Newbie now with TIG.

[dazza]

I think i've half sussed it.

I need to set a search arc and upslope if using the hot start or the tungsten destroys it self.

search arc currently set at 50% up slope 2 sec hot start 2.

@brockenhammer did you use the search arc (button before upslope) and upslope on the aluminium?

@Jim Davey are you familiar with the hot start on this machine??

After a few nice runs here and there on other used bits of aluminium, i decided to start a fresh piece and dassle you with some nice beads.

Only..... to slap the tungsten with the filler three times in a row.

Did get one slightly better run though. The cleaning area on start is massive i think this may be something to do with the search arc??

 

[Jim Davey]

It's start current, helps the arc pop into life cleanly, and it's set as a percentage of main welding amps.
I don't usually set much below 30% unless I'm using a tiny tungsten for something a bit special.
Obviously if you set it to 100% you won't get any upslope at all as start amps will be the same as main amps. (Upslope controls are bypassed when using the pedal on all modern EWMs, if you find that on your set it's still sloping down after you have fully backed off on the pedal then set your upslope and downslope timers to zero.)

 

[dazza]

It's start current, helps the arc pop into life cleanly, and it's set as a percentage of main welding amps.
I don't usually set much below 30% unless I'm using a tiny tungsten for something a bit special.
Obviously if you set it to 100% you won't get any upslope at all as start amps will be the same as main amps. (Upslope controls are bypassed when using the pedal on all modern EWMs, if you find that on your set it's still sloping down after you have fully backed off on the pedal then set your upslope and downslope timers to zero.)

Thanks Jim, I've had it set on 0 until this evening and if i tried to use the hot start the tungsten destroys it self.

How would you set this up for 4mm aluminium?

On my last run i was at:

150 amps
hotstart 2
50% searcharc
and a 2 second upslope.

 

[DAPPH]

Dear Mister Master Machine Metal Melter .... I've been thinking ( dangerous stuff these days ) .

To solve the problem of melting the start & end of a run is it sensible for a beginner like me to push up a sacrificial piece and weld across it like I some times have to do when I'm stick welding & then cut the used sacrificial bit off once I've finished . Thinig more of just doing it to get the weld run going and carry ng it on rather than , " Hop , skip , make a mess of it " .

 

[Richard.]

Dear Mister Master Machine Metal Melter .... I've been thinking ( dangerous stuff these days ) .

To solve the problem of melting the start & end of a run is it sensible for a beginner like me to push up a sacrificial piece and weld across it like I some times have to do when I'm stick welding & then cut the used sacrificial bit off once I've finished . Thinig more of just doing it to get the weld run going and carry ng it on rather than , " Hop , skip , make a mess of it " .

You can use run on/off bars if you like.
Remember though there will be a time when you'll need to start and stop on the job.

 

[brockenhammer]

I think i've half sussed it.

I need to set a search arc and upslope if using the hot start or the tungsten destroys it self.

search arc currently set at 50% up slope 2 sec hot start 2.

@brockenhammer did you use the search arc (button before upslope) and upslope on the aluminium?

@Jim Davey are you familiar with the hot start on this machine??

After a few nice runs here and there on other used bits of aluminium, i decided to start a fresh piece and dassle you with some nice beads.

Only..... to slap the tungsten with the filler three times in a row.

Did get one slightly better run though. The cleaning area on start is massive i think this may be something to do with the search arc??

View attachment 96642

Hi Darren,
I use a pedal everytime, so up and downslope I do by foot.
I also have the startamps on 0 all the time.

When the switch on the upper left is on the pedal position the ramps are out of function.

If you jump of the pedal the arc stops immediately.

By the way. What did you pay for the pedal? Are there more available.
I love the gessmann made pedals. But spareparts like the bushings and the big original poti´s are very expensive. The poti is 120
€, but it´s so much better than the tiny cheap one´s in many other pedals.

I just converted a Fronius MC52 to EWM compatibility for a friend.
It´s a big big difference and the fronius is also very expensive but so much less quality.

Do you have the parts you need for the conversion?
I ordered them from Steckerladen.de

Kai

 

[Richard.]

fronius is also very expensive but so much less quality

Interesting.
Why is fronius less quality?
I've a fronius machine with fronius pedal. I've found it to be very good.

 

[brockenhammer]

Hi Richard,
your results are great. So, the pedal works fine I guess ;-)
But how they made it, and the components they use simply don´t match the price (about 700€ in many shops) in my eyes.
But to be honest I don´t know the modern can bus versions.
The older fronius I had runs not as smoth, the poti is cheaper made, same with the switch. It´s made of sheet material and there is no sealing.
The gessmann pedal has a very good sealing around the removable top. Two parallel switches for more reliability I guess. A huge poti with big contact surface in the inside. That may last longer. A very linear big diameter spring....
I opened mine to show you why I like it so much and why I can´t understand the double pricing of the fronius.
Kai

 

[dazza]

Here is mine the pot looks much smaller.

