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Burning up TIG electrodes

I just bought a Miller Synchrowave 180SD and I need H-E-L-P!!!

I tried out a Maxstar 150 on some scraps of 20 gauge stainless at the welding shop before I bought, just to get a feel for the process, and I found it to be easier than oxy-acetylene. I made butt, lap, and fillet joints with good, fair, and poor results. This was all done on the flat, so forming a puddle was easy. Since I was so pleased with the results on the butt weld, I figured the other types of joints would get better with practice. Now I am trying to weld 20 gauge mild steel (autobody) and I keep melting the electrode before I can get a puddle formed.

I'm trying to weld a lap joint to attach some lower door skins, with the doors on the car, so I am welding on a vertical surface this time. I have the welder set to Electrode Negative with the soft starting characteristics set at 1 (also tried it at 2) I'm running pure argon at 20 cfh. I have tried using 1/16 rod with a 1/16 tungsten as well as .035 rod with an .040 tungsten. I have tried adjusting my amperage with the foot pedal, and I have also tried holding the pedal down all the way with the machine set at 10,

15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 amps.

I've got a tight lap, with the bottom piece flanged, held together with vice grips. I even tried tacking the pieces together with my mig and then using the hammer and dolly to close the joint as tight as possible. As I increase the amperage, I go from getting the metal red hot but not puddling, to burning the edge off the top piece without getting a puddle on the bottom piece. In every case, the tunsten turns red hot and then melts back into the gas cup with a ball on the end.

After overcoming thje urge to roll the damn thing out with the garbage cans, I decided to duplicate what I did with the Maxstar 150 at the shop, on 20 gauge mild steel laying flat.. Butt welds were easy, but this time I couldn't do a lap weld, so I didn't bother trying a fillet.

Ideally, I would like to take a welding course, but my work schedule makes it impossible. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

Reply to
rpaulsen
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Move to 3/32" Lanthanated tungstens.

Reply to
Ernie Leimkuhler

Do you feel gas flowing out the cup? Sounds like you don't have shielding gas turned on at the torch.

characteristics

Reply to
Lance

What kind of shielding gas?

Reply to
Lance

Are you sure on your settings? When I first started, I had thought I had set my polarity right, but after having problems, double checked and found I had reversed it. I had thought about the right setting, but had flipped the switch the wrong way. I was burning my electrode a lot too.

JW

Reply to
Jeridiah

Depends on who you ask. The dealer and owner's manual say to use electrode negative. Electrode positive is supposed to be better on thin sheet because it doesn't penetrate as deep, but that's because something like 70% of the heat is in the electrode, melting them even faster.

Reply to
rpaulsen

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