AHP 201XD Aluminum TIG EP cleaning issues

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I understand welding aluminum is a juggling act. I'm getting a bead down, albiet it's a little cold or way too hot.  I can see oxides enter the puddle when I dab. I never really get a clean, shinny puddle. It always has a little oxide floating on it.  I am also not getting a frost zone when adding filler. If I do a wash pass without filler, it's pretty clean and has a decent but not huge band of cleaning frost. I'm cleaning my coupons and wire but it is not making any difference. I'm only guessing the lack of cleaning effect is just me, and also preventing a clean, oxide free bead. So far, the only suggestion is "turn up your balance" but it doesn't help except melt my tungsten.   1/8"  (I think 6061, whatever my tiny, local metal supply has)140 amps with foot pedal35% balance-have tried up to 50%+ without improvement, just increases the tungsten balling/melting.60 hz Freq3/32 2% lanthanated tungsten#6 gas lens14 cfh 100% argon-played with flow as well without improvement.3/32 5356 filler, I know but apparently my technique isn't good enough for 4043 yet. I think it's just my novice technique, but could it be the machine? This is the best frost band I can get.

Last edited by h82crash; 01-22-2020 at 02:14 PM.
Reply:Picture of the front of the welder so we can see the setting may help.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:

Originally Posted by mechanic416

Picture of the front of the welder so we can see the setting may help.
Reply:How did you prep the material?Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:Settings look good. I would start by upping the argon to 20 cfh. Regrind the tungsten and set the stick out to 3/16" and try it again. If it does not improve start looking for a argon leak or restriction.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:make sure that 20cfu at the torch, not gaugelincoln 125spmonkey wards 250 ac/dcmiller 211 w/spool gunahp  200 sx tiglotos ltp5000dof course duramax diesel
Reply:Thanks for the replies. If it were a dirty work piece, insufficient gas, or a leak (which I've checked, and tried up to 30 cfh) wouldn't the wash pass be dirty too?   The variable is my filler rod, when I dab is when the crud enters the puddle. Can see it flow from the rod. Yes I clean the filler too.  I found another AHP owner who had the same issue and he said he had a bad AC board. I seriously hope its not my machine.I used a different material, cleaning band is larger, but bead is still dirty. Doesn't look that bad. Maybe should just practice more.


Reply:Crank the EP WAY down. Clean thoroughly, stainless brush, acetone, rinse, repeat. Based on where your welder calibrates, you need to start at 30 or 70 balance. You want mostly EN. 15 CFH is all you need in this weld. Common mistakes for beginners is tungsten angle, and arc length. You want your tungsten to be 90 degrees...maybe up to 20 degrees off that, NOT laid down parallel to the plate. You can't be too short an arc. Your goal for arc length is 1.5 times your tungsten diameter. Much of your problem will go away.I like a gas lens, just a diffuser screen similar to the one on your kitchen faucet. Spreads out the delivery from a jet to a diffuse delivery. The black is contamination. You got crud before you start welding, or your gas isn't where you need it, or your tungsten is dipped.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:I like to run at 130hz. Agree black means your tungsten is contaminatedSent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Reply:Well, my tungstens are not contaminated, and my work is clean.  I keep a dozen ground and change them every 30 seconds because the tip balls up. Yes, I'm almost positive it is something to do with my technique. I am probably getting oxides on my filler wire as I dab. Either I'm disturbing the envelope, or possibly the arc a tad with the wire.  I'm also probably going too slow, as I over penetrate most of the time. However the advice I got about keeping the torch as vertical as possible held me back for about 2 weeks-I could not get the rod to the puddle. I finally started angling the torch a bit and voila' I'm running a bead.I'm done stressing about not seeing the frost band and just want to improve my technique.I think, as Willie said, my gas isn't where I need it and I am somehow disturbing it when I introduce the filler.   As I asked before, if there was crud on the plate, wouldn't it show up on a wash pass too?
Reply:With your balance setting you will not get a lot of cleaning etching. If you want to see etching turn it to 50%. Your tungsten will ball some at almost any balance setting, more over 50% and more the more amps you run. I run about 120 amps on 1/8" aluminum. You may be pulling contaminants in from the back side if your laying it on a metal table and penetrating all the way through with to high of amps.Try turning you amps down and getting the aluminum up off the table.If you need to talk call me, numbers on my web site.www.georgesplasmacuttershop.comPlasma Cutter and Welder Sales and Repairs--Ebay storeTec.Mo. Dealer Consumables for the PT and IPT torch's
Reply:Are you power brushing? You can gall crud into the weld with a power driven brush. Is there any chance of a leak in your gas system on the way to the torch. You are tightening your back cap last? I don't say your torch has to be perpendicular to the surface, only near so. I see people laying it down parallel to the work. It fouls up arc & gas coverage. Clean your filler, and aluminum with acetone. Keep the hot tip of filler close enough to benefit from shielding gas.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:I'd bet you are moving too slow, not enough pedal. Aluminum gets overcooked.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:I really appreciate the suggestions. I don't want to come off like I know it's not dirty material, but I'm pretty sure everything is clean. I am a dumb noob with tig. But someone has to convince me that if my coupon is dirty, and or my gas is contaminated by a leak, that I can still get a nice clean puddle under those conditions when I run a wash pass with no filler.  I'm pretty sure that if I have crud on my work piece or air getting in my gas, the wash pass would have at least some crud in it, but it is squeaky clean. It goes to crap when I add filler. Mechanic, not worried about frost anymore.  I've tried 50% balance and didn't get any wider.  But my tungsten lasted about 10 seconds. I've turned it down to 20% and it still makes the same cleaning band. Willie, you are absolutely correct.  I am too slow. The metal is getting cooked, probably why the cleaning band disappears after about an inch of welding.  It seems when I do add pedal and go faster, it gets even worse. I have completely covered 4 square feet of aluminum plate with beads, more because a lot have two layers, and I am not getting any better at introducing filler. Everyone says practice. If I am doing something wrong (most likely) then I'm just practicing the wrong way.  What will really send me over the edge is if there is actually something wrong with my machine and I've wasted a month and $100 in materials. Then have to fix the machine.Last edited by h82crash; 01-24-2020 at 10:10 PM.
Reply:One thing no one seems to mention is make sure you are melting the filler rod into the puddle, not with the arc.  It SEEMS to me, and I'm not an expert, that getting the filler wire too close to the arc vaporizes the filler, and produces the dreaded black crap.  I struggled with this as a beginner.  Introducing the wire low and to the edge of the puddle is key.
Reply:

