It all depends on what you mean by sputtering. If you mean that the arc is unstable and wanders around, that is almost always caused by too low current for that size tungsten. Don't expect a 3/32" tungsten to weld nice at 10 amps, cause it just won't. If you want a stable arc at 20 amps, an .040" tungsten would be best, and 1/16" ground to a needle would be second choice. Anything bigger won't get hot enough at that current. Points are only for the HF start, so as soon as the main arc is going they do nothing. As long as you are getting good HF starts, the points are doing their job. Low amps on aluminum is a bit tricky and does take some practice. Keep your arc length as short as possible. A good rule of thumb is to shoot for about one tungsten diameter. Make sure your cup is large enough to shield your weld pool and the cleaning area. About 6x tungsten dia. is a good start. Too much argon is just as bad as too little. Set the flow based on cup size and be sure you are not mixing up CFH and LPM. Different flow meters have different calibrations, so make sure you know what you have. Make sure you don't have a breeze where you are welding and watch out for excessive torch angle. All kinds of things make a lot more difference for low amp aluminum. Steel is about the easiest, then stainless, then aluminum, and the lower the amperage the harder and less forgiving it is. Things you can get away with on steel you can't on aluminum, But it will make you a better welder on all materials. If you are working on thin material, you can also move your AC balance to give a little more cleaning. That will cause less penetration so you will have more control. It just takes a lot of practice.
Last edited by Rambozo; 03-06-2015 at 03:48 AM.
Long arc, short arc, heliarc and in-the-dark!
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Originally Posted by Chevelle69
