still having a few problems tig welding 20 gauge mild steel sheet,somtimes,when striking the initial arc i'm getting a real lot of hissing and farting about almost as if the earth is not good,then i'll try again after a few seconds and the arc will strike lovely any ideas? thanks in advance
- Thread starter valvieboy
- Start date
shenion
Tool Pack Rat
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- 7,586
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- Stone Mountain, GA USA
Are you holding the torch close then pressing the trigger so HF starts the arc immediately? If so, then could be air in the hose to the torch. If you start again then there is still argon in the hose.
I always turn the torch on first then bring up to the work to start the arc. Better machines have a preflow setting for this.
I always turn the torch on first then bring up to the work to start the arc. Better machines have a preflow setting for this.
NTwoO
More skill with grinder than welder
- Messages
- 489
Do you have a foot pedal? too little current also causes arc instability at start up. Preflowing your torch is a good idea. My machine does it at start-up, but with my old mig torch I also used to turn the wire feed off and give it a quick blast. Produced much better results.
