Finally bit the bullet and bought a Miller Dyansty 200DX and it has a bit more to master than mig welding so far. I have tried so far welding anything in the garage I can get my hands on and I keep ending up with the same result with the tungsten balling up and melting. Am I cranking on the heat too much?? I am using a foot control and I have tried everything from staying full throttle to slowly ramping up and then backing off the amperage once getting a puddle with the same results each time. Watching the tungsten (2% Ceriated 3/32") with a 30 degree point and slightly flattened tip, it turns bright red/orange and begins to ball up every time within seconds. I am running 100% argon at 20 cfh, 120 amps, 60-100hz, dcen on steel and ac on aluminum. The stick out in the picture is greatly exagerated to show the ball. I was running it at about 1/4" from the edge of the cup.

Keep the point on the tungsten, dont flatten the tip at all. Im drawing a blank on which tungsten is which at the moment.

looks like you may want to be sure you have the dia of the tungsten sized to the current output you are wanting to run. that should help some with the balling issue, but may not be the whole issue.

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/calculators/tig_amperage_calculator.php

is an online calulator that should help you somewhat to eliminate this variable.

http://www.millerwelds.com/education/articles/articles30.html
is more detailed for TIG.

HTH-

Chad

Try the 2% Thoriated it has a higher current capacity via its higher melt point for the steel stuff and pure on AC for the same reason.

I run 1/16 up to around 120a due to weld width criteria on some of the SST I do but use 3/32 from around 90 to 150a. The 1/16 doesnt exactly "ball" but it can get contaminated creating a ball. I reserve 1/8" for most alum over 1/4" and copper over 1/16 thick.

D.

i was actually told not to use pure tungsten with an inverter rig. ill have to try and find that article.

try turning your gas pressure down a little bit what is most likely happening is the gas is blowing past the tung to fast and not getting time to cool it
not this does not apply to a water cooled tortch i was having a similar problem and gave this a try and it worked for me
just a thaught
kyle

Several Dynasty owners at the following link, and pretty sure this issue has come up before and the fix is a simple matter of pushing the right buttons.

Here is the Link: http://www.millermotorsports.com/mboard/forumdisplay.php?f=3

i was actually told not to use pure tungsten with an inverter rig. ill have to try and find that article.
me too. 2% for dcen even when on al.

?

I gave it another try using a lot of the suggestions you gave. Turned down the gas flow, sucked in the rod a little more, sharpened the tip, and did a little more research. Also tried something different too. I have a floor stand belt sander with a new dedicated sanding belt for tungsten. I was twisting the rod by hand with the belt running parallel to the rod and I could notice a few imperfections in the cone diameter. This time I chucked up the tungsten in a cordless drill and spun it at a slow speed while grinding on the belt sander. Ended up with a perfect cone Miller would be proud of with all the striations straight to the tip. No melting and kick ass beads now! Thanks man

some talk on the dynasty and tungsten. dont use pure.

http://www.millermotorsports.com/mboard/showthread.php?t=4462&page=1

i think that i need to get a water cooled torch for mine when i want to run ac over 160 amps. the tungsten gets really yellow into white if i give too much balance on the torch.

We used Lanthanted(sp?) on the Dynasty (For steel and AL) at school. I think this is what Miller recommends.


edit: also, that pics looks like you're running it at DCEP??? Are you sure it's DCEN?

Just to add - never use the grinding wheel, belt, whatever for anything else but grinding tungsten.

I have to 200DX and only use cerated tungsten it works great on steel and AL. Separate which ones you use for steel and AL.

I'm lazy when I sharpen my tungsten. I chuck it up in the cordless drill and while the drill is running sharpen it on the grinder/belt sander. They come out perfect every time. Make sure your wearing safty glasses.

On the inverter machines you want a pointed electrode no mater if it is AL or steel.

Also check out http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/.

if you run the tig on dc+ while doing steel it over heats the tungsten rod and can cause it to melt. steel should be 100 percent tungsten and for aluminum it should be 2percent throaited i believe. when welding aluminum it is not really needed to grind it to a point as it will round out. im using the econotig from miller rated for 3/16 pen. and turned up all the way under full power at the foot pedal on dc- for steel the tip stays sharp as when i ground it.
ps.
aluminum should be run on AC

if you run the tig on dc+ while doing steel it over heats the tungsten rod and can cause it to melt. steel should be 100 percent tungsten and for aluminum it should be 2percent throaited i believe. when welding aluminum it is not really needed to grind it to a point as it will round out. im using the econotig from miller rated for 3/16 pen. and turned up all the way under full power at the foot pedal on dc- for steel the tip stays sharp as when i ground it.
ps.
aluminum should be run on AC

sorry this post just grabbed me.

there is nothing wrong with running tig on dcep as long as you have a tungsten big enough to handle the heat buildup and a torch that can get rid of the heat. mostly a concern with higher amps.

i have never seen anyone (weldor or manufacturer) recommend pure tungsten for steel. old and new machines both like some sort of mix with the tungsten with steel. aluminum is what has traditionally worked best with pure tungsten. did you even read the posts above yours in this thread?

ps, thanks for the newsflash. :flipoff2: