tig welding

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Nov 13, 2004 | 08:40 AM

mark a.

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tig welding

Whats the best way to not get a crader at the end of a aluminum weld bead ? I've tried backing the heat off and adding more filler, but I'm not getting it. A friend told me if your welding pipe that it would leak there.

Nov 14, 2004 | 09:48 AM

77hiboyboy

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From: The Great Plains

Keep sticking the rod in and feather out of the heat, there are times where you will have to heat the rod up to get it out, Is this steel?? I have done mostly aluminum, and it is much easeir and forgiving IMHO.

Nov 14, 2004 | 10:17 PM

nailhead

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The trick is to throttle back an let the heat dissipate and the puddle shrink to almost nothing at the end, then roll into it one more time with your filler rod and deposit some material to fill the crater.

Nov 16, 2004 | 08:14 AM

koconno2

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From: Belleville, MI

Sounds like good advice from people with experience. I have limited experience with alum TIG welding but it's seems the force of the arc creates the pit if you terminate the heat too fast. One journeyman welder showed me how to melt the tip of the electrode to form a molten ball on the end. This improved all my alum welding because I was using a sharp point on the electrode like used for steel.

Nov 17, 2004 | 11:34 AM

bluemoose89

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From: nc

post flow will help too. hold your torch over your crater too help cool it and to prevent crap from getting in there. very inportant!

Nov 17, 2004 | 10:24 PM

"Beemer Nut"

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From: "Islander"

Result & fault

You should have a nice "full puddle" at the end of the weld and then reduce the heat slowly. Before you started your aluminum welding did you have the correct electrode, reverse polarity to ball the electrode? A result fault thing.
Carl......o&o>.......

Nov 17, 2004 | 10:39 PM

DarkWolf40

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I think you have to use the green electrode, which is pure tungsten, and those are the ones that can form the ball end. If you don't fill the crater it will form a star crack almost every time, those usually leak.