Hopefully i can wire it up correctly.

 

[Richard.]

Fronius stuff always holds a premium price and like most OEM pedals for what goes into them they are very spendy. That said the quality is very good.
It's very smooth and the internals appear well laid out.
You show a pedal that appears to be a cast construction. A long drop (which is possible with a simple careless act) will see that with a fracture on the case. The fronius along with many others is a folded steel case which is better quality IMO as it will probably suffer a dent at worst.
The fronius pedals have a small corcuit board bolted to the very bottom on the thickest part It would take a hell of an impact to cause it any issues. Where as the one you show has the small board stood vertical directly on the pot. I would say the fronius design is of better quality as far as robustness is concerned. I haven't used the EWM so it would be unfair of me to say which is nicer to use but having owned a number of fronius ones I say they are very good at what they do.
Now are they worth there price??
No they are too expensive but hey that's life if you want to own a fronius. The screw in 10pin plug is a better design too as far as robust is concerned as it can be removed and rapped up without the lead trailing or risk of gland pull. It's also a bad design in the respect it's a seperate part and a seperate cost but again don't buy fronius if your worried about prices.

 

[brockenhammer]

Hi Richard,
I like fronius as much as many other brands. And the machines work great there is no doubt.
I thought about buying a Magicwave 300 once.

When it´s about economics, I should have stayed with the first Kemppi Mastertig 1500 in bought used in 2001 from a dealer (it was used in atomic powerplant Phillipsburg before)
But I owned a few machines after that.

Casthousing or made out of flat steel... Both works fine.
I don´t drop my welding gear normally. I have seen many cast pedals which where in use since decades 8hours a day (like the one that came with the Hitachi..). They where treated bad, but still in good working order.

Thats the fronius I recently modified. It works, but not as smooth, and there was no chance to adjust the play in the gear. I think yours looks different.

 

[Richard.]

Casthousing or made out of flat steel... Both works fine.

No one wants to drop welding gear mate but the old English saying ***t happens.
When it does it's down to how well it survives.
I too have used and owned a hell of a lot of various machines and pedals and I have a very good idea from my own perspective of the good the bad and the ugly.
I would personally say the fronius pedal is a more robust pedal than the EWM one you show.
Yes the red one you show in the pic is slightly different to mine but the track and pot is the same. It's every bit as smooth as any of the others I've owned and used and in some cases smoother.
The rehm pedal is the nicest I've used ever. Again built from folded steel and aluminium. This is a lot better than a brittle cast construction IMO.

 

[dazza]

I can't get on with this hot start it balls or burns the tungsten back to the level of the cup.

I have to leave it at 0 and be persistent with the start and try and protect the tungsten from balling. Don't know what i'm doing wrong.

 

[Richard.]

Dunno Daz but the welding is starting to look pretty good I'd say mate.

 

[dazza]

Dunno Daz but the welding is starting to look pretty good I'd say mate.

Thanks Richard, i will keep at it. You think the settings are about right now? Leave it as is and run some more beads?

 

[HughF]

I can't get on with this hot start it balls or burns the tungsten back to the level of the cup.

That's because it's for stick/mma/smaw welding

 

[Richard.]

Thanks Richard, i will keep at it. You think the settings are about right now? Leave it as is and run some more beads?

Well do you still have an issue with striking.
Have you tried the other torch?
You could simply tap it up to your house hold water supply and try it out to See if striking improves.

 

[dazza]

Yep still have an issue with striking but i'm a bit better with 3mm.

Put a hot one in run another one very close to it so it starts, if it does not start regrind the tungsten and run another bead.

Don't have a dinse for the torch yet.

 

[Richard.]

I can only put it down to a weak HF Daz. It might be leaking down your torch or it may be leaking in the machine or it may just want the spark gap setting up if it works like that. Either way it's not the end of the world I've come across it on many units and I'd say 8 times out of 10 the torch causes the issue so you may be in luck once you get water cooled.
My magicwave wave had a similar issue with the standard fronius torch. I adjusted the HF settings which improved it a good bit but once I swappped over to the speedway it was on another level of striking. It will jump an inch gap with a fully balled electrode now and i wonder if you get similar results. A lot of Torches can leak HF making machines tough strikers.

 

[Shox Dr]

What tungstens are you using?

I took hotrodder's advice and tried Multi-strike. Its the only make I use now, regardless of size of tungsten or material been welded