TIG On Aluminium

[Richard.]

4mm butt joint.
Very roughly 120 amps
100 hz, balance 30-35% ep 2.4 tungsten 2.4 filler.
Once you've done a weld or two on it leave it to cool naturally. Without actually seeing the job this is a rough guide. Personally if it's going on show on a bike is sort out the pedal. Best of luck.

 

[Mr shiney]

4mm butt joint.
Very roughly 120 amps
100 hz, balance 30-35% ep 2.4 tungsten 2.4 filler.
Once you've done a weld or two on it leave it to cool naturally. Without actually seeing the job this is a rough guide. Personally if it's going on show on a bike is sort out the pedal. Best of luck.

Thanks Richard, I will give it a go.

Its for my XR400 green lane bike, not even showing it the hosepipe.....

 

[Richard.]

No prob. If you start welding on it when it's hot you will find you will need to decrease the current a fair bit. Which is why I suggest to keep it simple and leave it to go cold between welds.

 

[Mr shiney]

No prob. If you start welding on it when it's hot you will find you will need to decrease the current a fair bit. Which is why I suggest to keep it simple and leave it to go cold between welds.

Ah! Thats good advice, I had not thought about that!!

 

[Richard.]

Yeah its down to its efficiency as a conductor and low melting point below the oxide layer I would suggest this without the variable current control of a foot pedal.

 

[Mr shiney]

Just been practising on some 6mm chequer plate with the pulse mode set. 170amps at the top of the pulse and 65amps at the bottom. It produces a lovely stack of dimes, really even bead. It looks lovely without filler as well. You have to time the filler going in very carefully, push on the down pulse and it freezes!!

 

[Richard.]

Just been practising on some 6mm chequer plate with the pulse mode set. 170amps at the top of the pulse and 65amps at the bottom. It produces a lovely stack of dimes, really even bead. It looks lovely without filler as well. You have to time the filler going in very carefully, push on the down pulse and it freezes!!

Aluminium cheque plate?????
Does your machine pulse in AC. Not many units do that. I can only think of a couple.

 

[Mr shiney]

Yep. It pulses in AC!!!

 

[Richard.]

Ah ok I've used an old murex that did that. I'll be honest I found it to be a gimmick. The pulse was very slow and the change in pitch every second got right on my nerves.
When are we going to see these stacks of dimes

 

[Mr shiney]

Ah ok I've used an old murex that did that. I'll be honest I found it to be a gimmick. The pulse was very slow and the change in pitch every second got right on my nerves.
When are we going to see these stacks of dimes

You can control all the parameters on it. Very clever.

Pics to tomorrow.

 

[jaybee]

Practising with my new on AC mode...... Not done much aluminium outside of C&G1.
Managed to vaporise 2 ceramics. I was using a 1.6mm 2% Thoriated Tungstenand 1.6mm filler on a piece of 6mm chequer plate and the tungsten just vanished in a splatter of dirty smoke and left the ceramic glowing red pretty much on striking the arc. I tried a variety of amps from 55 to 120.

Any thoughts on what I was doing wrong?

I then set it up at 65amps on a piece of 1.6mm with the same set up and ran some nice beads. I am thinking I might stick a pedal on though as trying to lower the amps as the material heats up with the torch mount adjuster is a pain in the ass!!

Could be balance is to low I prefer the ball on end of tungsten and I get that by setting the balance if I go too far I burn my tungsten right back
Your machine has a.sweet spot keep playing you'll find it