Greg, have you ever used the Chemical sharpeners out there?

No....

I'm pretty 'fortunate' so if I need something for my hobby - I just go get it.

I've been welding for YEARS.... (that's not to say I'm any good at it!) and I've just upgraded "Stuff" as space allowed for it. So I'm one of those guys that has as much equipment as a pro shop. :D

Good info! Thanks for the advice everybody!

The welding shop guy actually had me switch over to green since i'm just doing aluminum so me must be old school! :lol: Seems to be working pretty well except for the fact that he also talked me into switching to 1/16 for the thin wall intercooler tubing but I think it's too small since I'm going through tungsten like crazy- the whole exposed tip is glowing while i'm welding and it gets brittle and has even broken off a few times so I think I'm going to go back up a size....

I think i'm just going to order a wheel for my grinder today.. Seems to be the simplest solution... i'll just get out the label maker to remind myself not to use that side :unibrow:

Aluminum has to be welded in A/C not DCEN (DC electrode negative).... the A/C (alternating current) is used to keep heat out of the electrode and also to aid in cleaning the aluminum as you weld.

I don't know what setting your particular welder has... but you need to check these if you're having the trouble stated!

The Dynasty 200DX has push button settings to change parameters.... but my big MIG welder actually has to have the cables physically changed if I'm changing polarity.

So - check to see that you are welding ALUMINUM in A/C --- and then there should be settings for frequency etc - and these depend on the gauge - amperage - type of weld etc.

What welder do you have?? I don't want to give you bad advice because different welders have different characteristics!

Inverter welders are better with pointed tungsten... and they generally have pulse settings etc

The older welders and some new welders are NOT inverter welders and they would have different settings etc. Non inverter welders use a balled end (hate that) and green (pure) tungsten works well for this - depending on the amperage being used.

I thought we were discussing an inverter machine too but I see now that there has been no mention of the machine itself.

In the shop I used to work at we switched over to RED electrodes (even for Aluminum) in our Sync 250 years ago... you have to resharpen the electrode fairly often but it still typically beats the GREEN. Well, that is for weld aluminum castings anyway the RED takes WAYYYY more heat.

I have to agree with Greg though I do not like balled tungsten.

Greg you are right about hating the idea of a balled tungsten, but this needs some further clarification...

Many old-timers (Like my Dad, who grew up on transformer, ie, non-inverter tig machines before the advent of today's inverter machines) got schooled in the practice of using a pure, balled tungsten electrode when welding Aluminum on A/C. Back then, the only way to have a pure tungsten electrode be able to actually survive the heat of aluminum welding on AC, was to ball the end of it by striking on DC. That made a little "globe" on the end of the electrode, which would help heat to radiate off the electrode tip during Aluminum AC welding, due to all of the added surface area. But, the torch heat zone was HUGE and hard to control.

However, much has been learned in the past 20-30 years, and today we have far superior electrodes which have compositions/metallurgy which can handle the heat of Aluminum welding much better than pure tungsten, and so we can put the desired pencil point on the electrode and have a nice, tight "flame like" heat zone off the electrode.

Today, there is NO reason that you have to, or would want to, use a pure tungsten electrode, and you do certainly not want a balled tungsten, even if you are using a transformer (non-inverter) machine.

Any transformer machine when A/C welding Aluminum, will perform infinitely better when using a 2% Lanthanated tungsten electrode (gold band) or a 2% Ceriated tungsten electrode (orange, (sometimes looks more like red) band), sharpened to a point with a pencil-like angle. (Be sure to grind the electrode longitudinally) after sharpening the electrode, I grind a tiny "flat" on the very end which is about .030" diameter (using my calibrated eyecrometer). My machine is a 2003-ish Miller syncrowave (big honkin transformer machine).

http://www.thefabricator.com/article...ten-electrodes

Greg,
What's the DC electrode positive (DCEP) setting used for?



BTW,
Here's my sharpening set-up...

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL267.../399559343.jpg

My buddies laugh because this thing will fit in the palm of your hand, but it's quiet, smooth, sits right there and doesn't move around and cost like $20. It has one purpose, to sharpen tungstens.

Jeff-

DCEP -- or reverse polarity would give you a deeper penetrating weld.

I'd use it for stick welding... on thick material or material that was filthy dirt - like farmer welding... I can't remember the last time I stick welded....

Get ya some of that there 6011.... no need to clean that rust and grease off -- just weld away! :willy: :unibrow: