tig welding noob. i need help!!!

[steve1989]

hey all. ive been welding fr a while but am extremely new to tig. i just got a everlast 200dx with pure argon. having alot of trouble using filler material. im using 1/16 ceriated and usng 3/32 4043 filler rod. i think the filler material is to big? welding on 1/16 peice of aluminum with 55-65 amps. some times the weld turns out good, others its absoluely discusting. im keeping the tungsten close to the work peice. seems pretty consistent as well as the travel speed. ive watched like 1000 videos on this but im just not getting it. would really appreciate the help from a experienced welder. thanks guys.
also i know its probably from the aluminum getting hot but seems like im like blowing through it sometimes. or maybe i am raisng the tungsten up higher wih out realizing it.

[performance]

START with steel. Get that down, then stainless, THEN aluminum.

[DaveO]

Welcome, Steve! Congrats on the new machine, you chose a good one. What kind of welding have you done in the past? O/A translates readily to TIG because of the coordination between hands, one for torch one for filler. Mark's idea about starting with steel has a lot of merit- you can turn off or disregard all the AC settings and concentrate on technique. You might try simply running a TIG bead with no filler at first, then add filler later.

[steve1989]

thanks guys for the great info. im going try and experiment with steel next then. can you recommend a good tungsten? i have some 3/32 purple but not hereing great things about them. also whats the best filler material for steel and best one for stainless?

[DaveO]

Not sure if you've seen these videos (among your thousands already watched), but Jody at Welding Tips and Tricks dot com has good things to say about 2% lanthanated tungsten. He also says typical filler for steel is er70s2, and 308L for stainless.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/...ding-tips.html

[steve1989]

thanks dave

[DaveO]

No worries, the Welding Tips and Tricks videos are very helpful.

What kind of projects are you working on? You might think about joining the current Everlast contest. Do a search on Summer 2013 contest, and join up! (I'm using my dumb phone so I can't cut and paste easily, or else I'd post a link.)

[steve1989]

thanks dude, im actually just about to start school for welding and was just laying stringers. just trying to get a head start so i look good in school

[Mr120]

thanks dude, im actually just about to start school for welding and was just laying stringers. just trying to get a head start so i look good in school

Lots of seat time will do wonders for you. Watch the videos and practice what is taught. Jody has a number of videos geared to people just starting out.

[redbeard]

Jody at Welding Tips and Tricks dot com has good things to say about 2% lanthanated tungsten.

Yep, I tried them all when I started and the lanthanated wound up my favorite, starts easy and stays sharp.

[sportbike]

I'd put some 3/32 2% lan (light blue) tungsten in and forget it. There are very few applications where changing the size will make much difference. If you are welding extremely think material at low current, just put a bit sharper point on it.