Tungsten breakibg down

[doubleboost]

2.4 mill gold also tried blue grey and red
150 amps max 30% balance
70 Herts
Pure argon

 

[mtt.tr]

Leak in your gas pipe?

 

[Tom Orrow L]

Polarity check? Any coating on the material? Any ingress of oxygen into your gas hose or torch?

 

[AndersK]

I think it's crappy material, poor argon coverage usually turn the tungsten black and leave a lot more crap on the weld surface as well

 

[Paul.]

First thing I would do is a spot test on clean new material then at least you will know if its the torch / machine or the material.

Post 34 here

Just got a new TIG

Got some more tungstens today and had another go. I guess these look slightly better (slight being the operative word). Read up a little, a bigger cup, paid more attention to arc length. But the tungstens still turn out TERRIBLE. At the moment, I have to regrind the tungstens after each bead...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

 

[Paul.]

I would also use a bigger ceramic, and have less stickout, and around 8 or 10 seconds of post flow. and around 8 to 10 lpm gas flow, check that at the torch with a peashooter.

 

[doubleboost]

I would also use a bigger ceramic, and have less stickout, and around 8 or 10 seconds of post flow. and around 8 to 10 lpm gas flow, check that at the torch with a peashooter.

Found it
Seal on back cap
Put a new bigger ceramic on as well
10 LPM always do
Different animal now
I wish I had stopped and sorted it out instead of pressing on
First alloy job for a while .
Steel must be more forgiving

 

[Paul.]

Glad you found it its usually something simple!, I would still shorten up that stickout though.

 

[fizzy]

I just managed to split my tungsten down the middle for about 4" how is that possible

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I just managed to split my tungsten down the middle for about 4" how is that possible

That's a special skill.

 

[Munkul]

I just managed to split my tungsten down the middle for about 4" how is that possible

It happens to some tungstens when they've overheated and heavily contaminated. e.g. white hot 2.4 tungsten at 200 amps - if you badly dip it, it will suck up a load of alloy, if you keep going at all it can crack, and the longer you keep going, the bigger the crack. Sometimes its a small dip that you just keep going on.

blue and purple tungstens hold up better IME, reds and golds tend to split more. I haven't used any other types really, I now use blue or purple for everything.

 

[Brad93]

If you dip in aluminium, cut your tungsten right back.

I've seen bloody good aluminium welders still getting the classic brown/black soot at the start of a weld. It's a contaminated tungsten 9/10. They haven't cut it back just ground the gloop off the end.

 

[Migmad]

2.4 mill gold also tried blue grey and red
150 amps max 30% balance
70 Herts
Pure argon

View attachment 310141 View attachment 310142

arc balance needs to be between 70-80

try arcing up on a piece of cooper arc balanxe turned right down, it will smooth and round the tip off just nice

 

[doubleboost]

arc balance needs to be between 70-80

try arcing up on a piece of cooper arc balanxe turned right down, it will smooth and round the tip off just nice

the dial / scale on R Tech machines reads the other way

 

[Jack Ryan]

Can I suggest that instead of referring to "balance", which is ambiguous, we use the term "cleaning" (or DCEP) or "penetration" (or DCEN)?

Mr Doubleboost wrote "30% balance" meaning 30% cleaning (or 30% DCEP). Mr Migmad interpreted that (incorrectly) as 30% penetration (or 30% DCEN) because "balance" is ambiguous.

Just a thought

Jack

 

[Cheesie]

Found it
Seal on back cap
Put a new bigger ceramic on as well
10 LPM always do
Different animal now
I wish I had stopped and sorted it out instead of pressing on
First alloy job for a while .
Steel must be more forgiving

View attachment 310171 View attachment 310172

Good you got to the problem I run a #5 cup on just about everything very little stick out I only go to a bigger cup when I get near the 200amp mark