Super wide etching on Aluminum!

[trackmaster]

Here's a few pics, .... i hope! Of what i am getting in spite of trying, checking, six ways from sunday. Excuse the welds, just throwing some beads down, and actually got stung by a bee on one boating marine part in the next post! Ouch!

[trackmaster]

Mark, I have watched his vids numerous times, in fact they were one of the reasons i chose to purchase the Everlast. I'm not quite sure what your trying to insinuate, ...... I too have been doing this a long long time. Surely better weldors out there than I, But I can assure you there is nothing wrong with my set up or settings. I have taken to the 250 like a toad to water, .... er, um, wait, I mean Frog, yes a frog to water

[trackmaster]

If i may, here's another example or two. Small file size so I may have to do them in 2 separate posts. Middle o this one is when a bee stung me! Kept goin tho! lol

Not trying to be picky here , but try to polish that etching out! This is a piece of 6061 show polished, and i took every precaution in cleaning the weld zone properly. I could not with any degree of practicality take the time neccessary to completely buff and polish out the etching on this kind of part. The etching is Deep!

Oh BTW, this was obviously in a post weld pre polish state. I didn't photo the finished product, but it came out lookin pretty good. Could still see a little roughness along each side of the weld from the etching, even after some serious compound buffing.

[performance]

As always Mark I take your word as a welding authority, and don't doubt what you say. But just so I am clear, you are saying that your (past or present) 250 does or did not have consistantly wide etching such that if you combined both sides, they would be wider than the weld bead itself?

I answered your question on this trackmaster by referring you to this video. You wanted to be clear...that's about as clear as I can make it. It gives you visual proof. Not trying to insinuate anything. As far as polishing on anodized aluminum, it is common to paint over the welds with silver rustoleum instead of polishing because the oxidation will return otherwise, and it will match fairly well.

[Slick]

Here's a few pics, .... i hope! Of what i am getting in spite of trying, checking, six ways from sunday. Excuse the welds, just throwing some beads down, and actually got stung by a bee on one boating marine part in the next post! Ouch!

Holy Cow, how did you do that weave pattern?

[trackmaster]

First to Mark, I apologize for having chosen the word insinuate, Please understand that i am not trying to be difficult or contentious, I am a straight shooter and by most accounts a heck of a nice guy, .... modest too, lol.
But I am a bit frustrated, we've spoken at length, and exchanged numerous posts here, and emails. And you have suggested a number of times that in essence, the ( what I consider to be ) excess etching is due to something I am doing, or not doing, whether it be from lack of settings knowledge, welding knowledge, machine/torch/gas set-up etc. And now it sounds like you are saying that there IS NO problem whatsoever with the etching in my pics? If that is the case i will tell you the machines i have or have had in my stable, including Lincoln Squarewave tig, Miller Syncro 250, Dial Arc 250, and a fleet of Linde UCC305's and probably some others, were ALL capable of throwing down casual welds with far less etching. In fact most were able to bring it right down almost to the foot of the weld bead, and these are ALL transformer machines with far less control than an inverter TIG.

I have HEAPED praise upon this machine in other posts, but i am frustrated by what seems to be a denial that the etching is REALLY wide on this unit with the BALANCE SET TO MINIMUM! I do understand that it may be in actuality only 30% EP, as opposed to 10% EP, due to a board mix up at the factory. But no welder i've ever used past or present has been able to go below 30 EP, and yet produces far narrower cleaning. If ya just don't know why this machine is doing it, thats Fine! Or if ya tell me that " yeah, I know, but it is what it is," that's ok too! Kind of anyway .....

As for directing me to Jody's videos, I'm not sure what "answer" they were to provide to my questioning of ( MY UNITS ) wide etching on aluminum, other than being excellent intro's to Inverter general settings and starting points. It has the direct benefit of being the same MODEL of welding unit. They also demonstrate Jody's awesome bare bones approach to gettin the job done with a minimum of fuss, as well his diverse welding skills. He discusses the cleaning cycle of ac current, and briefly suggests some good starting point settings. As for weld by weld analysis regarding cleaning width, he does not go into it. On any given weld, many times we don't see where he has his controls set, as any well produced video has editing involved for brevity. Beyond that, it tells me nothing about MY unit! All i can do is submit pictures to illustrate what my ( 2nd & 3rd ) 250ex was/is producing. Again, #1 died 20 minutes or so into the first try out, so I can't speak for that one. In addition i have probably looked at every video on his site! His "welding aluminum" shows him demonstrating builiding up of practice beads, and you will see cleaning, or etching of varying size. But he is welding on a scrap of metal, not brushing, putting bead on top of bead. Never is it disclosed where his balance is set, etc. So I am again not sure what i am to " have gotten an answer " too, or from for that matter.

