Tig questions

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Well im trying to learn how to tig. I keep running into a problem but Im not sure what im doing wrong. Heres some pics on what happened:Any ideas on what would cause this to happen? Its not the first time ive done this. I was thinking too much heat but then I really dont know.Heres some pics from before it happened. The go from bad to worse.Im useing a Lincoln Precision Tig 225. DC- , 120 amps, 15cfm gas, 1/16green tungsten,1/16 rg45 filler rod,  Metal is 1/8" steel.Im looking for any suggestions, or tips.Thanks, David
Reply:David,First off, get rid of that green (pure tungsten).  Worthless for DC welding.Get some 2% Thoriated, either 1/16 or 3/32, preferably both.Give that a try and let us know what happens.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:that cup reminds me of the time i hooked my torch uppositive..make sure you didnt do that..
Reply:you shouldnt use rg45   get some er70-2 or -6
Reply:Thanks for the suggestions ill give them a try.that cup reminds me of the time i hooked my torch uppositive
Reply:for steel torch should be dc negative.  the rg45 contributed to the brown corrosion..the lens is covered with spatter. keepa short (1/8?") arc length to keep the arc focused .is the puddle starting when you hit the pedal?dont melt the filler with the torch, stick it intothe puddle the arc creates from the base metal.
Reply:Originally Posted by Robe338What do you mean by that? Did you mean DC - or +?Any other thoughts on what I might have done wrong to damage the cup and gas lens?
Reply:You showed a good pic of the cup and gas lens, but you didn't include the tungsten. Was it burned off at the collet?
Reply:is the puddle starting when you hit the pedal?
Reply:4045 is for alooominum70s-2 or 70s-6 is what your looking for on steel.the gold might work better than the red. or at least as good asgreen is for aloooominum only.( I think gold or blue might work there also, but never tried it)G
Reply:Originally Posted by Robe338 Is the green good for anything?
Reply:Lots of things to check.Think about polarity first.You can switch to Negative electrode, but when the torch plug and the earh clamp plug re in the wrong socket, you're still welding with electrode +.Try to get things sorted with stock clamps and cups before destroying your expensive gas lenses.Does the electrode clamp fit the gas lens?, is the electrode clean? Looks like the lens acted as an electrode over ther. Thus firing from inside the cup and heating the cup.Put your elbow on the table when starting/welding.Try to melt the two pieces together without adding filler in order to get a bit of feel for the melding puddle, or just make a puddle on the steel.Purge your gas hose after a longer periods of non-useUsing pure argon or Argon/Helium mix would be a good ideaI'm not into cubic feet, but one cubic foot is 28 litre, you're welding at 15cfm, so that would be 424 litre/minute. 10liter/min should be more than enough.If you mean 15cfh(hour) You could beef it up a little to 20-25 cfh.Then most available electrodes will do, stay away from the green ones on steel DCEN.Good luck.
Reply:Robe38,Not trying to sound like a smart a$$, but you've got a lot of homework to do (on your own) before you're going to become proficient with tig.Just based on the questions you're asking, I've got to believe that you haven't even gone so far as to read the first reference on tig welding.  As a start, I'd suggest going to the Miller site and downloading a copy of their Tig Handbook (about 90 pgs).  Or, it's more convenient, order a copy of their student guide (which includes the Tig and GMAW process). It's about $25.There are a lot of experienced guys who are willing to help you out, but you got to do some work on your own.  You'll NEVER learn to tig weld by asking questions on an internet board.The comments about pure tungsten, the question about 4043 (aluminum filler), etc, etc would have all been answered if you had read the referenced manual.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Not trying to sound like a smart a$$, but you've got a lot of homework to do (on your own) before you're going to become proficient with tig.
Reply:That looks like dc+ to me. Or the tung was so bad the arc was coming off the gas lens itself.Make sure the torch and ground clamp are plugged in correctly.Most welding supplies carry green and red tungsten. I like the gold lanthanated the best but have used the red thoriated. They both work about the same. Also the ceriated grey works pretty well on alum. I used all 3 for  stainless and alum in school on Miller and Lincoln transformer welders. You should not need green. I have some green but never used it.When you strike the arc make sure the arc is coming off the end of the tungsten. The tungsten you show should have been reground about 10 times. That is absolutely the worst I have ever seen.With the gas lens you could have about 3/8" of stickout.  15cfh argon should be sufficient. Dont use any filler, practice fusing the steel. Stainless is great for fusing if you can get some scraps to play with. If the steel is sparking try grinding it clean first. If it is still sparking add some er70s2 or s6 filler, that usually stops it. rg45 will spark using it with tig. It gets all over the tungsten and the arc goes all over the place. Ask me how I know. Some times the steel you are welding will do the same thing without the er70 filler.Read, read,read. You can never learn too much.mm135HTP Invertig 201 With water cooler9" Southbend LatheLots of hand tools.