I remember the first experience with a "bad bottle of gas" : The first few times I sat down to practice aluminum , all was going just fine. Then one Saturday morning I sat down for some AC practice and I could barely get the puddle to even form! I was really confused as I thought it was something I had done. I spent the next hour going over everything..... I then remembered that I have a extra 80cf bottle of 100% argon in the corner so that I won't run out on a weekend. I thought, what the heck , I'll try it and "wha-la" I was back in business. If it would have happened with a brand new bottle, you would probably realize it was the gas, but to have it happen mid way through a bottle was a real learning experience. Thanks for the refresher Mark.
I've heard of this before, but it does sound weird to have the gas composition change mid-bottle. I would sure like to hear a credible scientific explanation of how this is even possible. I understand that you can get bad gas from a leak in the plumbing, but I would think such a leak would have to be right at the torch head to suck in any air. Assuming you can solve this, you should be able to TIG weld silver amalgam repairs if only the patient would sit still... 😁
All week I was doing aluminum welding practice and now down to 400psi left in the bottle, then today after only welding for 5mins, all my welds turned to crap. I fitted a new tungsten, cup, cleaned the crap out of the aluminum , checked flow rates and weld still bad. After reading your comment I think there is something wrong with my argon?
@Dennis Young Yes, CO2 liquefies at 900 psi while argon remains a compressed gas. I can think of only one mechanism so far that could explain why the mix would change mid-bottle. If there were some *liquid* CO2 present in an argon cylinder, it would become an increasing percentage of the mix as the bottle is emptied. If there were an abrupt change in cylinder temperature (as from sunlight?) then the partial pressure of the CO2 would spike and abruptly become a greater portion of the gas drawn off. This seems like a stretch to me, but it's the only thing I can think of right now. I've used CO2 a lot for MIG welding steel, but always Argon for all TIG. It would be interesting to see someone try CO2 for TIG just to see how bad it is. I don't want to mess up my torch so I don't want to risk it. I'd like some else to do that. 😁 Maybe YOU?!!? 😆
OMG, THANK YOU!!! I'm new to TIG welding and I've been banging my head against the wall for weeks for a bad bottle of gas! I tried the last few days to find people who could show the problem I was having and 99.9% of the "before" pictures looked 100x better than mine, much less the after. I knew I had something else wrong. And your bad gas example looked EXACTLY like what I've been fighting. The local welding supply place took it and exchanged it, and it was an IMMEDIATE night and day difference! I feel like now I can actually start learning instead of wondering WTF I'm doing wrong. I mean, there'll be a lot of that too, but at least my equipment isn't the problem now
Never heard of "bad gas" before ....never ever experienced "bad gas" before. This is a "controlled industry". Deviating from "standards" is a felony. WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED? .
I am in the process of purchasing a tig welder, I have learned more about tig welding aluminum in this video than all the others I have watched, thank you so much for such a great and informative video.
Hahaha I'm still using the same tungsten from couple years ago too! 🤪 I almost forget what it's like to sharpen one, it's been so long. Even on AC at 260amps! bad gas? I dont even use gas! ;) yes, i thought ur comment was funny
Good points. Good presentation. I recently started following several major weld companies just to see what they put out there. Everlast really seems to do the best job so far.
Nice set of experiments / demonstrations. This is super useful for us self-taught hobby welding guys. It's nice to be able to look at a weld and have some ideas about what to change and why.
Great video, I’ve asked and searched to figure out why I had issues with filler melting and crumbling up and thought I wasn’t being fast enough but it’s definitely my torch angle
This is actually a really good video with some great info….. Thank you! I haven’t picked up a tig torch in 30-35 years, no doubt in my mind I can weld it but wanted to look and watch a few videos and this video covered everything I needed. Thank you!