Originally Posted by bakodiver

One thing no one seems to mention is make sure you are melting the filler rod into the puddle, not with the arc.  It SEEMS to me, and I'm not an expert, that getting the filler wire too close to the arc vaporizes the filler, and produces the dreaded black crap.  I struggled with this as a beginner.  Introducing the wire low and to the edge of the puddle is key.
Reply:You only need an etch as wide as your bead, in fact most people consider a wide etch unsightly. 30% EP is a good starting point. Is it possibly you have a shortcoming in tungsten prep? After I dip, I grind the shaft of the tungsten to clean all the way back to the collet line. Others say break off the tungsten and regrind. Using a new tungsten that is pre ground, or unground will answer that question. I have a Dewalt bench grinder laid on its back so the wheel turns away from me. I can use an electric drill, or hand held. This grinder is only used for tungsten. Each wheel has two grooves worn in it. I start on the coarse wheel, clean off any metal, then move to the fine wheel to fine tune the shape.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:

Originally Posted by h82crash

I really appreciate the suggestions. I don't want to come off like I know it's not dirty material, but I'm pretty sure everything is clean. I am a dumb noob with tig. But someone has to convince me that if my coupon is dirty, and or my gas is contaminated by a leak, that I can still get a nice clean puddle under those conditions when I run a wash pass with no filler.  I'm pretty sure that if I have crud on my work piece or air getting in my gas, the wash pass would have at least some crud in it, but it is squeaky clean. It goes to crap when I add filler. Mechanic, not worried about frost anymore.  I've tried 50% balance and didn't get any wider.  But my tungsten lasted about 10 seconds. I've turned it down to 20% and it still makes the same cleaning band. Willie, you are absolutely correct.  I am too slow. The metal is getting cooked, probably why the cleaning band disappears after about an inch of welding.  It seems when I do add pedal and go faster, it gets even worse. I have completely covered 4 square feet of aluminum plate with beads, more because a lot have two layers, and I am not getting any better at introducing filler. Everyone says practice. If I am doing something wrong (most likely) then I'm just practicing the wrong way.  What will really send me over the edge is if there is actually something wrong with my machine and I've wasted a month and $100 in materials. Then have to fix the machine.
Reply:Again, if I didn't say before, anybody who started before you could watch & say ........ You'll be fixed. Where are you? Do you have a neighbor familiar with your problem? Each of us started where you are.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:double postLast edited by Willie B; 01-26-2020 at 05:01 AM.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Thank you, very encouraging. I believe you all sense my frustration. I'm trying my damnedest to follow all proper procedure.  I am 99% sure it's something I'm not doing right.  The other 1% is the nagging remote possibility of equipment.  But since a no-filler pass is clean, that notion is very nil.  I think Tweake and Willie have me pegged. I have a dedicated diamond wheel for tungsten and yes, on the couple of pieces I have contaminated, I clean it to the collet area. They seem to run as nice as the clean ones on fresh plate. Going over old weld is a whole 'nother story.One thing I haven't ask about yet. The arc seems to be invisible. It looks like one big cone that starts about halfway to the cup from the tip. The puddle is half the diameter of the cone. I don't see a "kernel" like on some videos. Is that normal? Again I try to do what I'm told but I'm still having trouble successfully introducing filler. Keeping the arc short keeps the puddle small and I can't get the rod to it without interrupting the arc and boiling the rod.  I add heat and the puddle is large enough to melt the rod properly but only sometimes. Success is very inconsistent and now I'm overheating the plate.  I feel like the rod is too big because half the time it refuses to melt at the edge of the puddle, so I pause and then it balls up and boils on the end. Part of the time I'm just jamming the rod into the puddle and I can feel it bottom out because it is not melting as fast as I'm feeding. Using 3/32 rod.  Also, it seems like I'm having the most success on the last inch of the 4 inch coupon, but at that point the whole thing is about to turn liquid.  I'm sure this all sounds too familiar. But, as far as I can tell, I'm attempting to do it right, just not well.
Reply:Thanks again for your help, folks. I turned up my amps to 160 and punch it, then back off a little when the puddle forms. I also pulled back the rod just a tad more between dabs and I am successfully adding filler. Not oxidizing the rod anymore.  Now I can start fine tuning my technique.