Aluminum TIG Weld Tips

This video shows 7 tips for aluminum tig weld ing.

7 TIPS FOR TIG WELDING ALUMINUM

1. A simple turn of the AC balance knob can make a huge difference because if you dont have enough cleaning action from the positive part of the AC cycle, you will have black dots in the puddle. A simple tweak of the AC balance knob can make a big difference on how the puddle flows.  Cup size and Argon flow rate also have an effect on cleaning action and how far the cleaning etch line extends from the edge of a bead.
2. A small inboard tack can prevent the end tack from breaking when welding from an end on aluminum.  Aluminum has a property called "hot shortness" which means it is brittle and weak under heat and stress.  By making a quick tack weld inboard when you start from an end tack weld, you can avoid problems.
3. Making big steps on thinner aluminum can cause a hole..especially if there is any gap at all…frequent dabs of filler rod at frequent spacing helps prevent problems on thin aluminum.
4. High AC frequency settings of 300hz might be annoying to listen to but can really focus the arc….if your machine has enough amperage to handle higher frequency settings.
5. The rule of 33 can be a big help on thin aluminum as well as thin steels.  The rule of 33 is where you use 33 pulses per second, 33% background , and 33% pulse time.
6. Thick open corner joints that need a wide bead can benefit from a low AC frequency setting of 50hz…especially if you are pushing the upper limits on a small tig welder.
7. 120hz is a great all around AC frequency setting if you just want to set it and forget it.  Some tig welding machines like the miller diversion are fixed at an AC frequency of around 120hz because they deem that the best all around setting.

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I like the digital readout feature on the primeweld tig 325x. It makes setting pulse rates easier.  

water cooled package shown below with ck 20 torch