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New Tig Welder

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M4wdFab:
been forcing myself to use this for most of the welding in the shop last few days, steel is pretty easy.  its just more time consuming and annoying.  but has like zero splatter which is nice when your working in close quarters to things like aluminum intercoolers and other fragile bits to slag/sparks. 


still struggling with aluminum, mostly due to tungston contamination.  i just need to get better and also play around with balance and frequency / gas flow rate.  three things i just have not gotten a handle on what turning those nobs up or down to improve quality. 

first real job today i welded up the fuel cell enclosure, and i think it came out an 80% job, pretty decent.  lots of challenging angles and thin to thicker material / corners ect. 

M4wdFab:
so i have been learning some basic stuff i probably should have learned before jumping into this


tig torch cup size:  number = hole size in 1/16"    (ie #5 is 5/16", #8 is 8/16 or 1/2")
also: cup size X 2 is min recommended gas flow and cup size X 2.5 is max recommended gas flow in CU ft / hr of Argon
recommended tungsten stick out is also cup size in 1/16"
30% balance is recommended for oxidation cleaning portion of wave form (AC aluminum welding)
1 amp per 0.001" of material is standard
tungsten should be ground 30-35 degree point, and basically self balls / blunts.  grind marks should be axially and not radially. 

heat increases with arc length
120hz is most common starting point for AC aluminum.  lower freq is wider/larger heat puddle (move faster)  higher freq is tigher heat puddle (move move slower)

with aluminum the shielding gas is really just for the tungsten to keep clean.  preflow of gas before arc like .5-1 seconds.  post flow after arc like 10 seconds or until after tungsten is not orange will keep things clean.  dont whip torch around crazy after arc end, keep still and let gas cool tungsten. 


crazy amount of learning this week, its fun. 

M4wdFab:
drew up a cluster box last night
burned out on the table in 1/16" AL
press braked it to shape
tig welded up sides


quick fun project, went together great!  so nice. 

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