Perhaps you could be a little more direct as to whether you are saying there is no problem with the etching path, or that you believe it to be due to a lack of skill, technique, or faulty set up on my part. Trust me, I can take it with a stiff upper lip! Ha, Lol. AS far as the Polishing of the anodized aluminum, I appreciate the suggestion and info! But that was really never a question. BTW, i removed a couple a microns of anodize prior to welding along the seam, and the customer dictated the finished look he wanted to achieve, and would not accept any painted parts. Wanted the 6061 polished back to mirror finish. I use a high quality art metal sealant finely applied to the weld area only after polishing. - Thanx, Lou

[trackmaster]

Brother Slick! Hey I'll tell ya what, while the weaving kinda looks pretty impressive, It's really pretty easy to do, .... especially on aluminum ( if you've got your basic aluminum skills pretty down pat ). It's kind of like what a pipe welder does when he walks the cup, except that in this case you don't actually rest the cup anywhere. But the movement is quite similar. Think of making your stack of dimes bead, but instead of stacking in a straight line, add each rod fill at about the same distance, but in a kind of zig zag pattern. The hardest part is to be consistant with how wide you keep the weave over a length of weld. And it is not a substitute for a first pass in most cases, but serves well to do a final coverage, or for additional build up. Practice makes perferct!

[Slick]

Oh brother, with the practice I'll need, I'll be making Alcoa's stock prices jump!

[trackmaster]

Ha! .... Naw, you'll get it man! Once it clicks, you'll be off and runnin!

[performance]

Trackmaster,
I am sorry, you have misunderstood me. I have never said you didn't have cleaning issues. I Never said anything about not having issues in your pictures. We have recognized the problem, working on the solution, made apology for putting not only you but other customers through a rigorous questioning so we could eliminate other possible issues. You may know your stuff, but we cannot assume or take you at your word or anyones for that matter since so many "experts" tend to overlook the basics in trouble shooting...and that is generally where the problem is found...Not in this case, but our technique resolves a lot of problems. We have calls daily from expert customers...no disrespect to them, but they are the hardest to deal with because they know everything, and assume that the problem is the worst, when 9 times out of 10 its a simple issue. Its a human nature thing... I have literally spent hours on the phone trying to convince a customer to check the basics, meanwhile listening to him/her complain that there was something wrong. When they finally let me get to what I need to do to make determination, things are usually resolved quickly. Again, a solution was not found immediately in your case, but was necessary to eliminate all other possible causes. IF we do not go over every possible environmental or operator cause of a malfunction, you end up sending a good unit back and we send you another one. There are many cases where we get back a perfectly functioning unit...used... so we go send it back for phantom repairs complete stripdown. In fact, in your case, we did discover some things that were being done wrong, including setting the unit at about 65% cleaning...Which is not correct. So, even our conversation resulted in uncovering some issues that were even making the problem worse.


I will try explaining this again so we don't have any hard feelings...
I gave you Jody's link to show you that indeed this has not been a problem. His video clearly shows WIDE variations in cleaning right down to a small narrow line. The question you asked (according to my interpretation of what you asked) is that you wanted me to restate what was already stated....That this is a new issue. You asked me to clarify about any past and present issues with the 250EX...I showed you the unit Jody purchased in December. It works fine. If you watch, you can see him adjusting the unit while welding...you can see wider versions of etching and narrow versions of etching down to narrow lines. No, it doesn't show the exact settings while he does, but watching the other videos also show small cleaning areas. He does actually give some recommended settings of 35% on the videos...This is where he completes many fine looking welds, but you can see a visible etching. This man welds on Delta aircraft and is an instructor. Believe me if etching was a problem, he would have let me know in short order and it would have been brought out in the video.

[cmd]

I have been watching this thread with some curiosity as I just got a 250ex and I will be welding some nice finish aluminum to some capacity. I've checked my serial number and I am not listed under the defective machines, however I too am not sure that I have full range on the balance. I cannot make my etching go away, If I turn the balance the whole way up (clockwise) it balls the electrode, possibly melt it if I went the whole way. Completely Down (counterclockwise) It welds nice but the etching is still there, it seems you can only weld between 12:00 and the minimum. I suppose I will have to check in to the tech guys to see what is going on.

[cmd]

I have been watching this thread with some curiosity as I just got a 250ex and I will be welding some nice finish aluminum to some capacity. I've checked my serial number and I am not listed under the defective machines, however I too am not sure that I have full range on the balance. I cannot make my etching go away, If I turn the balance the whole way up (clockwise) it balls the electrode, possibly melt it if I went the whole way. Completely Down (counterclockwise) It welds nice but the etching is still there, it seems you can only weld between 12:00 and the minimum. I suppose I will have to check in to the tech guys to see what is going on.

After I posted this I had an idea, I started to slightly tweak my argon regulator, and I really thought my argon consumption was high to start with, well I wonder about the accuracy of the reg, I was at 7 like suggested and couldn't make the etching go away, now I am down around 5 and sometimes I can make it disappear completely, mostly its about a 32nd wide but you have to keep rolling and not let the head build up or it will show back up, I think I can handle this, I will have to try it on more jobs.

