Steel weld pool is 'drawn' up onto the tungsten.

by John Fennell
(Hereford, United Kingdom. )

Hi there, may I first congratulate you on having the best welding information and resources website I have ever seen, it is truly brilliant! Now my question seems to be rather obscure, as I haven't found anyone else asking it online but here goes. I am teaching myself to TIG weld-with the aid of many YouTube videos, including some of your own, but I always have trouble with the weld pool literally being drawn up onto the tungsten. I use a 12 month old Lincoln Invertec 160, with a lanthanated tungsten and am trying to weld general steel between 1/8-1/4" thick. I did some TIG at my local college and didn't have the same problem to the degree I have on my own unit but there does definitely seem to be something wrong with my technique. I have done quite a lot of MMA and MIG in agricultural repairs, I took to gas welding like a duck to water but seem to be struggling with TIG. Hopefully I'm making a silly mistake but have tried holding the torch higher/lower than 1/4" from the puddle, fiddled with the current and gas flow to no avail. I try to use a little over 1/4" stickout which I was told by a lecturer at my local college was a good starting point.

Would really appreciate any help you can possibly give me,
Thanks, John.

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sometimes when using an amperage that is close to the maximum for a given dia electrode, it seems like the puddle jumps on but I think its the tip of the electrode actually melting and causing a momentary short.

other problems arise from coatings that outgas onto the electrode.

thanks,

jody