tig criticism and advice
 

i was having some problems welding on the exhaust im making for my 7 and have come to the conclusion it was my filler. so frustrated i put it down and started playing with some stainless i had laying around.

i came up with this weld. its got good penetration and decent beading but it still doesnt look right. so maybe someone can tell me what im doing wrong? ill listen to any tips to try. im new to tig but not welding. welder is a pocket pulse tig100. its dc only but i got a steal on it. along the lines of 200$ with a 150cf tank. once i start getting business and projects i will purchase a proper ac/dc tig.

but i would really like any criticism and tips i can get.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79029913@N07/7298954058/http://www.flickr.com/photos/79029913@N07/7298954058/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/79029913@N07/, on Flickr

It seems like you have your heat too high. Also what gauge metal are you welding? What do you have your gas set at for cfm? Type of tungsten? Size of cup? These are all dependent on the thickness of material you are welding. The thinner the material the small the tungsten you want and you what to have the largest cup ( within reason) that you can fit in the area you are welding. You must always keep your filler rod in the gas sheild area. Even once you have let off the petal kinda freeze you hand until the filler rod is totally cooled off. The best way to practice running good beads and good petal control is take some strips of metal and set them on edge and run beads down the edge. Do you have any pictures of the back side od the weld?

--JOE

none of the back side as it wouldnt be possible with the scrap i was using. also im running 1/16th tungsten 2% thoriated and around 12-20cfm i think.

i dont know the gauge or cup size but it looks like its probably a 7.

i also had no filler in this pic.

welder didnt come with a foot pedal. it does have a pulse setting that is what i have been using.

ill do some more when i get off work today and make sure i can get a pic of the backside for you.

Does the pulse have any settings you can adjust i used to weld .060 stainless steel with pulse setting of peak current of 90 back ground current of 33 @ 60 hertz with a pulse rate of 3. Also for stainless i used to stick the tungsten out about 1/16 inch and maintian the smallest arc length i could with out dipping the tungsten. Also try to move in sync with the pulses.

--JOE

it doesnt its just on a scale of 1-10 this is really to just get me started and got a screaming deal on it. once i get some business i will get a nicer unit.

but ill try that i had my tungsten out much more than 1/16th. ill try it tho and see what happens.

Looks too hot, either moving too slow or amps too high....

What amp setting do were you at during that weld?

kinda looks like you were moving too slow

It looks to be a combination of things, some of which has already been mentioned. There's too much heat is the main thing. You are either traveling too slowly or using too much amperage, or both combined. Also, something should be immediately addressed is whether or not this is an inverter machine, 110v or 220v. I didn't look up the specs on your machine. If this is an inverter machine, thoriated tungsten produces poor welds on steels. Use either ceriated or 2% lathanated (not 1.5%). I've been using 2% lathanated for years with great success. It is a great tungsten and you don't have to switch with different metals. It even welds aluminum with little to no balling on the end....usually keeping a nice sharp point for great arc stability and control.

If you are welding with 110v, this will also render a lower quality weld. Not a bad or poor weld, just not as good as a 220v weld will be. Invest in a gas lense also, if one is available for your torch. You will be surprised at the results of a gas lense.

Hope that helps.

looks like you were going fast with too much heat. would like to see the back side