Mario --
The "pros" might offer a different opinion - but a "gap" is a burn through for me. I can jump the gap (I weld far more than the average guy but nowhere near what a pro does) but it's far more work and makes it far harder to weld.
Do not listen to the instructions on the tungsten stick out rules (3 x's the dia)...
If I can't SEE the tungsten I can't weld... so I run a bit more stickout (I also run a gas lens so gas flow is better - to cool the tungsten).
The fill is a coordination 'dance' for me - I move my torch forward which pushes the puddle forward and then I bring it back just a schoosh and as I do that I dip the fill then advance that (pushing it forward) and so on. I'm an old school gas welder - where you made circles with the torch and dipped the fill when the circle was 180* at the back of the circle (does that make sense). And I've tried that technique with my TIG torch but found it to not be necessary.
Do you have a foot control? I light it up - get the puddle started and immediately back off - dip - push forward - move back - dip - forward - and always watching the puddle and using the foot control to add or subtract heat as needed. I always "coast" up to the end of a weld - dipping a couple times to finish (eliminates the crater).
Also -- do you have the torch angled back - I'm probably at 30 to 45*. You can't angle back as much if your stick out isn't right... and the heat goes up as the gap of the arc lengthens (that might not be technically correct - but it's what I see). I keep the arc pretty tight - so on thin gauge sheet metal - the arc length is probably only a 1/8th inch maybe less.
Don't give up -- TIG is the best welding a guy can do.... the clean up is far less (easier) and the control is by far the best.
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