Ahp Alphatig 200x

That aluminum looks way too thick for the amps you are running. Is that 1/4"? If so you need way more amps. Grab an 1/8" thick piece of aluminum with the same settings you are using and see if it puddles and you can lay some beads.
 
The bottle says Argon. I do have a C25 bottle right beside it for the MIG.
I checked both to make sure I didn't connect to the wrong one and as far as I can tell I am connected to the one that says Argon, no mix.
I guess I could try and exchange it at the supply house for another one and see if that is it.

It is 1/4", but even after it heats up after trying to weld, and it's too hot to even think of touching, it will still not puddle or even begin to weld.
There is a lot of oxidizing going on and then it just starts sputtering and crackling, and that's before I even try to add filler. By then the Tungsten is red hot and the cup is starting to glow. So I know there is enough heat in it to start a puddle but it doesn't.

I tried it at 200 Amps, with the pedal, start at 10 Amps, Freq at 100, Balance at 40% starts out looking like it's going to work right, then all that happens is it makes a deep impression in it and begins to blow a hole thru it, sputtering and crackling the whole time.
 
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How much stick out are you running on your tungsten and at what angle is the tungsten toward the plate? You should be at 10 to 15 degrees off vertical. Your gap between the tungsten and plate should not exceed 1/8 inch. With .25 inch plate it will take some time to get it up to temperature. I just got through welding some 1/8 and I was running 200 amps on that.
 
The old rule of thumb is 1 amp per thousand of thickness. So you would need 250 amps to weld that aluminum and your machine is under powered.
 
I had the wife take the bottle back to supply store to make sure it was pure Argon. Part of the label was tore off and all that was showing was Argon.
They checked the numbers on bottle and found that it was Argon 75% and Carbon Dioxide 25%. No wonder it was oxidizing so much and sputtering on Aluminum. That's why it welded Steel just fine, but not Aluminum.
So hopefully when I get home and hook it back to the welder and try some Aluminum it will be good.
I'll post some pics if I get it to weld and see how it works out on some 1/4" plate. Don't have anything thinner to test with so I'll have to play with the settings to find the sweet spot with this particular welder. I know some say 1 amp per thousandth thickness, but that is just a general guide and is not for every welder. Watched some videos and talked to another AHP owner and 150 to 180 seems to work good on 1/4" for this welder. 1/8" is good at 80 to 90 amps.
 
roadie33 said:
They checked the numbers on bottle and found that it was Argon 75% and Carbon Dioxide 25%. No wonder it was oxidizing so much and sputtering on Aluminum. That's why it welded Steel just fine, but not Aluminum.
Click to expand...
I'm a big believer in the fact that "everybody makes mistakes", and when it's a company that sold you something, they should make it right. I bet, if you asked, they would even replace the gas cups that cracked when using the wrong gas that they gave you. Worth a try? Don't know if its even worth the bother as I don't tig, so have no idea how much the cups cost. Good luck with the new welder, JR49
 
That machine will weld .25 aluminum but it takes a little time to come up to temperature. You might want to keep the freq in the 40 to 60 range. If you have 1/8 tungsten I would recommend using it and don't get surprised when the torch get hot!
 
First let me post a dis-claimer... I am not experienced in TIG, and have yet to get one...
I am experienced with stick and gas (oxy-acetylene) though.

I was at a friends house last fall... he has an Everlast 200A TIG... cost over 2X what yours did.
He had some issues welding AL... said he pre-heated the AL... and that helped a bunch!
Seems AL takes a LOT of amps to heat up and weld properly... that was his conclusion.

Hope this helps... :)
 
Total difference when using the correct gas. Did a few test welds on some scrap and looks a whole lot better.
No sputtering or crackling now.
Clamped up some pieces that I plan to use to make a box to hold my Digital Temperature controller and SSR for my kiln to temper steel.
Welds don't look the best (no stack of dimes), but they are strong and good penetration.
Need to work on holding a straight line as you can tell. :)
I believe I will make some kind of height adjustable stand that I can prop up on when welding.
Settings: 150 amps, 120 Freq, 40 Balance, start and finish amps about 40, 15 CFH Argon, 3/32" 4043 Filler, 3/32" 2% Lanth Tungsten.
1/4" plate, sides 4" x 6" and base is 6" x 8"
Took about 10 seconds to get a puddle and slow going at first then as it heated up increased speed.
As you can tell by the 1st weld it started cold but finished up good.
Second weld was much better since metal was heated up by then.
All I'd say is this is a very good welder for the price, if you get the correct gas to start out with. o_O
I would definitely recommend it for a Hobby shop. 3 year warranty is good also.

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