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**tigman250** · 02-05-2006, 03:29 PM

looks like you are getting the hang of it now just work on keeping them straight and even. the nickle size (length and width) varries alot just try to work on that. they also appear that the majority of them could be a bit hotter, looks like the edges aren't wetting out properly. keep up the good work!

**3faze** · 02-05-2006, 04:49 PM

Thanks tigman250 anybody else got any advice or opinions?

**3faze** · 02-05-2006, 08:22 PM

Tigman250 I find that if I do increase the heat that the bead becomes much flatter and duller in finish. Also the ripples become less deffined. Exactly what do you mean the edges aren't wetting out properly?

Thanks for all your help so far

**Arcburn** · 02-05-2006, 09:48 PM

Those are great! Need to be striaghter and more even but overall, great job!

**tigman250** · 02-06-2006, 01:56 PM

Originally posted by 3faze

Tigman250 I find that if I do increase the heat that the bead becomes much flatter and duller in finish. Also the ripples become less deffined. Exactly what do you mean the edges aren't wetting out properly?

Thanks for all your help so far

if the finish is dull and bead is flat you are probably moving too slowly. the beads in your pics stand up very tall and the edges of them don't flow evenly into the surface, they end abruptly like it is barely penetrating. they should flow evenly, not that the transition should be perfectly flat, don't get me wrong it will have a hump but it should be a smoother transition.
it's hard to explain what i mean, i wish i could just draw you a picture

or better yet sit down and show you!

**3faze** · 02-06-2006, 02:48 PM

Tigman250 I understand what you mean, and did some more practice beads keeping in mine the advice you gave me. Your advice worked well and my beads look more like yours. I got some more pictures and the are all of one of the practice beads I made. I have been using this coupon for many practice beads but when you look at the pictures the weld that I would like you to take a look at is either the weld furthest to the right or closest to the bottom of the screen.

Tigman250 let me know if you think that this bead is better and if it is an improvement on the first beads

If anybody has any advice or comments about the welds they would help m lot

anyway there are the pictures

Attached Files

**tigman250** · 02-06-2006, 04:03 PM

looking good, i never liked practicing on the edge of a coupon like that because the edge likes to roll off once in a while. i can't think of any other advise for you at this point. just get yourself more coupons and practice, looks like you have the basics down now, just gotta log practice time

don't be in a big hurry either, over time you will develope the skills to put down a good looking bead every time you touch the torch and that is what every tig welder shoots for. pay close attention to the details when practicing, alot of people can stick pieces together with tig but few can make it beautiful all the time in all materials. if you are one of the few, not only will you be very employable but you can demand top dollar too

keep up the good work!
Craig

**Conrad_Turbo** · 02-06-2006, 04:35 PM

Originally posted by tigman250

if the finish is dull and bead is flat you are probably moving too slowly.

Or using too much heat? I guess moving fast with too much heat would make a flat dull bead, while as a slow lower heat input would cause a higher dull bead? I'm having this issue with my aluminum right now.

**tigman250** · 02-06-2006, 06:06 PM

Originally posted by Conrad_Turbo

Or using too much heat? I guess moving fast with too much heat would make a flat dull bead, while as a slow lower heat input would cause a higher dull bead? I'm having this issue with my aluminum right now.

"I guess moving fast with too much heat would make a flat dull bead"
generally a dull bead is from moving too slowly adding too much heat for too long. i dare say it would be hard to move too quickly when welding aluminum if your heat imput is right. i can't help you with amperage settings as i usually run my machine way hotter than the tungsten can handle and use the foot controll to adjust the perfect setting. with that being said start your arc and keep pressing the pedal until you get a nice sized shiney puddle (on 3/16 aluminum plate i shoot for a 3/8" or so dia puddle you will get the feel for what size for what thickness material) then GO! dab and move you will find it's almost impossible to move too quickly! it's important not to change your heat imput from when you started, the only time i change it is when the part gets hot and the bead flatens and widens, then i back it off to keep a uniform bead, this is why practicing on small thin coupons for aluminum is hard because the part heats up so fast you are constantly changing your heat and it's impossible to keep a uniform bead....even for a seasoned tig welder. don't be afraid to use alot of heat for aluminum, i like to see beginners practice on at least 3/16 coupouns because it's much more forgiving then the thin stuff after you get the basics down as far as heat imput bead size and concistancy then you can move to thinner stuff and it will be almost automatic as to what you have to adjust to get a good bead on the thin stuff too

i wish i could park you guys in front of my machine and watch over your shoulder, it's so much easier to point out what is wrong when it happens rather than trying to analize a weld and guess what went wrong

keep firing questions i'll do my best to answer them

**3faze** · 02-06-2006, 08:22 PM

The weld in the second set of pictures that I posted has a lot of ripples in it because I dipped the filler metal in the puddle a lot, this makes the ripples harder to see and less defined that the ripples in some of tigman250's welds.
Do you think that I should dip a little bit less often so that my welds look more like yours and there is more space between the ripples?

Your advice and help so far has been amazing and my tig welding is slowly improving

**farmboy weldor** · 02-06-2006, 08:40 PM

i think , in my opinion anyways that your spacing between the ripples is good, just work on uniformity, and i learned/ learning on usually thicker stuff, ive only gone down to 3/32 , and it was difficult to get my bearings but you get a hold of it with practice. id say try a fillet weld, once you get a good handle on fillet welds its fairly easy to do most, in my opinion.

just thtought i might add stuff, maybe you already know this, but just my 2 cents

**tigman250** · 02-06-2006, 08:45 PM

Originally posted by 3faze

The weld in the second set of pictures that I posted has a lot of ripples in it because I dipped the filler metal in the puddle a lot, this makes the ripples harder to see and less defined that the ripples in some of tigman250's welds.
Do you think that I should dip a little bit less often so that my welds look more like yours and there is more space between the ripples?

Your advice and help so far has been amazing and my tig welding is slowly improving

it's all personal preferance, i personally like a nice defined "nickel" the ones in my sig are mabey the extreme, that piece was the test welds of my 350 Sync the day i brought it home so they aren't premo the more i use the machine the better i get with it

**farmboy weldor** · 02-07-2006, 02:06 PM

youre right tigman, i looked at the weld again, and i too would like to have alittle more definition in the ripples but it isnt bad.

at my votech school i can get a DOT certification in stick, and i had been welding tig for a while, and my teacher told me to go back to stick to try to get some of that out of the way, and today i went back and welded up some 1/8 steel brackets for an outlaw dirt track racer, and i still love it, definately my favorite of the processes and with a dynasty 300dx its great

just thought id share

**3faze** · 02-07-2006, 02:56 PM

How do you get more ripple definition? I'm not sure how to get more definition into my welds.

I have used a dynasty 300dx machine before and I agree that it and the dynasty 200dx are very good machines and worth every penny

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