I would crank your amps up a bit more (130-140), hit the pedal hard to start your puddle, and then back off the amps with the foot pedal as needed. What your describing is pretty common issue with aluminum. The way I was taught was hit it with a lot of amps to start, make sure a puddle forms on both...

What do you mean by side to side wiggle? Is it the way the trailer tracks going down the road or is the tongue actually wiggling?

I sure would love to see some pics off those welds made with 3/32 rod that passed race specs.

Not sure if this helps but I cut the welds from the first post. I would love to see you polish and etch those weld beads and post close up shots of just the beads. I cant really tell from the pictures how good or bad your welds actually are. From a distance they don't look bad, but the closeups wil...

The advantage of a single pass with 3/32 wire (some may disagree) is that you can get full penetration AND enough root plus welded toes to improve the strength of the weld completely. 1/16 filler can get you full penetration, but you will not have enough wire left over to create a fillet for added ...

Have you seen Jody's latest video? Its all about Chrome Moly tubing. He preferred to do two passes with smaller diameter wire. He uses 0.045 wire for tacking and he uses 0.045 and 1/16th filler for the first pass. He uses 1/16th rod exclusively for the second pass. I personally would NOT use 3/32 fi...

There is nothing wrong with two passes. Jody does that in a couple of his tubing welding videos

cj737 wrote:

Louie1961 wrote:still SMH.

Well at least you found a use for it since you seemed unable to employ it for critical thinking.

Is this why you aren't allowed in the other forum?? LMAO...

cj737 wrote:By eliminating your incorrect guidance. Doesn’t help to send people down unrelated rat holes don’t you think? Further, it light serve to elucidate you about variables of which you appear to be unaware.

Yeah, OK oh Swami of Welding...still SMH.

From the pic it looks to me like too much heat in the weld. When you start to lose the ripples caused by dipping the rod, you are definitely too hot. Turning down the amps may or may not be the answer. 140 amps on 1/8th inch material is a lot but not if you are proficient and can move fast enough. H...

Good thought, or, maybe this....How many amps are you putting through that 1/16th tungsten? And what size is the tungsten in your other torch and how many amps are you putting through the other torch? hat size tungsten is only good to about 100 amps before the tungsten itself will start to breakdow...

Also, just so you know, gas shielded flux core (aka dual shield or outershield) isn't really run in spray mode, which is to say its not the same gas that you would use for actual spray transfer MIG (something like a 90/10 argon CO2 mix). Most dual shield wires will run on 75/25 or even straight CO2....

Good thought, or, maybe this....How many amps are you putting through that 1/16th tungsten? And what size is the tungsten in your other torch and how many amps are you putting through the other torch? hat size tungsten is only good to about 100 amps before the tungsten itself will start to breakdown...

Millermatic 252 or 255 would fit the bill quite nicely. In the Lincoln lineup a promig 256, and in ESAB the rebel 285. The millermatic 255 is the nicest of the bunch however with pulse mig capabilities

Hey Jeff where in CT are you? I am in Thomaston. Those boogers don't look too terrible. You are making the same mistakes I made (and most noobies make). Your arc length is too long, your torch angle is probably too steep, and your probably leaning so hard on the table, that your hands really aren't ...

The gas can't be contaminated if it works fine with a different torch. It has to be a gas flow issue somewhere. We need pictures to figure it out. I know you say gas is flowing, but if it is drawing in outside air, that could be an issue, or maybe it is flowing, but just not enough.

You have a gas issue somewhere. Check to see if gas is flowing from the cup (set your post flow to a real long time, then just tap the pedal, let off and feel for gas flow). Is it a 17 torch with a manual gas valve by any chance? other possible solutions are a bad collet that has become deformed and...

Leaving the issue of pulse aside for a moment, I would definitely upgrade your Millermatic 35. I believe having adjustments like run-in speed, burn back, adjustable inductance (affects puddle fluidity), pre flow, post flow, etc,. etc. make upgrading worth it. Your 35 is basically a 175-190 amp machi...

+1 on arc length. If you are new, it is guaranteed that you are long arcing it.

All the way around the head of the torch, encircling the collet body. See here. https://stores.ae-welding-industrial.com/ck20v-12sf-fx-flex-w-valve-tig-torch-250a-w-12-1-2-super-flex/ I run a CK #20 flex neck on my Syncrowave 250, and I can weld quarter inch aluminum plate all day without exceeding ...

I vote for a lack of gas coverage, for whatever reason. Oh and stop using the scotchbrite/3M abrasive. You need to use a dedicate stainless steel brush. Manual brush, no power tools. They just drive contaminants deeper into the metal. Is your tungsten getting destroyed in the process? That's most li...

NEVER use a power tool to clean aluminum for TIG welding. All you end up doing is driving contaminants deeper into the metal. Brush by hand only. I do as Oscar said. Before and after, just to be safe. There are millions of stories on this board an others about people trying to clean aluminum with an...

What kind of metal are you welding? Aluminum is notorious for reflecting much more light/UV than steel. Have you considered that the light or UV may be reflecting off the walls and entering through the back of your helmet?(you could always drape some cloth over the back of your helmet to see if that...

Those are designed a lot like a synchrowave 250. It could be something simple like a bad contactor switch, bad foot pedal, or a loose connection somewhere. Or it could be something much more extreme like the SCR bridge has failed, or the main PC board has failed. When I got my synchrowave, it did th...

Don't be too concerned with cleanliness either. Before I started on either plate I hit them with a flap disk to remove the mill scale. But after I start welding I dunk the plate in a 5 gallon bucket of water every 3-4 beads to get the heat out of it. That will tend to put back some of the scale and ...