Got my new rig today

[cmd]

Well my long awaited 250ex came today. And first thing I say it is everything I expected and probably more. No damages to package at all and I was shocked to see how nice the fit and finish is. I got everything hooked up pretty easily and started on aluminum, after playing with more knobs than I ever had to before... while at this point in the post I will voice my only complaint, I for some reason, (probably looking at the tig torches everlast sells) I came to the conclusion that a 1/8 collet would be included but that seems not the case, so everything so far has been 3/32 2% thor. The pulse feature is just sweet, I can see that being a nice feature. I was playing with about 11 gauge aluminum and was having problem balling my electrode but I think I really need to get up to 1/8 as the scrap piece was big and sucking alot of heat. I haven't tigged hardly at all in about 6 years so I am pretty rusty but I was getting half decent results after a bit. I was fusing some alum and filling some and just running some dry beads on flat sheet to play with the pulse. all went decent but boy do i need to get back in shape on it. I then switched to some 3/16 mild steel plate. much better results as it is easier and I was still using the pulse, mainly to help me keep a steady pace dipping the rod, so i am ticked with the steel welding. btw i am running a miller cooler, hey $50 for a watermate, can't say no right? Decided before calling it a night to burn a little stick to see how it did. I had 6010, 6011, and 7018 tonight, still on some 3/16 sheet scraps. started out with the stinger in the - hole which correct me if I am wrong is DC- burned all 3 rods, the 6011 ran like normal pretty much, the 7018 was just pretty sweet, and the 6010 was burning but you had to keep the electrode really stuck in the puddle. I am running about 120 amps on 7018 1/8 and 95 on the 60XX 1/8. I then switched the leads around to give the stinger the + so DC+ and tryed the 60XX as they should be. same amperage. arc force at about 3/4. Both burned really nice actually. Takes a good hand but I am pretty good at that anyways, welds look good too. I didn't have time to try burning some vertical or overhead but I expect similar results. My 6010 lap joint was much better than I expected after our discussion in the stick welder forum. Since I was waiting on the welder to put a receptacle where it gets parked I just ran some extra wire to the closest breaker box and stuck in a 20 amp breaker. I never tripped the breaker with what I was doing. So all in all I am a happy camper. I would like however if anyone has some good base settings on aluminum tig I would like to hear them, to see how my settings compare. Once I get this thing on its own line later this week and done setting up my one bud who builds drag car stuff (cages and susp.) is coming over to try the tig out since he is shopping for one, I have a feeling he will be owning one soon too. overall I feel I got a decent value, I probably will change some things around to fit my needs better but that is expected. At some point I may try to get a hand amp control rigged up.
chris

[cmd]

I want to add. I have done some more research and it seems that I should have lanthanated electrodes for welding with an inverter machine on AC, so I have samples coming to try, hopefully that solves the splitting and balling. Also I was concerned that the foot pedal was going to be huge and clumsy and just a problem as others stated, really, I don't see a big difference between it and others I've used, I haven't really tried to see just how linear it is but so far its working good. Is it OK to pulse on DC? I have been welding steel and I like the pulsing for that. My friend is bringing some moly tube over tomorrow night to play, maybe he will be buying next...

[madcratebuilder]

I'm a total noob to TIG and I have been using 1 1/2% lanthanated tungsten, 2% ceriated and 2% Thoriated. I like the Lanthanated the best.

I have played with the Pluse on both ac and dc. Base/Peak about 25%, Pusle Ratio 40-60% and the Pulse ferq from 2-25hz. The lower the pulse ferq the slower you lay the bead. I've been running the AC at 200hz and 65%.

My 225lx is amazing, I kick myself for not buying one sooner. I'm going to sell my mig and my stick machine, I'll never use them again.

I read about the foot control being to large to use but I'm fine with it. Thought about a toruch mounted amp controller but I don't think I need it.

[trackmaster]

Excellent! Hey i gotta tell ya, I love the size and style of the foot pedal! Yes i had to modify mine, shortly after the first couple uses the rack would come off of the reostats gear after about half travel, ..... i was not able to get all the amperage i had set on the front panel. But thats already been discussed and is an easy fix. I have Lincoln and miller modern style pedals and ive never really liked them. I think Mike in tech support nailed it when he mentioned to me that the older guy's seem to like the big old style pedals cause thats what we are used to. Personally i like the travel that it has ..... for instance if ya have 80 amps set on the panel, my lincoln pedal will go from near zero to the full 80 amps, but because it doesn't seem to have the same travel it is a "coarser" range, ie going from 0 to 80 in say 2 or 2 1/2 inches of travel vs. maybe 3 or more inches to affect the same change on the everlast. I could be wrong but it just feels to me like i have a "finer" control with the big pedal. I think I'm going to add a little wheight to it maybe, it's a little light and wants to tip sometimes, but i like it a lot!

[trackmaster]

CMD ..... Pulse away on steel brother! Panel set via the pulsing controls or manual via the foot pedal. To be honest, and this is just personal preference or technique, but i normaly don't pulse on Aluminum at all! I prefer to find a steady heat and travel ..... seems to maintain better fusion or melt in at the weld foot print. But on steel the puddle does not have the cohesive nature that aluminum does, and is ya know kinda runny. Pulsing agitates the puddle and kind of gives it direction or movement which ironically, to me anyway, makes it stay in line better! Just my H.O.

[cmd]

I got some 2% lanthanated sample to try in 3/32 and 1/8. I have not used the 1/8" yet but I was trying to use 2% thor before and it was balling over and sometimes making the arc wander. I was welding some 1/4" aluminum together in about every joint style tonight to more familiarize myself with its aluminum welding and using a 3/32 lanth. The end eventually rounds over some but hangs right on, I was running some good amps at times and never made it quiver. Twice I somehow got some filler on the electrode, lit it up for a few seconds on a scrap piece and you could almost watch the point go back to normal then good to go back in the weld. Bottom line, if you are not using lanthanated in your inverter machine you should be, unless you are using ceriated which I am not too familiar with. the local welding place I deal doesn't even have lanth, I don't think any of the ones near me do, how the heck is that, they sell brand new inverter tigs? btw on steel the 2% thor was doing fairly decent, haven't tried the lanth on steel yet.