On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 06:12:27 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 00:30:19 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
Bradford Chaucer quickly quoth:

OK, if DC only then nogo for aluminum, correct??

According to Ernie via Glenn, reversing the polarity makes it
work to some degree. I'm going to give it a try with a pure
tungsten electrode some day soon, between the monsoonal rains.

Get some zirconiated tungstens for that. They'll hold their shape
much better with DCRP than pure tungsten.

I was having some trouble the other night with a weld. Finally
examined the tungsten. It was an old pure tungsten. CLANG!
Put in a Zr tungsten, all went well thereafter.

Just grind a point on them and start welding. They'll quickly form a
little ball commeasurate with the current being used, and then stay
that way until you up the current.

A foreheadslapper aside: I'd wondered why I couldn't get a new
full-length new tungsten into my WP-20 torch when changing from Th to
Zr for aluminum. Seems like it used to take them. When I loosened
the collet, I thought the tungsten had fallen out -- but no, it
appeared with a shake. But waitaminnit, howcome there's a short Th
tungsten on the floor then? Well, I'd worry about that later.
Turned out to be about 30 seconds later when I suddenly couldn't weld
for crap. Hmm. Examined tungsten. I'll bet that old pure
tungsten has been lurking back in the torch for quite a while,
blocking entry of newer longer ones. Maybe some tungstens, being
pure and all, just can't take rejection gracefully!


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