[performance]

Cmd,

I have discussed this aspect with trackmaster as well. The longer you stay in one area, the more cleaning action is observed, even at low levels of EP...Argon flow rate does affect cleaning action as well. Argon in particular does have a direct effect on cleaning action. Many people add helium in the mix to reduce cleaning action and speed up welding. A 25% max addition of Helium can reduce cleaning and improve weld penetration and speed. Although 100% argon, as a sole source of shielding is fine.

People that go from transformer welding to inverter welding often have to retrain themselves because the squarewave action is much more aggressive, and melting is quick and fast...

[trackmaster]

Cmd, thanx for the input regarding the flow rates. I am truly open to any suggestions ideas etc. I did try some flow rate adjustments as well after taking up probably an hours worth of Marks time on the phone, ..... on a saturday late afternoon! ( Now THAT is support you will not often find, on any product anywhere! ). I did not find perhaps quite the degree of improvement as you have, but i will revisit that area again and perhaps be a bit more liberal with my range of adjustments, Thx!

Now to Mark, ....my friend i will not ever have any hard feelings towards you, in fact i have the utmost respect, as you would not be in the position you are in if you were not an experienced Pro! Your probitive questions and suggestive comments, if read by someone who knows, reveal a welder with a ton of knowledge and experience, ... and I'm not trying to blow sunshine anywhere. It is just a fact. So no worries my friend. I have been a little cranky lately, ..... the heat maybe, ha! But you are a true gentleman, and i value and thank you for your input, again .... a huge plus for Everlast! I really like this company.

Ok, enough of the love fest d@mit! lol, ..... Mark i totally get where your coming from in regard to going back to the basics, as you are right. In most ANY problem in any field, it's usually right there! Sometimes we all can get a little ahead of ourselves and miss something right in front of us, so again thanx for the reminder. As for travel speed i could not agree with ya more, hangin around in most cases is no bueno. That being said, i guess i could post some live timed vs distance video or something, but i know you will take my word for it, ( just for R&D, on this issue solely to help find a solution ) That with the inverter square wave, AND in particular, a higher ac freq. setting, I can boogie along FAST! ( I'll race ya! ... Kidding The still pic i posted of a straight line bead on a flat piece of 3/16 or so sheet, was done so quickly i had to laugh! I love this thing, ( uh well except the E word! ) !!! Un-real how fast you can travel, and still be getting a good bead profile, and more importantly penetration. Your garden variety X-former machine will leave ya with a narrow tall bead with no penetration.

So thats just FYI, to help in diagnosis. I really am impressed with everlasts attention to issues, problems, etc. Whether they be individual, a batch etc.
As for Jody's site, skills, and unique ability to teach in a no nonsense way, He's top shelf all the way! I am a 23 year Airline captain that has never stopped proffessionaly welding since the late 70's. And while i do not fly for Delta, my sister does as a Flt. Attnd for nearly 30 years, and i take great solice that if any welding is done it may be in Jody's hands!

My welding heydays are behind me, and am a bit uncomfortable reciting my C.V. but I have had the pleasure and honor to weld on numerous military fighter aircraft parts, satellite's, and Nuclear submarine drive systems, as well as many less glamorous, but more fun stuff! I have a few THOUSAND hours of production welding of thin wall 4130 chromoly tubing, that was some of the best fun and experience ever! I'm sure we will get to the bottom of this whether it's me just being stupid ( entirely possible! ) or just a circuit glitch.

Weld on!

[buckshotscott]

Hey Guys,
I am a total newbie and have a 256 on the way when the new batch comes in but I have been reading and watching everything I can get to pop up on this idiot box on my desk and something popped in my head while I was reading all of these posts. Can the leads be reversed on the the 250 and has anyone tried it? It seems as though the question of balance in AC would be reversed and all of the adjustment on the pot would work backwards so cleaning could be eliminated totally. since I have not gotten my unit yet I don't know if water or gas lines go through the connector cores or not so it might be a stupid idea but if you can't make yourself sound stupid on your first post then when can you?
For trackmaster's benefit I can vouch for his welds. I have one of his frames with a TT500 yamaha stuffed in it and it works great! It spit me on the ground in Ocala FL in April and broke a few bones but I will be back at it when it cools off and the racing starts again. The bike endoed twice and the frame is still as straight as a string! Wish I had a video of it as I was told I crash with "flair". I will post something on the introductions forum with some background later and thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts here. It really helps a guy like me.
Scott in Tallahassee

[Kevin]

If the AC balance pot does acually range from 10 to 90 percent, then there should be no benefit in reversing the leads.

[performance]

Except it will operate backwards.

[trackmaster]

Hey thanx for the tip o' the hat there Buckshotscott, ..... made my day! Just cause it's a gas to every once in a while to run across somebody that still has an Ole Trackmaster frame!! I have a bud in the airlines that i knew for years, before one day we were talkin and he tells me he held a national number in TT racin and has 2 T-Master frames! Glad YOUR frame-bones are gonna be ok!! - Lou

[Oleg]

Shipment of the boards just came in !!!

[trackmaster]

Thanx for the up-date Oleg! ....... Niice!!!

- Lou