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Aluminum frustrations!

Ok, I went out to play with the DCEP aluminum welding on the HF inverter TIG machine again today. I get it to clean and make a nice puddle in the material I am trying to put the filler to and I can run along and move the puddle leaving nice shiny clean tracks with good cleaning margins. Problem is when I try to add the filler rod it just sort of turns to this nasty ash like material and will not flow into the puddle. Using 1/8" thoriated (red) tungsten and several sizes/types of filler rod I get the same results. Tried changing gas flow and gas lenses and current but it still just turns the filler to ash. Last time I was messing with it I was able to get it to work fairly well and I thought I was doing things the same way but??? I spent the morning going through back posts thinking I would get some ideas but I seem to be going backwards suddenly :( Glenn

Reply to
Glenn
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Are you keeping the filler rod under the argon stream while the rod is hot?

Bob

Reply to
MetalHead

Glenn

Try to use PURE tungsten Green . PURE ARGON and feed filler really fast aluminum likes a flood of filler not little dabs . also pump the pedal aluminum dose not like a stable arc . Pump feed filler off move pump feed filler off move .. Do not kill the arc just back off on the heat and move .... This is how you get stack of dimes look ....

Thanks Tom Derrenbacher

Reply to
Tom Derrenbacher

sounds like the time I was trying to weld aluminum with my Invertig using stainless rod!!

Reply to
James Arnold

Trying to. It turns to ash as soon as it gets into the heat. Glenn

Reply to
Glenn

I find that things go a lot better if I start the puddle with a blob of filler, particularly in a fillet situation.. Get it to melt and flow into the base material then add to it. Getting the other things right is totally important too, obviously. I also try to go slow and steady, use minimum heat to get the job done, and start in the hardest part, usually the inside corner.

Brian

Reply to
Brian

Are you using AC current with High-Frequency? I seem to remember in my welding class I used pure tungsten that would ball up on the end and with the high frequency AC current (after completely cleaning the workpiece and filler rod of course) and I would end up with a nice weld pass!

Gary

Reply to
Gary

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