Some of my aluminum welds, any tips.

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I found a piece of aluminum so I cut some pieces with the plas. 1/8" 6061 was printed on it. 3/32" Red tungsten ground to a point. The arc for the first few welds was all over the place. The more I welded the better shaped ball it formed. I only ground it once at the start. 3/32" Fillers, 110amps AC. I liked the 4043 filler alot more than the 5356, though I tried the 5356 before my tungsten was acting right. Feeding the filler is a trick, my left index finger is all fubared and don't work good for much more than scratching my head. I can feed the steel filler easier cause it doesn't flex as much. Where do you guys hold your torch? I hold mine with the back of the torch handle inbetween my thumb and the index and middle fingers, the other 2 fingers are on the hoses. Feels pretty comfortable holding it there. Any closer and I burned the gloves to my fingers. When I mig and stick I never wore gloves before, damn tig gets hot and in a hurry. Attached Images
Reply:Oh yah them damn pink nozzles break real easy, all it takes is the torch to fall off the table.  I bought a box of 10 of the 1/2" ones, cost around $12. Figure ill break more before its all said and done.Anyone know what aluminum signs are made of? 6061? Ive got a ton(over 100) of signs from a buddy that works at the county that are nice and straight, some got bullet holes but most are like new for the most part. If I can get the sticky $hit off them I can use them, not sure how thick they are, a little under 1/8" but bigger than 1/16". ill have to mic them.
Reply:What machine are you using?  I'd be pretty happy if I had done that.
Reply:Syncrowave 250dx
Reply:I used to practice on old signs...I don't have any idea what their alloy is, but be careful.  The paint/plastic stickers can be pretty toxic.  Get that stuff off before you weld.The welds you did aren't too bad.  Your feed looks a bit eratic at times, but fine at other times.  I saw a bit of undercut in pic #7 and #9.  To me, the best two welds based on appearence are the right one in #6 and the left one in #7.  The first one in #4 looks like you went over it twice...you might not have, but remember this is not generally recommended.  Work a bit on backing off the amps at the end of the weld.  It looks like you are letting too much heat build up before you start finishing up.  Again, not too bad.  A few more hours of seat time and you will smooth it out a bunch.To add a note:  another thing to grab that makes great practice material is old big coffee purculators, you know, the big 5 gallon ones.  They are pretty thin, so you can practice at lower amps, but not so thin that you burn through all the time.  I find them in junk all the time.  Just brush them bright with a wire brush and go to town.  I have been using them to try to teach my son to tig.  The curvature gives you the opportunity to work on out of position tigging also.Last edited by smithboy; 10-27-2006 at 10:56 PM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:I made some welds on some pieces of the signs, the plastic crap is a pain in the *** to remove. I took it outside and blasted it with the rosebud and burned most of it off. cleaned it up with a razor blade and acetone. It welded fine once it was cleaned up. I still get alot of burn thru. Welding the aluminum I need to move alot faster than with steel. Steel i can go pretty slow. I got to haul *** when I do the alui..
Reply:Your tungsten seems to be sticking out quite a bit. Try making it level with the cup. Thos inside corners are tricky because of the arc and heat. Try outside corners, you can really see whats happening that way. Don't weld your plasma, its no fun. Looks pretty good though.Bill
Reply:your going too fast when you add your filler..still looks "cold"..wait untill eveything is nice and "shiney" in front of the puddle before you add filler...try cleaning it a little more with a wire brush.. acetone.. and a clean rag before you start..so far so good but you can do better..i know you can.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Friend of mine stopped by and gave me some pointers. He told me to master butt welds and just welds on flat plate before I move to the fillet welds. I laid some nice welds tonight, it seems to make a nice looking weld alot of it is in how you add the filler.
Reply:Originally Posted by jimmyedFriend of mine stopped by and gave me some pointers. He told me to master butt welds and just welds on flat plate before I move to the fillet welds. I laid some nice welds tonight, it seems to make a nice looking weld alot of it is in how you add the filler.
Reply:He spent a year or 2 in school to be a welder. I think he might know a little sumthin?? Ill take some pictures this evening after work.
Reply:some bad, some better. sometimes it seems like it just gets too hot on me. Attached Images
Reply:You seem to be off to a good start!Bill
Reply:that reminds me of when i started out also.. it also looks like you have a good grasp of the reality of it all..what was the settings? (welder)tungestion size?filler?...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:the 5356 will stay in place and freeze better than the 4043. The 4043 flows alot better. I usr 5356 for building up edges rebuilding ears things like that. I use the 4043 for joints to get better flow.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapster that reminds me of when i started out also.. it also looks like you have a good grasp of the reality of it all..what was the settings? (welder)tungestion size?filler?...zap!
Reply:Same settings, one 5356 weld, it cracked? for some reason. Attached Images
Reply:Looks ok to me..you just need more seat time..the basics are good..need to work on the "tie offs"other than that..keep it up!...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.