I have an older Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 AC/DC/TIG combo welder that has
served well. Got it for $400.

I can't weld AL for beans with it. My son can make it do anything. he's
pressure test welded many AL irrigation pipes among other projects.

My old eyes can't tell if there's a weld puddle with AL.

Karl

Karl Townsend wrote:
I have an older Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 AC/DC/TIG combo welder that has
served well. Got it for $400.

I can't weld AL for beans with it. My son can make it do anything. he's
pressure test welded many AL irrigation pipes among other projects.

My old eyes can't tell if there's a weld puddle with AL.

Karl



No, I don't think you'll see a puddle with AL.

I never have.

It just goes from solid to welded - or to dripping on the floor...

Richard

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:12:04 -0500, Karl Townsend wrote:

I have an older Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 AC/DC/TIG combo welder that has
served well. Got it for $400.

I can't weld AL for beans with it. My son can make it do anything. he's
pressure test welded many AL irrigation pipes among other projects.

My old eyes can't tell if there's a weld puddle with AL.

Karl

Have you tried using a blue or green lens?
http://www.saber.net/~jere/Weldingaccess.html has inexpensive
($10) blue lenses while expensive ($315) green ones are at
http://www.tinmantech.com/html/tm2000.php . Someone who thought
using green lenses was a great invention got a patent on it...
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5170501.html

--
jiw

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:02:25 -0500, James Waldby wrote:

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:12:04 -0500, Karl Townsend wrote:

I have an older Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 AC/DC/TIG combo welder that has
served well. Got it for $400.

I can't weld AL for beans with it. My son can make it do anything. he's
pressure test welded many AL irrigation pipes among other projects.

My old eyes can't tell if there's a weld puddle with AL.

Karl

Have you tried using a blue or green lens?
http://www.saber.net/~jere/Weldingaccess.html has inexpensive
($10) blue lenses while expensive ($315) green ones are at
http://www.tinmantech.com/html/tm2000.php . Someone who thought
using green lenses was a great invention got a patent on it...
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5170501.html

Those are for welding with O/A, not TIG.

"cavelamb" wrote in message
news
Karl Townsend wrote:
I have an older Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 AC/DC/TIG combo welder that has
served well. Got it for $400.

I can't weld AL for beans with it. My son can make it do anything. he's
pressure test welded many AL irrigation pipes among other projects.

My old eyes can't tell if there's a weld puddle with AL.

Karl



No, I don't think you'll see a puddle with AL.

I never have.

It just goes from solid to welded - or to dripping on the floor...

Richard

It's called hotshortness. It reaches the melting point, and is so light, it
collapses under its own weight. I have never mastered Al. Did a bunch of
stainless, and tons of just plain steel. Seeing the puddle, or at least
understanding what it is doing is critical in any welding, and yes, there
are many times you can't or don't see the puddle, but experience tells you
what's going on and the next step.

Steve

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:15:34 -0500, Don Foreman wrote:

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:02:25 -0500, James Waldby wrote:

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:12:04 -0500, Karl Townsend wrote:

I have an older Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 AC/DC/TIG combo welder that
has served well. Got it for $400.

I can't weld AL for beans with it. My son can make it do anything.
he's pressure test welded many AL irrigation pipes among other
projects.

My old eyes can't tell if there's a weld puddle with AL.

Karl

Have you tried using a blue or green lens?
http://www.saber.net/~jere/Weldingaccess.html has inexpensive ($10) blue
lenses while expensive ($315) green ones are at
http://www.tinmantech.com/html/tm2000.php . Someone who thought using
green lenses was a great invention got a patent on it...
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5170501.html

Those are for welding with O/A, not TIG.

You are right, the pages above refer to O/A welding not tig,
and say that a main part of what blue or green lenses do is block
orange glow or flare that is caused by burning flux, a problem
tig doesn't have due to inert shield gas. I can't find the page
I was looking for which I think mentioned amber lenses for puddle
visibility while tig welding.

--
jiw

Have you tried using a blue or green lens?

The best lenses I have ever used, although spendy, are the gold plated.
They REALLY make a noticeable difference, and FYI, I used a 12-14 for Al.
On regular steel, they are a joy to use, and if taken care of properly, last
a good while.

Steve