Can anyone offer a quick pulsing tutorial ?

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...besides saying "don't do it" I'm hoping someone can offer me some tips on setting up my Thermal Arc 185 to try some DC TIG pulsing. The manual doesn't seem to explain the setup too well, and certainly doesn't give any "starting points" or guidance as to settings that I saw.I will try it on 0.120" and 0.70" mild steel first, then on some 0.050-0.070" stainless pieces I have waiting to go. For the 0.120" MS I've welded so far I have been running at about 90-100 AMPs, with a 20 AMP "hot start" setting, 1/16" 1.5% lanthanated tung sharpened to a point. #6 ceramic cup with the mid-sized gas lens & ~18CFH argon.Thanks in advance for any help.
Reply:Turboguy:FWIW: I'm a self taught hobby guy. And you don't want to hear this. But here it comes anyway. You can barely weld. Yes, the TA will do magic. But first you MUST learn the basics. Your lap joints looked like doo,doo. Nice cube BTW.Turn off the hot start and pulsing. TIG welding magic has been done for decades without these features. You're only confusing yourself.And I'm one of the guys that said AC is necessary for aluminum.I've been tiggin' at home for 15 years (Synrowave 250). I'm in class now, using a Syncro 250. There are no bells 'n whistles on these ole things. Slow down, ya doesn't get ta start on top.No offense intended, just a little reality check. 9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:100% what Craig said.Pulse mode in TIG and MIG have their place, but too many people use it as a crutch.  You're far better off developing your ability to weld without pulse, then going back after you've mastered it and have a play.  If you become too dependent on pulse mode, you'll show your *** if you ever have to do a job using a machine not equipped with that feature.  Besides, you'll spend WAY too much time dinkin' around with it trying to get the settings right, when instead you could could be that much closer to having the work completed.BK
Reply:i decided to try the pulse option on mine shortly after i learned to make a decent bead. i messed with all of the settings and found i had better results with this feature turned off. again, i know you didnt want to hear this but, learn to do without first. it will make you a better welderMillermatic 211weldpack 3200 squirtgunsquare wave 200victory journeyman kitHypertherm 30xptoo much other crap to listtinkerer extraordinaire
Reply:Originally Posted by turboguy...besides saying "don't do it" I'm hoping someone can offer me some tips on setting up my Thermal Arc 185 to try some DC TIG pulsing. The manual doesn't seem to explain the setup too well, and certainly doesn't give any "starting points" or guidance as to settings that I saw.I will try it on 0.120" and 0.70" mild steel first, then on some 0.050-0.070" stainless pieces I have waiting to go. For the 0.120" MS I've welded so far I have been running at about 90-100 AMPs, with a 20 AMP "hot start" setting, 1/16" 1.5% lanthanated tung sharpened to a point. #6 ceramic cup with the mid-sized gas lens & ~18CFH argon.Thanks in advance for any help.
Reply:I disagree with the majority opinion. One of the *many uses* for pulse is that at very low PPS settings it can be used as a training aid. Helps set a rhythm for dipping your filler rod. It's no different than using a metronome when you first learn to play an instrument. It helps some people, for others it's just a distraction. I wish it was available when I was first learning.There aren't really any "cheat sheets" out there because pulse settings depend so much on individual preference. You'll come to point with welding (especially TIG) where you have to figure out some stuff on your own.This post is an excellent read and will give you all the info you need:http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Arch.../msg00024.html-Matt------------------------------------------
Reply:I found that too. The fluctuation in curent with a slow pulsing helped with timing and getting a consitent rhythem going. For me pulser seams to hurt as much as help with bead appearance, and easy to spend way too much time dinking with it.However it makes welding 22 ga sheet go a lot nicer with less tendency to melt through while still getting 100% penetration.Lincoln PT185 TIGLincoln 175 MIGLincoln 240 amp AC StickLind Needle Arc plasma welderPlasma cutter, soon???
Reply:Pulse may help with timing but it WILL slow down progress with regards to learning how to control the weld puddle (as the machine is controlling it for you) which is FAR more important. With practice, welding 22swg without pulse should be easy enough but pulsing can allow higher travel speeds with less distortion if set correctlyAs said a lot is down to personal preference with some trial and error. The peak and background currents in conjunction with pulse width combine to give an 'average' current... A simple example being 40A peak, 20A background with 50% peak time resulting in an average of 30A. Pulse frequency needs to be matched to travel speeds to give enough overlap of the 'peaks' to prevent crater defects- have a look at most of the mass produced manifolds/headers. You really want an absolute minimum of 50% with 'convential' welding but using pulse that'll likely still result in LOF defects at the root. IIRC from the experiments Pulser has done 70% is the minimum overlap to ensure complete fusion (assuming the other parameters are working)A more 'radical' peak to background ratio usually brings better results (the above example being 2:1), say 3:1 or even higher. Using the same 30A 'average' this gives 35% peak time/pulse width and 53A peak, 17A background (rounded). There's a free parameter calculator here. Somewhere around the site is a frequency calculator too but that's more useful for automated kit
Reply:>>A more 'radical' peak to background ratio usually brings better results (the above example being 2:1), say 3:1 or even higher.<<We use 3:1 peak to background ratio for all of our orbital weld procedures.  That is the industry standard, but it is also for an automated machine weld.  We use the same time for peak and background.  The frequency for manual welds is up to how the welder likes it in many cases.  In theory, a higher pulse frequency produces a stiffer arc with a narrower cone.  I have done experiments at low and high frequency and discovered that a very high magnitude of difference is required before I see any difference in the weld profile.  It does work for some applications though.  There are automated tube welders that have been sped up a great deal my increasing the pulse frequency.I have taken automated weld procedures from our orbital and converted them to manual welds made in a lathe rotation.  In most cases, the same parameters will work for both.  I generally increase the pulse frequency though because the low frequency used on most orbital programs causes arc flashing that annoys the welder.
Reply:Turbo,For manual welding, I'd offer what I've been using with great success teaching welders to use the pulse function.  It's easy to remember as the 60/40 rulePeak power on 60%, background current set to 40% of peak.Add the filler on the 60% peak, move during the 40% background.  Start with a relatively low pulse frequency, and as you get better, increase the frequency.Hephaestus, I like the metronome analogy.Best regards, Kbnit.I r 2 a perfessional