Thanks guys! That's exactly what is happening; the tungsten is turning black. Right now I have 0 post flow, so I will increase it. Is it possible to contaminate the tungsten so badly that it needs to be cut back? I have dipped or stabbed it with filler about a thousand times. I've gotten my walk of ...

Complete tig newbie here. I just got my first tig machine and I'm about 2 hours into learning how to actually use it. I'm having a consistent problem with a small ring of ash(?) building up about halfway up the taper. I'm pretty sure I'm not dipping; I spent the first hour or so teaching myself very...