Nuther TIG question

admin

I'm sure this is gonna sound pretty lame to the guys who've been doing it a while.   Like I've said in earlier posts, I've been welding in one form or another since 1967.  Never TIG though.  This is very foreign to me and I find myself at square one.I didn't see or read any mention as to the temp or color of the tungsten while welding aluminum in my books.  I ASSumed the tungsten probably shouldn't be allowed to get that hot so I held the power back.   Of course, during that time I wasn't welding doo-doo either.  I was burnishing the surface of my materials with black corona soot.  I was holding back the heat.  I wasn't making a puddle.  My tungsten stayed cool but I didn't weld a dammed thing.Cranking the amperage got the tungsten yellow hot but it welded fine.NOW I'm assuming it's normal for the tungsten tip to become yellow hot.Am I right or F.O.S. a usual?Sidenote: At age 50, making my first beads in aluminum was possibly as exciting to me as loosing my virginity was not long after Nixon left office in disgrace.  I came back up to the house and shoved my piece under my wife's nose and said "LOOK!  LOOK!  IT'S WELDED F*****G ALUMINUM!!!"
Reply:Yeah, it's normal.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Normal.  As long as the shape of the tungsten doesn't start to spit or deform, you'll be fine.