Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently, and I have started doing some
real welding just recently. I am using a TIG welder and doing mostly small
aluminum (3/16" and less). I have been doing some practice work, and I was
curious if anyone here could take a look at some of these pictures and give
me any advice. In this case I was using 6061 1/16" wall round tubing and
using 1/16" 4043 filler. The welder is a HTP Invertatig 201 with the amprage
set to 55-90, and the frequency set to 150. 56K warning, these pictures are
pretty big.



http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4586.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4587.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4590.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4591.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4592.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4594.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4597.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4598.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4599.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4600.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4601.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4602.JPG



Sorry for some of the shots not being totally in focus, the camera was using
a close up lens, and I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted for each shot.



I noticed that the welds did not seem that strong to me, I welded 2 pieces
together in a T shape and I welded 4 sides (not one contigious seam though),
and I was easily able to break it apert. So either the aluminum is a lot
weaker than I thought, or I botched the weld.



Thanks for any assistance.



-Zipper

How clean is your metal? Is it anodized?

Pete


"Zipper" zipper_REMOVETHIS_777@comcastDOTnet wrote in message
. ..
Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently, and I have started doing some
real welding just recently. I am using a TIG welder and doing mostly small
aluminum (3/16" and less). I have been doing some practice work, and I was
curious if anyone here could take a look at some of these pictures and
give me any advice. In this case I was using 6061 1/16" wall round tubing
and using 1/16" 4043 filler. The welder is a HTP Invertatig 201 with the
amprage set to 55-90, and the frequency set to 150. 56K warning, these
pictures are pretty big.



http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4586.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4587.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4590.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4591.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4592.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4594.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4597.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4598.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4599.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4600.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4601.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4602.JPG



Sorry for some of the shots not being totally in focus, the camera was
using a close up lens, and I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted for each
shot.



I noticed that the welds did not seem that strong to me, I welded 2 pieces
together in a T shape and I welded 4 sides (not one contigious seam
though), and I was easily able to break it apert. So either the aluminum
is a lot weaker than I thought, or I botched the weld.



Thanks for any assistance.



-Zipper

The metal is this:

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant...owunits=inches

It doesn't seem ot indicate whether it is anodized, and I did no additional
treatments to the metal. The metal was not cleaned outside of using a
wirebrush before trying to weld.

"Pete" wrote in message
news:Mqacg.179834$7a.140747@pd7tw1no...
How clean is your metal? Is it anodized?

Pete


"Zipper" zipper_REMOVETHIS_777@comcastDOTnet wrote in message
. ..
Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently, and I have started doing some
real welding just recently. I am using a TIG welder and doing mostly
small aluminum (3/16" and less). I have been doing some practice work,
and I was curious if anyone here could take a look at some of these
pictures and give me any advice. In this case I was using 6061 1/16" wall
round tubing and using 1/16" 4043 filler. The welder is a HTP Invertatig
201 with the amprage set to 55-90, and the frequency set to 150. 56K
warning, these pictures are pretty big.



http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4586.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4587.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4590.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4591.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4592.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4594.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4597.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4598.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4599.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4600.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4601.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4602.JPG



Sorry for some of the shots not being totally in focus, the camera was
using a close up lens, and I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted for
each shot.



I noticed that the welds did not seem that strong to me, I welded 2
pieces together in a T shape and I welded 4 sides (not one contigious
seam though), and I was easily able to break it apert. So either the
aluminum is a lot weaker than I thought, or I botched the weld.



Thanks for any assistance.



-Zipper

In article ,
"Zipper" zipper_REMOVETHIS_777@comcastDOTnet wrote:

Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently, and I have started doing some
real welding just recently. I am using a TIG welder and doing mostly small
aluminum (3/16" and less). I have been doing some practice work, and I was
curious if anyone here could take a look at some of these pictures and give
me any advice.





In this case I was using 6061 1/16" wall round tubing and
using 1/16" 4043 filler. The welder is a HTP Invertig 201 with the amprage
set to 55-90, and the frequency set to 150. 56K warning, these pictures are
pretty big.



Settings are OK, but what about your torch?

You should be running a 3/32" lanthanated, ceriated or zirconiated
tungsten.

