  The machine settings are listed later below the first posting.  Less than a super tight fit-up makes this more difficult.  I also noticed that is very difficult to minimize the formation of the black copper oxide because the heat spread so fast and far, to where it spreads beyond the shield gas envelope.  The fellow in the Miller video above did a very nice job, probably helped to have the excellent joint fit-up and some heat sink from the clamping fixture.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ght=copper+tig
Reply:might have the problem sorted.woke up this morning with a possible answer.got to the shop and checked the gas valve knob on the torch, which i now leave open as i run the argon through the machine so i cant forget to turn it on.thought the knob might be backed out past the o ring letting in some air.it looked ok, but the back cap was right out at the edge of the o ring....the inside one.I slackened the gas lens and tightened the back cap in past the o ring, but never got a chance to try it out, but i am confident that it was letting air in. That would explain all the black soot right?not done with that copper yet!G
Reply:is cooper supposed to be welded with AC?
Reply:they all say DCENi tried a bit of AC to see and it didnt work that well, but maybee my back cap was leaking so i might try againG
Reply:Originally Posted by quasiis cooper supposed to be welded with AC?
Reply:tried AC today briefly.it worked, but i didnt see any advantage from DCEN, just made a lot more noise.didnt have much time to try more cleaning action and whatever, but mine was set at 10% ballance which = 10% EP (cleaning) which is what i use most of the time for Alooominum.Still got soot, even after fixing the torchi might have a copper quality issue???G
Reply:Originally Posted by quasiis cooper supposed to be welded with AC?