tungsten type

[lobsterman]

Hi, I'm new here and I've looked at a lot of the threads a wealth of exp and knowledge. My quuestion is : I have just purchased a syncrowave 250, and every time I weld with it, the lights flicker in my shop. I have a 100 amp entrance to my shop, and I am not weiding at full amperage-50-150 amps. Also weilding alum with this machine, what's the best tungsten, my supplier told me that I should only use pure , but I have trouble on thin material melting through. Probably my inexperience, but trying to learn all I can. I have had exp. with stick and mig in the past but not tig. Really want to learn. Thanks for any tips you can give.

[fun4now]

odds are good you will just have to lern to live with the flickering lights as the syncro is a power eater for shore.
as for tungsten. its becomming more and more popular for the transformer guys to use the newer tungstens available. i use lanthanated 2% for every thing as its good for AC & DC, it also holds a good point. if you are willing to spend the extra $$ you could try it. lerning TIG can be frustraiting there is no question about that, but once you start making progress you will realy start to love it.
diamond ground will send you a few samples free if you ask them. it would be a good way to try out a new kind. they are also great people to deal with.
good luck and happy welding to ya.

[HMW]

We have sncrowave 250 at work and it draws a ton even when not welding

You sound like me. Over the years I have done quite a bit stick and MIG but just startedc to learn TIG a few yrs ago, and still learning. For aluminum I use pure [green]. I have SW180 and it works pretty good with pure. How thin aluminum are you welding on?? I have not tried lathinated, but the cerated worked good on steel.

Fun4now: Where did you get your tungeston? And you use Lathinated on a transformer model or do you use it on an invertor?


Good luck, TIG will try your paintence some but if you've done the others you can do this too, most all things are relavent between the processes

[fun4now]

i'm on an inverter, the TA-185. there is no way i could power a transformer or i would be on a syncro 180 also.
i get tung. from dimoand ground.
i have seen several blogs on the miller site with people trying to improve productivity on the transformers by going to the newer tungsten with great results. so by all means give it a try.
i made this cart out of 16 or 18 gages aluminum tube.

[lobsterman]

Thanks for the tips. I was welding 1/16 alum with 1/16 filler and 1/16 pure tungsten. The outside corners were giving me the trouble. As soon as the arc started, the edges would melt away. I probably need to practice more with alum. I built up a worn bronze part to my boat with good results.
Can you give me the address to the place for the tungsten?
Thanks a lot

[fun4now]

you might try laying the filler on the corner and starting the bead right on the filler. aluminum can be a real pain, when it formes a puddle unlike steel that flows the 2 plates togather aluminum acts like aposing magnets and the 2 puddles want to push away from each other. you can also start on one edje and hit it with filler fast befor it pulls away from the other wall. once the first filler is added it goes a lot smoother.
i'll look up the address for you fro the tungsten from DG tomarow, i'm a lil too medicated at the moment to find any thing.

[HMW]

Fun4now

I will try some, see how it works. The sw 180 i have works great. Actually seems to be easier to weld aluminum than the SW250 ...But thats probably just me! I bought the 180 after using the 250 in my shop for about 6 months. Everything aluminum I weld is less than 1/4" it seems and it does fine. I have the pulsed spool gun for anything bigger. Was thinking about getting an invertor next, mostly for the adjustable freq, so maybe I could narrow the alum weld beads down.

That cart looks cool, did you bend the square tubing?

[fun4now]

That cart looks cool, did you bend the square tubing?

no i wish i had a bender. the aluminum was all free and had the bends in it as it was a bread cart or some thing that got hit by a car and they said i could have it. so with a lil clean up work and a lot of sawsalling i had a great pile of useable aluminum to make the cart.

here is the web site for the tung. if you go to the contact me part you should find a phone # give them a call or an e-mail and tell them you would like some samples and they will eather e-mail you the form or take care of it on the phone.
diamondground.com/index-2.html
they also have an e-bay store with a lil better priceing but i dont think they are pre-ground at the e-bay store.
sorry it took so long to get the info back to ya i been trying to handle too many things and paying for it.

FWIW i was chating with some one the other night and all they use is lanthanated in there syncro 200 and realy like it. way better than pure.

[HMW]

Thanks for the info. I will call them Monday. Will it stay sharp on AC or does it ball like pure??

[lobsterman]

Thanks a lot guys, you have been really helpful. I'll try your tips on welding and let you know how I did.
HMW, your probably right about a smaller machine on thin stuff. When I bought it, I thought that a bigger machine would be more durable, but I may have made a mistake. Can't wait to see my first electric bill!
fun4now that was a good job out of a pile of scrap! Hopefully I'll get the hang of it and be able to make some usefull things myself. I have some projects to build for my boat.

[fun4now]

it will stay sharp for the most part, the flat will round just a bit but i have had it look like new after welding with no signs of use at all. after i stoped dipping the tung. in the weld i found they realy last a long time. i use 2% if i didnt mention it.
as long as you can turn the amps down the top end should not be an isue for blowing threw the aluminum. its just a tricky thing to get right.