Thanks dude I literally tried everything I could didn't realize my tungsten was too far out. New to tig welding and no ones at work to help me so I appreciate it 🙏
I went from steel to aluminum and basically used the same methods. I figured they were the same. 1. Travel Angle was wrong. Mostly the filler melting too quickly. 2. I was pulling up and even if I started good, yeah…wide pool. 3. Not cooling the plate often enough. Aluminum does not like a lot of heat when ur just stacking for practice. This video helped me a lot. I’d say just from these I went from 4/10 to a 6 - 6 1/2. With not experience. Thank you for this vid.
Thank you very much for illustrating the problems of people who want to learn to weld aluminum correctly. the most difficult for me is keeping the burner at the right distance and feeding the wire. greetings.
Very well explained! Have many yards of it over the last 40 years. I will take exception to aluminum being non reactive. See that filler rod melting in the improper angle/long arc scenario? It’s oxidizing like crazy being outside the shield.
I'm new at TIG welding and I'm working with aluminum at the moment. Based on your comment, does is make sense to use a bigger cup for a bigger coverage area?
@@bluedemon79 I have never really found a larger cup necessary for AL, I save those for stainless. Clean metal, good gas flow, the right electrode and keeping the village idiot from turning a fan on you or opening a door right next to where you are welding are key.
great video, have experienced the bad tank of gas, many people said I've been welding 30 yrs and never had a bad tank, they must not do any aluminum. I've had 2 in a row so bad I took the tank to another welder to see if that was my problem. New tank problems went away!
Can the contaminants in the argon bottle not show up right away? Like once I reached half a bottle I started getting Velda a a lot like you showed and before that I had welded for 2hrs straight without a single problem.
When you say balance , are you saying the heat setting good too high or gas pressure is related? Please explain better , I though you were supposed to get a ball on the tungsten welding aluminum?? I have an old Linde machine , there is no balance setting ? Thanks
Watching this hurts but it's good instruction. Every welder needs to see this just to start then as a refresher many times to remember for muscle memory. "Hurts" as in seeing the methods being practiced incorrectly for instructional purposes but great round of instruction, 100%.
Hello there! I would like to ask! When I welding alloy wheels, it seems welding good, but when I sand it off, there is like little holes,like air pockets, and when I’m training to go over again, it is opening up like air pockets! I’m going over and over again, but it is still there beside! Is it in material? Or I’m doing something wrong! Can someone explain it please! Thanks
Only been tig welding for a week and have spent the whole time learning to weld aluminium, I've had 2 or 3 people tell me to keep the rod in the shield. I wonder if they are taking what they learned from welding stainless and used this method for aluminium.
really nice presentation and very well understandable. I am having some of the issues, trying to weld thin aluminum tubes for a bicycle frames. Always maintaining the right torch angle on a small diameter tube is amazingly difficult - especially in combination with a tight torch distance. Finally - your worst weldings still look better than my good ones ;)
Hi guys , i am the proud owner of a PowerPro 160 and i broke the treads for the tip of my plasma cutter whip (dummy) , can anyone tell me what whip would be a good replacement ?
I have a question I have a n very old welding machine and the only things I can change are the amperage/ from ac to dc / high frequency from continues to start or out what should I do for setup for aluminum? Kindest regards Eduardo Ribeiro
Hi. I have a question is there an easy way to use a blowtorch and some kind of stainless steel rod and bond to stainless steel pieces together or is this impossible. I have a video I can send to show my question in video form. Thanks
Nice that I live in Germany bad gas is impossible here Wen you give a shop the empty gas container they pull a vacuum on it then fill it with 120psi of the gas you will then pull vacuum.. Fill with 120psi.. Pull vacuum und then after 3 times vacuum then they fill it up to 200 or 300 bar =3000 or 4500psi
Thanks for the tips. Just got a entry level green machine and I definitely had issues with the balance and the tungsten. (Old tig didn’t have the option)
Some people actually put a ball on the tungsten before starting to weld aluminum. Can you show what you think the tungsten should look like after welding with the proper balance setting.
