just starting to tig weld and need some help thanks.

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hi can anybody help me out a little cheers just the thing is am new to welding and i have bought an eastwood 200 amp ac/dc tig welder as i want to learn to weld aluminium so 1st thing is am using 1.6mm and 2.4mm tungsten and pure argon and aluminium box section but when am getting the arc from the tungsten its not staying in a straight line its like all over the place so i can,t make a puddle and when i push the welding rod next to it then it just goes into a ball shape and doesnt stick to the aluminium and i know i sound stupid haha but just am new to this game so please could anybody give me some tips many thanks.
Reply:Make sure you have a good ground, clean material, and max power. That means pedal to the metal.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:List your material thickness and settings.You you try and creep up on the amps like you can with steel, the arc will want to wander and won't form a puddle because the alum is wicking away the heat faster thatn the arc can pump it in. You want to set the amps up high and floor the pedal to get the puddle to form NOW, then back down as your material heats up..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:Yup, just as these guys said, you need to post up your actual machine settings.  I had that machine, and with the proper settings it will weld aluminum just fine (for what it is). 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:Before trying to actually run a bead Start off by making small melted spots Tacks if you would like to call them.It will get you used to creating a puddle Then you can dab one or two dabs to getThe feeling of running a bead  Miller Dynasty 350Twenty Six HammersThree Crow BarsBig Rock
Reply:One thing I picked up on in your post is that it sounds like you were trying to melt the filler with arc (probably because you didn't/couldn't get a puddle going). When you do successfully get a puddle going, keep in mind that the molten puddle melts the filler, not the arc. You dip the rod into the puddle. A few guys have asked me to help them, and it seems like a universal error with new TIG weldors is they hover the rod over the puddle and wait for the arc to melt off a drop to fall in. What you want to do is dip the filler into the leading edge of the puddle. The puddle will melt the rod and wick it into the puddle. But let's get a puddle going first.
Reply:What BC and Zank said.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeWhat BC and Zank said.