A gas lens collet body is recommended.
Keeping a really short arc.






Snip



Sorry for some of the shots not being totally in focus, the camera was using
a close up lens, and I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted for each shot.



I noticed that the welds did not seem that strong to me, I welded 2 pieces
together in a T shape and I welded 4 sides (not one contigious seam though),
and I was easily able to break it apert. So either the aluminum is a lot
weaker than I thought, or I botched the weld.



They look like insufficient gas shielding, and you are using too long of
an arc.
Aluminum TIG is not a long distance process.
You have to get in really close.





Thanks for any assistance.



-Zipper

--
Welding Instructor - South Seattle Comm. Coll.
- Divers Institute of Technology
CWI/CWE
WABO Examiner

On Sun, 21 May 2006 22:04:03 -0400, "Zipper"
zipper_REMOVETHIS_777@comcastDOTnet wrote:

Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently, and I have started doing some
real welding just recently. I am using a TIG welder and doing mostly small
aluminum (3/16" and less). I have been doing some practice work, and I was
curious if anyone here could take a look at some of these pictures and give
me any advice. In this case I was using 6061 1/16" wall round tubing and
using 1/16" 4043 filler. The welder is a HTP Invertatig 201 with the amprage
set to 55-90, and the frequency set to 150. 56K warning, these pictures are
pretty big.



http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4586.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4587.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4590.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4591.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4592.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4594.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4597.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4598.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4599.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4600.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4601.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4602.JPG



Sorry for some of the shots not being totally in focus, the camera was using
a close up lens, and I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted for each shot.



I noticed that the welds did not seem that strong to me, I welded 2 pieces
together in a T shape and I welded 4 sides (not one contigious seam though),
and I was easily able to break it apert. So either the aluminum is a lot
weaker than I thought, or I botched the weld.



Thanks for any assistance.



-Zipper

On second reading I note that your filler is same size as your stock
thickness. You might try using 1.2mm 4043 MIG wire as filler. I've
found that works better for me when welding 1/16" aluminum with either
TIG or gas.

On Sun, 21 May 2006 22:04:03 -0400, Zipper zipper_REMOVETHIS_777@comcastDOTnet wrote:
Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently,

You might mean "lurk", as in read but not post? "troll" means "post
messages specifically intended to incite people and waste their time".
Based on your post, I don't think that's your goal.

On Mon, 22 May 2006 09:50:29 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote:

On Sun, 21 May 2006 22:04:03 -0400, "Zipper"
zipper_REMOVETHIS_777@comcastDOTnet wrote:

Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently, and I have started doing some
real welding just recently. I am using a TIG welder and doing mostly small
aluminum (3/16" and less). I have been doing some practice work, and I was
curious if anyone here could take a look at some of these pictures and give
me any advice. In this case I was using 6061 1/16" wall round tubing and
using 1/16" 4043 filler. The welder is a HTP Invertatig 201 with the amprage
set to 55-90, and the frequency set to 150. 56K warning, these pictures are
pretty big.



http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4586.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4587.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4590.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4591.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4592.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4594.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4597.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4598.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4599.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4600.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4601.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~zipper777/DSC_4602.JPG



Sorry for some of the shots not being totally in focus, the camera was using
a close up lens, and I couldn't get it exactly how I wanted for each shot.



I noticed that the welds did not seem that strong to me, I welded 2 pieces
together in a T shape and I welded 4 sides (not one contigious seam though),
and I was easily able to break it apert. So either the aluminum is a lot
weaker than I thought, or I botched the weld.



Thanks for any assistance.



-Zipper

On second reading I note that your filler is same size as your stock
thickness. You might try using 1.2mm 4043 MIG wire as filler. I've
found that works better for me when welding 1/16" aluminum with either
TIG or gas.

See thread on "general questions about aluminum" for another thought
-- sorry, I posted it to the wrong thread.

Zipper wrote:
Hello all, I troll here pretty frequently, and I have started doing some
real welding just recently.

Zipper, just my 2 cents for what it's worth, but aluminum is not really
a good metal to start learning to tig weld with. You might try some
mild steel until you get the hang of it - a lot more forgiving than
aluminum. Just my experience.
Bill.