We just post a video explaining AC balance, we show the tungsten after a few runs on 3 different settings, I think it'll give you a good idea of what you're wanting to see
I have an argon bottle that is at least 20 years old. I've been meaning to TIG weld again sooner, but today I finally went at it. I thought my aluminum technique went bad, the welding was terrible. But, now I'm beginning to think my old bottle has gone bad somehow. I'll trade out for a fresh bottle and try again.
I noticed that my welds were poorer at the end of a tank. I had some real issues welding on my boat project. Getting ready to weld fuel tanks, and my bottle is getting low. Will swap out tanks first. Thanks.
We pull a vacuum on and completely evacuate all cylinders before filling, which is standard practice. We don't just "top off" cylinders like they do for propane. Bad gas is not very common.
Welding for 50 + years... IMO, yeah it's pretty common. Another thing I see more often than should be, pay attention to the gas you actually get. You may get the purest gas in the world but when you ask for 100% Argon and the counter man isnt paying attention for whatever reason you may end up with C25 probably because that's what he hands out so much more frequently. Just saying, double check.
I remember the first experience with a "bad bottle of gas" : The first few times I sat down to practice aluminum , all was going just fine. Then one Saturday morning I sat down for some AC practice and I could barely get the puddle to even form! I was really confused as I thought it was something I had done. I spent the next hour going over everything..... I then remembered that I have a extra 80cf bottle of 100% argon in the corner so that I won't run out on a weekend. I thought, what the heck , I'll try it and "wha-la" I was back in business. If it would have happened with a brand new bottle, you would probably realize it was the gas, but to have it happen mid way through a bottle was a real learning experience. Thanks for the refresher Mark.
I've heard of this before, but it does sound weird to have the gas composition change mid-bottle. I would sure like to hear a credible scientific explanation of how this is even possible. I understand that you can get bad gas from a leak in the plumbing, but I would think such a leak would have to be right at the torch head to suck in any air. Assuming you can solve this, you should be able to TIG weld silver amalgam repairs if only the patient would sit still... 😁
All week I was doing aluminum welding practice and now down to 400psi left in the bottle, then today after only welding for 5mins, all my welds turned to crap. I fitted a new tungsten, cup, cleaned the crap out of the aluminum , checked flow rates and weld still bad. After reading your comment I think there is something wrong with my argon?
@Dennis Young Yes, CO2 liquefies at 900 psi while argon remains a compressed gas. I can think of only one mechanism so far that could explain why the mix would change mid-bottle. If there were some *liquid* CO2 present in an argon cylinder, it would become an increasing percentage of the mix as the bottle is emptied. If there were an abrupt change in cylinder temperature (as from sunlight?) then the partial pressure of the CO2 would spike and abruptly become a greater portion of the gas drawn off. This seems like a stretch to me, but it's the only thing I can think of right now. I've used CO2 a lot for MIG welding steel, but always Argon for all TIG. It would be interesting to see someone try CO2 for TIG just to see how bad it is. I don't want to mess up my torch so I don't want to risk it. I'd like some else to do that. 😁 Maybe YOU?!!? 😆
This guy's good, doesn't drag out the tips for a slow death.. thanks
OMG, THANK YOU!!! I'm new to TIG welding and I've been banging my head against the wall for weeks for a bad bottle of gas! I tried the last few days to find people who could show the problem I was having and 99.9% of the "before" pictures looked 100x better than mine, much less the after. I knew I had something else wrong. And your bad gas example looked EXACTLY like what I've been fighting.
The local welding supply place took it and exchanged it, and it was an IMMEDIATE night and day difference! I feel like now I can actually start learning instead of wondering WTF I'm doing wrong. I mean, there'll be a lot of that too, but at least my equipment isn't the problem now
Never heard of "bad gas" before ....never ever experienced "bad gas" before. This is a "controlled industry". Deviating from "standards" is a felony. WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
.
