Welding aluminum

bluerooster

bluerooster

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shorty
need pointers. It's been since the early 70's since I've done it, and using the exact same machine that I had great success with in the past, I just can't seem to get it done now. Using AC, HF, and can't seem to strike an arc, when I finally get it going, it's coldernell. I'll keep piddling with it, but something just isn't right, and I can't figure it out.
 
Is your high frequency arc stabilizer happily buzzing along?
 
bluerooster said:
I can notice it when I strike an arc, but as to buzzing when idle, or working. It hasn't done that at any time in the past 50 years.
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There are arc starters, and arc stabilizers, two different things. Having both is nice, then one needed strike an arc at all, just get close. Once running, that arc will try to extinguish sixty times a second; the stabilizer fixes that. I'm gonna guess that yours is bad.
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
Well ...the other one has a different pitcher. o_O
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Yeah, that's me Grandpa, and his brand new Eaglerock longwing.

The other one was restored in our basement, when I was about 3 or 4 years old.
It was the family hauler 'till us kids out grew it, Then we graduated to the T-50.
 
JCranford said:
And tungsten prep is important too. Tig i assume
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That could have a bearing, using Thoriated Tungsten, blunt point. But I'll be getting some Lanthanated ones next week.
Another thing that probably has a bearing is the electrode has been contaminated with steel. (I just re-set the machine, and tried the aluminum, with same electrode.)
 
Kenny Phillips said:
There are arc starters, and arc stabilizers, two different things. Having both is nice, then one needed strike an arc at all, just get close. Once running, that arc will try to extinguish sixty times a second; the stabilizer fixes that. I'm gonna guess that yours is bad.
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I have an HF switch, which will of course change to 120hz(?) or so. IIRC Not certian of the exact freq. I don't have a foot pedal. I used it with great success in the 70's welding aluminum frames for art display at a mall in ATL. (paid for the rig, plus handsome profit).
 
The manual has been lost, and the company is now defunct (I think).
 
The newer square wave tigs make it easier... But it is definitely an art more than a science. I have a hard time with aluminum. Practice!
 
Try using 1.5% Lanthanated (it seems to work great on everything) and clean the aluminum with acetone before hand.
 
I'd check your gas, that's what it sounds like to me. Especially if your tungsten gets eaten up too. Could be the oxide layer that didn't get cleaned away. Use a stainless brush that ONLY is used for aluminum, scrub till it's shiny, then wipe everything down with acetone. Scrub your filler rod with a scotch brite too. With Tig, ANY impurity will screw things up. Also, the grinder you use to grind the tungsten should have never seen anything else, and the score marks should go tip to base. I know, it's all the simple things, but they really do make a difference. If you've checked all those things, then you're home free. I prefer to run a foot pedal, because you can start heavy on the foot to get the puddle going then back of to keep it going. A foot control isn't necessary of course
 
Tom-D said:
The TIG will clean as it welds. it simply needs to be set correctly.
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To an extent, yes. That's one of the things the back half of the ac does. But the cleaner you can get the part, the better.
 
Jodi does good videos. I really like his Tig finger, and the furik Pyrex cups.

Op's issue sounds more like a gas issue to me though. Bad, to much, etc. But that's my guess

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
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