2T vs 4T, a tack weld problem on my TIG

[Bluemotion]

I’ve a Thermal Arc 202 AC/DC tig with a multifunction torch ( no foot pedal) which I’ve had for many years. It’s not my main welder as I normally use a MIG.
The problem I have is that I’ve never successfully used the tig to tack weld sheet steel as I can’t find a way to do it. I’m guessing to do it it needs to be on 2T but it never releases power once I press the trigger and won’t turn off after trigger release so I have to pull it away from what I’m welding and leave a mess. Also I’ve never been able to manually pulse weld either. This has been like this from day one of it being new. Is it me or the equipment?
Most of my work with it has been alloy cast repairs so I’ve not really needed to do thin sheet steel.

 

[hotponyshoes]

What torch have you got?

Maybe remove the torch plug and try shorting pin 2/3 on the socket and see how the machine behaves.

 

[carbon]

Ive never tried this but would have thought that the up slope and down slope would need to be very short for this to work with 2T

 

[wyn]

A quick look at some info on the welder shows it has "Lift tig" and "HF tig".
Are you using it in " lift" mode.

 

[northwest]

I’ve a Thermal Arc 202 AC/DC tig with a multifunction torch ( no foot pedal) which I’ve had for many years. It’s not my main welder as I normally use a MIG.

The thermal arc is very, very similar in all functions to the equivalent Parweld (I do seem to recall), which I have and there is a switch to change the function from 2T to 4T and vice versa.

 

[Bluemotion]

What torch have you got?

Maybe remove the torch plug and try shorting pin 2/3 on the socket and see how the machine behaves.

I’ll have to check later as it’s not to hand

 

[Bluemotion]

A quick look at some info on the welder shows it has "Lift tig" and "HF tig".
Are you using it in " lift" mode.

Mainly HF but I made a point to test it on both and the results are exactly the same

 

[Bluemotion]

The stupid thing is I used a ten year old crappy Chinese turd of a tig at work with budget short leads and it was actually far easier, simpler and successful to use than my premium machine, so much so that I thought I’ll just buy a disposable modern Chinese tig and bin the expensive one I have!!

 

[Turbo]

I've a thermal arc dc inverter and the controls on it are not simple with one knob being used to do many of the settings.
I can tack up steel no bother once its set up. Have it set so that it only welds when you hold in the torch button and have a fairly short slope down set.
Suggest you get a manual somewhere.

 

[jo1010]

Either torch fault or machine fault? Test the continuity of wires from torch switch to plug as well as what hotponyshoes said ....

 

[Bluemotion]

I've a thermal arc dc inverter and the controls on it are not simple with one knob being used to do many of the settings.
I can tack up steel no bother once its set up. Have it set so that it only welds when you hold in the torch button and have a fairly short slope down set.
Suggest you get a manual somewhere

I’ve got the manual, just don’t understand half of it as they are too complicated too.

.

 

[Bluemotion]

There’s several types of learning, I’m the visual type, I watch someone and I pick it up immediately.

 

[Bluemotion]

What torch have you got?

Maybe remove the torch plug and try shorting pin 2/3 on the socket and see how the machine behaves.