Dude - probably the best aluminum tips for beginner (me) - you literally described all the things I do wrong ... and have wondered why. 10/10
More coming. Make sure to sub.
Best instructional vid on tig I've ever seen, clear and straight to point. Thank you!
I am in the process of purchasing a tig welder, I have learned more about tig welding aluminum in this video than all the others I have watched, thank you so much for such a great and informative video.
I had bad gas a while ago but it didn't affect my welds at all!
Hahaha I'm still using the same tungsten from couple years ago too! 🤪 I almost forget what it's like to sharpen one, it's been so long. Even on AC at 260amps! bad gas? I dont even use gas! ;) yes, i thought ur comment was funny
Ass gas does not apply
@@nyc4lifeamityvillecnc698 😂😂
Stinky!
What he surely means was that even a good gas couldn't save his welds 😅
Good points. Good presentation. I recently started following several major weld companies just to see what they put out there. Everlast really seems to do the best job so far.
We need more Mark Winchester videos! KEEP THEM COMING!!!
I have watched hundreds of welding videos, and this is one of the best...Bravo and Cheers from Florida, Paul
Nice set of experiments / demonstrations. This is super useful for us self-taught hobby welding guys. It's nice to be able to look at a weld and have some ideas about what to change and why.
Telling me about looking in the melt edge of the puddle, was one key point I am thankful for.
Good point.
Great video, I’ve asked and searched to figure out why I had issues with filler melting and crumbling up and thought I wasn’t being fast enough but it’s definitely my torch angle
This is actually a really good video with some great info….. Thank you! I haven’t picked up a tig torch in 30-35 years, no doubt in my mind I can weld it but wanted to look and watch a few videos and this video covered everything I needed. Thank you!
One of the best I've seen in a long time. I don't weld aluminum often and keep forgetting these four good basics between projects... .
Thanks dude I literally tried everything I could didn't realize my tungsten was too far out. New to tig welding and no ones at work to help me so I appreciate it 🙏
Why didn't I find this channel first, I'm learning (slowly) and it's because of 3 of the 4 you've covered so thanks.
Good advice. I've had all of the issues mentioned at different times and never really understood the why. Thanks a bunch
I went from steel to aluminum and basically used the same methods. I figured they were the same.
1. Travel Angle was wrong. Mostly the filler melting too quickly.
2. I was pulling up and even if I started good, yeah…wide pool.
3. Not cooling the plate often enough. Aluminum does not like a lot of heat when ur just stacking for practice.
This video helped me a lot. I’d say just from these I went from 4/10 to a 6 - 6 1/2. With not experience. Thank you for this vid.
Awesome presentation Mark and Everlast 🔥
Thank you very much for illustrating the problems of people who want to learn to weld aluminum correctly. the most difficult for me is keeping the burner at the right distance and feeding the wire. greetings.
Dear friend, thank you for your dedication and excellent teaching of the gtaw process, greetings
Very well explained! Have many yards of it over the last 40 years. I will take exception to aluminum being non reactive. See that filler rod melting in the improper angle/long arc scenario? It’s oxidizing like crazy being outside the shield.
I'm new at TIG welding and I'm working with aluminum at the moment. Based on your comment, does is make sense to use a bigger cup for a bigger coverage area?
@@bluedemon79 I have never really found a larger cup necessary for AL, I save those for stainless. Clean metal, good gas flow, the right electrode and keeping the village idiot from turning a fan on you or opening a door right next to where you are welding are key.
That’s a great video, I’ve learnt a lot from watching it. Thanks for sharing
Bad gas. Never would have thought of that being a novice. Thank you for awesome tips!
great video, have experienced the bad tank of gas, many people said I've been welding 30 yrs and never had a bad tank, they must not do any aluminum. I've had 2 in a row so bad I took the tank to another welder to see if that was my problem. New tank problems went away!
