Advise settings on a 200DX for aluminum?

[sportbike]

Try making a cold, bird poop looking weld.
Then go somewhere in between bird poop and where you are now :-)

[Jake98]

Great info. Thanks to all.

[performance]

Try making a cold, bird poop looking weld.
Then go somewhere in between bird poop and where you are now :-)

Excellent advice.
I was thinking about that myself...A little too cold of a weld with aluminum while learning is easier to manage than too hot of a weld...

[Joe from NY]

Thanks again for the advice, gentlemen. Here are my latest efforts. These show several passes laid on top of each other. The advice on turning off the pulse was right on. After I did that, my puddle appeared faster and was easier to control. Part of my problem was hanging around in one place too long waiting for a nice puddle to develop. Sometimes, before the puddle would appear, the surface looked like a bunch of ground up fish scales appearing out of the metal and dancing around in the arc cone. Also, I am also using my new Jackson WF60 Truesight helmet, and I am not getting flashed anymore. That is a big help. I started with a 1/16 cerciated tungsten but wound up doing the later passes with 3/32 Red tungsten with a gas lens and a #6 cup, about 8 LPM flow. One earlier issue was i only had 1/16 rods, so i twisted them double like Twizler candy and then the beads looked a bit better.




I am calling it quits for the night, and will get back on it Tuesday afternoon. Thanks again to all for the encouragement.

[sportbike]

Now you are starting to get somewhere. Were those welds "as welded" or did you hit them with scotch brite after welding? If they are as welded, you may still be a little on the hot side (note the weld beads look a little sort of "hazy" or textured).

[Joe from NY]

after i laid down the first few, i hit them with the stainless brush before i did the last shiny ones on the top. they have a different appearance in the photo.