Can you

admin

Weld al on a miller econo tig?  I have had the unit for years welded lots of steel, works well.  Tried al with poor results.Any help would be great.Thanks, Frank
Reply:Yes, you can weld on 1/8", and smaller pieces of 3/16 aluminum with the econotig.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:isnt the econotig a dc only machine? Would be better with AC
Reply:You need High frequency to weld aluminum with ac tig. Is the econotig a high frequency machine?You can tig weld aluminum with dc scratch start but you need to use Helium gas instead of argon. However, ac tig with high frequency and argon will do a better job on aluminum.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:The Econo tig is almost identical to hobarts Tigmate IIRC. It will do AC tig for alum, but lacks any sort of adjustment other than amps. I believe it does 14g to 3/16" alum.Alum is a PITA to learn. It welds completely different than steel. Do you have a fingertip controler or pedal with the machine?With alum you need to be LOTS hotter than the same thickness in steel. You need to clean the oxide off the surface 1st to make it easier to weld. the oxide melts well above that of bare alum, so when the surface oxide melts the bottom is already about to drop thru. Picts of your attempts would help. My guess is while its doable, it's not going to be easy, especially as you learn.
Reply:It is ac/bc, do not know if HF.I have made a few weld that were almost and some that I could not form a puddle.  As I read through the site I not understand how little I know about welding AL.Keep the help coming.ThanksFrank
Reply:More info on your attempt.How thick was the material? How many amps did you have it set at? The more info the easier it is to answer and not spend all night guessing.If it was me, I'd set the machine on MAX, scrub the hell out of the test piece with a SS brush to break up the oxide layer and clean with acetone, Material to be 1/8" MAsh the pedal to the floor to get the puddle to start and back off as needed.I forget how many amps that machine puts out. My Syncrowave is a more powerful machine and it dosen't want to do 1/4". If you are trying this with 1/4" give up. Get some thinner material.Oh BTW the torch will get HOT fast. I use light gloves, my hands can't take the heat before the torch fails. If I can't hold the torch its time to take a break and let the torch cool down. If you use heavy gloves, you can melt the torch on high amps and cont welds. Seen 2 guys do it in class.
Reply:Thats why I went to a water cooled trorch on my Lincoln PT. The torch got too hot to handle even though the weld was not finished.  Water cooled torch, the best cash that I have spent (invested).Mike
Reply:I have 75/25 gas do I need pure argon?
Reply:YES! All tig processes requires 100% argon. 75/25 is strictly mig gas for steel. ( this is one reason it's important to give as much info as posible on settings and so on.)
Reply:Originally Posted by frankrenoI have 75/25 gas do I need pure argon?
Reply:Frankeno,The econo tig was the first unit I welded Al with.  It will do it.  It was a cheap but decent AC/DC Tig machine.   It has little adjustments, but for AL it will do.  Nothing but pure Ar.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:"Sorry I lied. Gas is argon 2% o2 I think."Pure argon only for AC aluminum. (You can mix a bit of helium in for better penetration at a lower current, but in most cases, pure argon is all you need.)Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC (Sold)Miller Dialarc 250HFMiller MM251Miller MM200 (Sold)Miller MM130Miller Spot WelderVictor O/A rigMiller Spoolmatic 1 (Sold)
Reply:The Econotig has an automatic HiFreq. start function.Essentially, I couldn't have described it better than DSW!! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:I will try again.Thanks