Thanks Mark. That was a really good film that was informative and well measured.
Really good video. I've had similar issues in Welding school
I watch this video from time to time to remind me. Thanks for the video.
Fantastically helpful for learners. Thanks.
That's a really good point about arc length. It is so tempting to pull up too much, I am not steady enough to avoid dipping the electrode.
Same!
Be at 1 with the gas the power & the material, put your mind inside the weld pool, be the weld🙏😉
Wow, best education I have seen about TIG welding aluminum.
Can the contaminants in the argon bottle not show up right away? Like once I reached half a bottle I started getting Velda a a lot like you showed and before that I had welded for 2hrs straight without a single problem.
When you say balance , are you saying the heat setting good too high or gas pressure is related? Please explain better , I though you were supposed to get a ball on the tungsten welding aluminum??
I have an old Linde machine , there is no balance setting ?
Thanks
Very useful. Im having problem with dirty beads at moment. Will check you tips out.
Watching this hurts but it's good instruction. Every welder needs to see this just to start then as a refresher many times to remember for muscle memory.
"Hurts" as in seeing the methods being practiced incorrectly for instructional purposes but great round of instruction, 100%.
Just as a note, the balance percentage is displayed inversely on many machines. Meaning %70 on one is the same as %30 on another.
I wonder if that’s my problem I had my balance at 80 and it just balled back like crazy
Dude, great work. This video is awesome as I've been struggling with aluminum but this just answered all my issues. Bad gas 🤣
So I am looking at purchasing an Everllast lightning 225 with Tag and am asking TH-camrs if ties is a good macing for home/shop welding?
Hello there! I would like to ask! When I welding alloy wheels, it seems welding good, but when I sand it off, there is like little holes,like air pockets, and when I’m training to go over again, it is opening up like air pockets! I’m going over and over again, but it is still there beside! Is it in material? Or I’m doing something wrong! Can someone explain it please! Thanks
Top notch advice from a tig welder 👌👍
great camera work, really clear explanation
My aluminum welds look exactly like the example of bad gas welds. But it welds 304 stainless fine. Could it still be bad gas?
This addressed my questions so far as a beginner. Thanks. The examples showed exactly what my welds look like.
Only been tig welding for a week and have spent the whole time learning to weld aluminium, I've had 2 or 3 people tell me to keep the rod in the shield. I wonder if they are taking what they learned from welding stainless and used this method for aluminium.
Спасибо за ваше видео даже разговаривая на разных языках все ясно и понятно
Nice one Mark, think I'll go practice now 👍
I try weld aluminum using tig.But can't.burn and put filler ...filler fly.
Anybody know how big gas preasure? Amp /power Tig for weld aluminum?
Thanks
Try with very high amperage. Much higher than steel. Get puddle instantly then move. Not slow like steel.
Thanks for sharing and I was having problems, But you answered them 👍👍👍
really nice presentation and very well understandable. I am having some of the issues, trying to weld thin aluminum tubes for a bicycle frames. Always maintaining the right torch angle on a small diameter tube is amazingly difficult - especially in combination with a tight torch distance. Finally - your worst weldings still look better than my good ones ;)
I can help you
Thank you for the illustrative video
Stellar camera work
Hi guys , i am the proud owner of a PowerPro 160 and i broke the treads for the tip of my plasma cutter whip (dummy) , can anyone tell me what whip would be a good replacement ?
I have a question I have a n very old welding machine and the only things I can change are the amperage/ from ac to dc / high frequency from continues to start or out what should I do for setup for aluminum?
Kindest regards
Eduardo Ribeiro
Excellent straight to the point, helpful tips, great demonstration and good quality video. Thanks
So very helpful, glad I found you guys!
sir plz can you tell me .which gas do you use for aluminum weding
Thank you. Great info. I am just starting .. Maybe you can help me in the future.. 😊
I am just starting out with aluminum and this was very helpful!
