first time tig in my garage......time to critique

admin

So I purchased my friends Lincoln precision tig 185 and purchased some consumables recommended by you guys on the forum.  These welds were done on .060 5052 aluminum with a #7 cup, 3/32 2% lanthanated, argon flow at 20, and 4043 3/32 filler.I was just messing around with different settings on the welder and different techniques.  I had no problem butt welding the pieces together but when I was doing lap joints I found it more difficult to do. I would start melting the top piece before I could get the puddle going on both pieces; no matter what heat.  I was trying anywhere from 60 amps up to 100 and found with this cup size and tungsten size that 75 amps worked best for what ever I tried.  Also, I noticed no matter what I did it seemed like my arc had kinda a big plum, it wasn't more pointed and directed like I have seen on the videos on welding tips and tricks.  Is this because I should have been using 1/16 stuff?  Is it "ball" related?  So my question is; should I have been using 1/16 tungsten on .060 material?  Or am making the ball on my tungsten too big?  I also tried a t joint and found I could not get my arc into the corner to get a puddle going.  it would bounce around from side to side.  Cup and tungsten to big?  Any way...............flame away.Lincoln 175 MIGLincoln 185 Precision TigHypertherm Powermax 45Connecticut 4 ft Finger BrakeWilton 600 vise (156lbs)
Reply:Hmmm.. It doesn't look like you cleaned up the base metal to remove the existing oxide before welding.  Do that, and do the "aluminum fill up the plate drill" from Jody @ welding tips and tricks.  When you've mastered that, then move on to other drills...Zip.
Reply:.060 alum is very tough to start out learning tig with. It's super thin for a new guy and the alum will want to absorb a lot of heat. Alum wants to be welded hot and fast. You pump in a ton of power and overpower the aluminum's ability as a heat sink to wick away the heat from the bead. With tin alum, your heat control hast to be spot on. Too much heat and you blow holes in it, Too little heat and you just heat up the whole piece and make things even worse.I like to use a bigger tungsten and grind it to a point with ceriated or lanthanated. The tip will ball, but the heavier tungsten helps the ball stay small and gives you a bit more arc control. 1/16" is doable, but the ball should not exceed the diameter of the tungsten. 3/32" would allow you a bit more control.I'd have the machine set at 100 amps. Floor it to get the puddle to form add filler almost instantly and fly. Keep in mind you also have to have small filler with material this small. 1/16" filler will be the same size as the base material and be really tough to melt with the puddle. Smaller filler like .035, .045 etc would make things easier.If you want to learn tig on alum, jump up to 1/8". It will make your life a bit easier. I prefer to have students 1st start on 1/8" steel, at least until they get a basic understanding of heat control, and can maintain a consistent bead. Things like erratic torch height, travel speed and torch angle will magnify when doing alum, especially at the speeds you will need to be going. Typically the answer to 90% of the problems I see with most students when learning alum is to go faster and hotter. A really tough thing to do when you aren't in control to begin with..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Sorry Diesel, can't help you here.But show me some pics of your truck!I had a '70 F100 with an International D301 out of a corn binder.Sent from my XT907 using TapatalkLincoln SA 200Esab Caddy 160Thermal Arc 201TSMiller Dialarc HFI don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" gets thrown around the courtroom....
Reply:On 0.060" 5052 I would use 1/16" lanthinated or ceriated tungsten, 16 cfh, a #6 cup on a gas lens, at 72A with 1/16" 5356 filler. Try letting the sharp tungsten ball on it's own, and use a SS brush to knock off the oxides before welding and between passes. with a lap joint you really need to focus on the root and the lower piece. Looks like you're doing pretty good so far.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:Originally Posted by dubl_tSorry Diesel, can't help you here.But show me some pics of your truck!I had a '70 F100 with an International D301 out of a corn binder.Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk
Reply:Originally Posted by BrazinOn 0.060" 5052 I would use 1/16" lanthinated or ceriated tungsten, 16 cfh, a #6 cup on a gas lens, at 72A with 1/16" 5356 filler. Try letting the sharp tungsten ball on it's own, and use a SS brush to knock off the oxides before welding and between passes. with a lap joint you really need to focus on the root and the lower piece. Looks like you're doing pretty good so far.
Reply:So let's see the SS SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A