Why does arc jump from inside of cup when started

by Clarence
(New Jersey)

sometimes when starting a tig weld, the arc jumps from the sides of the tungsten inside the cup to the base metal.

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High frequency current for tig welders can be a lot like voodoo.

scratches on the electrode, wire screen diffuser on a gas lens collet body, and other stuff can cause the high voltage low amperage high freq current to act a fool.

sometimes actually polishing electrodes with a 3m roloc scotch brite disc helps the issue.

Also , if the tig machine has a start current setting, raising the start current can help.

also, use as small a diameter tungsten electrode as feasible because using an electrode that is too big makes the problem a lot worse.

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