Thanks for some good information that's easy to understand.
Hi. I have a question is there an easy way to use a blowtorch and some kind of stainless steel rod and bond to stainless steel pieces together or is this impossible. I have a video I can send to show my question in video form. Thanks
Thanks for the tips, I really enjoy this kind of help. Weld mean weld green!
Just had this happen to me. I was getting frustrated couldn't figure out what was going on so decided to switch the bottles and that was it!! crazy!
That is strange, I have been TIG welding for over 30 years and have never seen a contaminated bottle of argon.
Excellent video and explanations
Brilliant video thank you 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Great video and explication!👋👋👋👋👋
Mark is the baddest Tig Welder in this planet! His word is gospel. Great video Mark! Weld Mean Weld Green! BTW those valve covers still look sick!!
Learned something new man, reactive and non-reactive metals, and the need to have the filler rod in or out of the shielding gas zone. Thanks man!
Do u have a recommendation for what tungsten u use ?
Thanks!! I’ve been melting my filler rod, now I know why.
Nice that I live in Germany bad gas is impossible here
Wen you give a shop the empty gas container they pull a vacuum on it then fill it with 120psi of the gas you will then pull vacuum.. Fill with 120psi.. Pull vacuum und then after 3 times vacuum then they fill it up to 200 or 300 bar =3000 or 4500psi
Excellent info thanks
Excellent teaching
Excellent work on the presentation of this very helpful information! THANKS!
Great video!! Thank you!!
Hi Mark. What kind of tungsten are you using? Thanks for video..
Good day what is the thinnest alumimun sheet can be weld fillet weld. Thanks
No-fluff content and great camera work. Bad gas is the worst. Been there done that...
thank you for this very informative video. now i think i can pinpoint my problems.
Nice .. keep going .. good presention
WHICH TUNGSTAIN(COLOUR) USE FOR ALUMINIUM WELDING
Thanks for the great explanations Mark
Muito bom, vai me ajudar muito e agora eu sei que apesar da minha falta de técnica, acabei de descobrir que eu estou com o bad gas (gás ruim).
very good teaching
This video helped a lot actually
One of the best tutorial
Thank you very much, super helpful :)
very helpful to know this. grandly explained.
thanx and greets from germany.
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for the tips. Just got a entry level green machine and I definitely had issues with the balance and the tungsten. (Old tig didn’t have the option)
Let us know if you have any more issues we can help with.
The way this guy says aluminum drives me absolutely insane
Some people actually put a ball on the tungsten before starting to weld aluminum. Can you show what you think the tungsten should look like after welding with the proper balance setting.
We just post a video explaining AC balance, we show the tungsten after a few runs on 3 different settings, I think it'll give you a good idea of what you're wanting to see
helpful video. thanks!
Gracias por los consejos,saludos y bendiciones,
I really appreciate the tips,well described and to the point,great video thank you!
Great video I'm a beginner and really liked the examples ✊👏👏
I have an argon bottle that is at least 20 years old. I've been meaning to TIG weld again sooner, but today I finally went at it. I thought my aluminum technique went bad, the welding was terrible. But, now I'm beginning to think my old bottle has gone bad somehow. I'll trade out for a fresh bottle and try again.
I noticed that my welds were poorer at the end of a tank. I had some real issues welding on my boat project. Getting ready to weld fuel tanks, and my bottle is getting low. Will swap out tanks first. Thanks.
We pull a vacuum on and completely evacuate all cylinders before filling, which is standard practice. We don't just "top off" cylinders like they do for propane. Bad gas is not very common.
Welding for 50 + years... IMO, yeah it's pretty common. Another thing I see more often than should be, pay attention to the gas you actually get. You may get the purest gas in the world but when you ask for 100% Argon and the counter man isnt paying attention for whatever reason you may end up with C25 probably because that's what he hands out so much more frequently. Just saying, double check.