Sputtery arc with smaller consumables

[BrokenBiker]

Can someone more knowledgeable than me telling me if it's me, the machine or the settings giving me grief...

Using a 1.6mm sharp red tungsten set at 90 amps AC through a pedal.

Starting is erratic at best, very wandery until it catches a point it likes, even if I stamp the pedal to max straight away, the tapering off when it gets below 40ish amps it wanders again...

I've changed to 2.4mm blue tungsten, same settings and it's crisp as anything.

I'm also occasionally getting the tip of the 1.6 red splitting mid weld

I'll be finishing the job with the 2.4 blue now but curious as to what the issue could be.

The blue are superb, the reds are CK

 

[Agroshield]

I was sort of under the impression that for AC, a sharp point was not the best.

See:

How to prepare a TIG Tungsten Electrode | Jasic Blog

TIG DC Welding & TIG AC Welding with Some Modern Inverter Controlled Welders)When welding at low current the electrode can be ground to a point. At higher current a small flat on the end of the electrode is preferable as this helps with arc stability.AC Welding (Standard AC Power Sources and...

www.jasic.co.uk

TIG Tuesday: How to Choose the Right Tungsten for TIG Welding and What

Get the most out of your welds by picking the right TIG welding tungsten. Take a look at our chart to know what Tungsten you need to use.

bakersgas.com

 

[Munkul]

1. Red isn't great for AC
2. 1.6mm is too small (IMO)
3. Don't sharpen it to a point for AC, just sharpen a little bit and truncate the tip if you can.
4. Blue is good for AC
5. Below 40 amps you'll sometimes get a wandering arc, usually the arc is too long.
What machine have you got? What balance and frequency? Sometimes the amps, arc length, balance and frequency all play together to ruin your tungsten that might be just fine on another machine.

Another thing that helps me sometimes is arcing a freshly ground tungsten at lower amps, it rounds and stabilizes the tip nicely, then it stays that shape for longer (sometimes).

 

[BrokenBiker]

1. Red isn't great for AC
2. 1.6mm is too small (IMO)
3. Don't sharpen it to a point for AC, just sharpen a little bit and truncate the tip if you can.
4. Blue is good for AC
5. Below 40 amps you'll sometimes get a wandering arc, usually the arc is too long.
What machine have you got? What balance and frequency? Sometimes the amps, arc length, balance and frequency all play together to ruin your tungsten that might be just fine on another machine.

Another thing that helps me sometimes is arcing a freshly ground tungsten at lower amps, it rounds and stabilizes the tip nicely, then it stays that shape for longer (sometimes).

I've set at 30% balance and 90hz.

Finished the job with a 2.4 blue and it was fine, nice crisp starts and ends.

I've sharpened all my Tungstens to a point but will try the rounding thing next time I'm welding see if it helps. Starting to get more consistent with the Ali welding now so just trying to work out the best set up and settings for what I do

 

[addjunkie]

I've set at 30% balance and 90hz.

Finished the job with a 2.4 blue and it was fine, nice crisp starts and ends.

I've sharpened all my Tungstens to a point but will try the rounding thing next time I'm welding see if it helps. Starting to get more consistent with the Ali welding now so just trying to work out the best set up and settings for what I do

Reds for steel, whites for Ali, or blue or grey for everything.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Reds for steel, whites for Ali, or blue or grey for everything.

I'll just stick to the blue then, cheers