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All Orders thru the end of April will get a FREE Mystery 3 pack of Tungsten. We have Ceriated, 2% Lanthanated, and MultiMix in sizes 1/16, 3/32, and 1/8 up for grabs.

I will be hand picking each one for every order, so no need to add the freebie to cart.

Thanks again for all your support. Second, We're throwing in a FREE Stronghand Tools TIG Torch rest for $0 when you buy one of our TIG PRO kits. Any of the 4 kits below will come with your choice between the Mrt50 (table edge) rest or the Mrt100 (table top) Rest.

Make sure to select the one you want on the product page.

Back to the the welding...
The challenge with a 1/4” aluminum single pass lap joint is getting penetration into the root of the joint...while at the same time, not chopping up the edge.
It can be difficult to hit the root while not chewing up the corner.
So I tested a single pass weld along side a 2 pass weld to check for depth of penetration.
I set the Primeweld TIG325 to 250 amps so that I would have extra power at first when the aluminum was cold.
AC frequency was set to 150HZ to focus the arc.
I used 3/32" 2% lanthanated tungsten and a #5 clear cup for the first welds.
I noticed some oxides floating around in the puddle with the #5 cup so I switched to a #6 gas lens cup for the 2 pass weld.
I use clear cups a lot for filming but I think a pink ceramic #6 gas lens cup is a good cup for a whole lot of aluminum jobs.
Penetration to the root was not that great on the single pass welds.
So I decided to try welding 2 passes....one focussing on penetration...and a second pass to get the adequate weld size.
A cut and etch test revealed much better penetration in the root of the 2 pass weld.
But because I didn't clean the aluminum at all before welding, there was a large pore.
That in itself is a lesson.
I should have taken a few minutes to wipe the aluminum with acetone and wire brush with a clean stainless brush.
Thanks again for taking the time to read this and show support. I have a collection of products under $50 down below. Remember, All order get a Free pack of tungsten until the end of April, so be sure to grab a TIG Finger or pair of gloves.



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