Hey everyone, I have a miller syncrowave 250 and I am trying to weld some aluminium just for practice. I have done quite a bit of ac tig at school (Syncrowave 210) but for some reason My machine isn’t working correctly. I am trying to just lay a bead on a piece of 1/8 plate. I am using 1/8 pure tungsten and a standard collet no gas lens. 100 percent argon at 15cfh. I have my machine set to 150 amps. Ac balance is set to 60 percent, 15 seconds of post flow time, High frequency is set to continuous, yes it is set to ac with the big handle on the front of it, I can’t figure out the issue. I have cleaned my material with a flap disc then with acetone. So what happens is I go to strike an arc and the first thing I notice is that my tungsten doesn’t ball up like it should as this is a transformer machine, then I push my foot down farther and instead of me seeing a nice shiny little puddle I see black soot appearing and then a crater appears and it pokes a hole through my material. I can’t even see the puddle but it is melting my base metal. Tried adding some filler to this mysterious puddle that I can’t really see and it looks like crap. Ill try to attach a photo. Any help appreciated.
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A couple of things could be happening here but I'm sure it can be fixed. As far as balling the tungsten goes, you want to have it free of contamination and shaped to a blunt point. At that point you switch the machine to DCEP, start an arc and hold it just long enough to get the shape ball you want on the tungsten. Then switch to AC and start welding. Having the AC balance at 60% is too much cleaning for most situations....try 75% and see what happens.
You said the machine is set to AC, but are you 100% certain the leads are connected properly? The left lug on a Sync 250 should be the work clamp and the right lug for the torch lead.
Having the machine set for a max of 150A on 1/8" thick stock you need to be going to full pedal very quickly or the piece will heat up too quickly and then you'll blow holes through it. Hit it hard right away and then back off.
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Black soot is contamination. If you are sure the material is clean then it could be gas. Do you have gas flowing out of torch? No leaks anywhere? Is torch assembled correctly with seals in good shape. What size tungsten? Using matching collet? Have you tried another tungsten? If you have another type of tungsten such as 2% thoriated (red band) I would try that. Are you holding torch almost vertical? Have you tried a different pc of aluminum? I'm just running through anything I can think of.MM250
Trailblazer 250g
22a feeder
Lincoln ac/dc 225
Victor O/A
MM200 black face
Whitney 30 ton hydraulic punch
Lown 1/8x 36" power roller
Arco roto-phase model M
Vectrax 7x12 band saw
Miller spectrum 875
30a spoolgun w/wc-24
Syncrowave 250
RCCS-14
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Gas is flowing out of the torch, the machine was working fine for steel so I don’t think there are any leaks. The torch is assembled correctly and is almost brand new so the seals are good. I am using 1/8 tungsten. I will try some thoriated in a bit here. The collet is the correct size. Torch is vertical and my stick out is about 3/8 of an inch. I’ll try a different piece of aluminium
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Originally posted by 72challengerman View PostGas is flowing out of the torch, the machine was working fine for steel so I don’t think there are any leaks. The torch is assembled correctly and is almost brand new so the seals are good. I am using 1/8 tungsten. I will try some thoriated in a bit here. The collet is the correct size. Torch is vertical and my stick out is about 3/8 of an inch. I’ll try a different piece of aluminium
3/8" of stick out is quite a bit for a standard cup. What size cup are you using?
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G-ManBart - 2% thoriated works excellent on aluminum on a transformer machine such as a syncrowave. I'm sure there is some other color that works too but please don't say "Thoriated won't work well on aluminum" because that just is not true.
To OP - As far as torch goes you have a 1/8 tungsten with a 1/8 collet and collet body correct? That should be fine but you could drop back to 3/32 also. I would try a different tungsten as maybe yours is contaminated? Cup size shouldn't make a big difference for what you are doing, anywhere from #6 on up should work. Could you be overheating it from the start? Maybe set machine to 100 amps and just see what happens. Location? Maybe someone here is local and can stop by.Last edited by MMW; 10-10-2021, 02:58 PM.MM250
Trailblazer 250g
22a feeder
Lincoln ac/dc 225
Victor O/A
MM200 black face
Whitney 30 ton hydraulic punch
Lown 1/8x 36" power roller
Arco roto-phase model M
Vectrax 7x12 band saw
Miller spectrum 875
30a spoolgun w/wc-24
Syncrowave 250
RCCS-14
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Originally posted by 72challengerman View PostIs it possible my machine isn’t switching to ac properly? The handle is super stiff
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Originally posted by MMW View PostG-ManBart - 2% thoriated works excellent on aluminum on a transformer machine such as a syncrowave. I'm sure there is some other color that works too but please don't say "Thoriated won't work well on aluminum" because that just is not true.Originally posted by MMW View PostG-ManBart - 2% thoriated works excellent on aluminum on a transformer machine such as a syncrowave. I'm sure there is some other color that works too but please don't say "Thoriated won't work well on aluminum" because that just is not true.
My primary TIG is a Synrowave 250DX TIGRunner. I've also owned 18 different Synrowave 250 and Synrowave 250DX machines at this point, so I would say I'm very familiar with what works best with them.
Diamond Ground Products tungsten guide is pretty much the gold standard for how to pick the right tungsten for a given application. They don't seem to agree with you either.
Page 11 excerpt:
"Two types of Thoriated tungsten electrodes are available. The EWTh-1 and EWTh-2 electrodes contain 1 percent and 2 percent, respectively, evenly dispersed through their entire lengths. Thoriated tungsten electrodes are superior to pure tungsten electrodes in several respects. The thoria provides about 20 percent higher current-carrying capacity, generally longer life, and greater resistance to contamination of the weld. With these electrodes, arc starting is easier, and the arc is more stable than with pure tungsten or Zirconiated tungsten electrodes. The EWTh-1 and EWTh-2 electrodes were designed for DCEN applications. They maintain a sharpened tip configuration during welding, which is desirable for welding steel. They are not often used with AC because it is difficult to maintain the balled end, which is necessary with AC welding, without splitting the electrode."
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Stainless steel wire brush that’s either new or has only been used on aluminum. I write on the handle “aluminum only”, “stainless only”, etc. You’ll know when you get through the oxide, you can see it and you can feel the brush drag. Once you have it brushed good, a clean rag and acetone for a wipe down, and don’t forget to clean the filler rod too.
Arc wandering trouble on low amperage is not uncommon. A balled electrode will always wander on low amperage. A blunt, pointed electrode will give you more stability, but it won’t get rid of it. It’s the nature of AC tig I guess. The lower the amperage, either use a smaller electrode or dress that 1/8” you’re using down to accommodate your current weld.
By the looks of it to me, your test plate is either dirty or it’s not aluminum (or a weldable aluminum at least). If your machine is working AND all other aspects of tig welding are meeting the standard, then the material you’re welding is the only variable left.
Let’s hope your machine is working and you don’t have something wonky in your doofloppy.
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Originally posted by 72challengerman View PostIs it possible my machine isn’t switching to ac properly? The handle is super stiff
Also, the black soot is definitely contamination. Get rid of the flap disc. As Ryan above said, just a stainless steel brush. Brush in one direction only, not back and forth. Finer bristles seem to work better for me. After brushing, then use acetone.
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