zirconated tungstens for AC TIG welding aluminum

Great! Ernie Leimkuhler recommended them, and his advice seems to be REALLY fine! Also, the Lincoln book I got says the same. They do work a LOT better than the EWP pure tungstens. I was even able to make a passable weld in 2024, which is not supposed to be weldable. Using EWP or thoriated tungstens (which I had) I mostly got balls and melted-back edges with no metal fusion. With the Zirconiated electrodes I got much better fusion, and some truly good-looking welds. I guess they were as strong as one could expect from a non-weldable base material. I'm in kind of short supply of suitable scraps, but I may have some better scraps to practice on from a current job.

Aluminum is a lot more tricky than steel due to the fast oxidation and refractory nature of the oxide. A welder with a balance control is a big help.

Jon