Ok, I got the HF to work pretty well by using a spark gap made of 2 pieces of 12 gauge copper wire. I tried different spark plugs which worked but they still got hot and would then weaken the HF spark and cause it to be inconsistant. The copper wire spark gap seems to give me the best HF spark at the torch, it doesn't get too hot and it dissipates heat well.
I experimented some more with AC welding between 2 phases on my alternator. It worked with the HF unit on but I was afraid I was going to overheat my alternator. I had to turn the field up pretty high to get enough useful current out of only 2 phases which are only 60 deg apart. The alternator got pretty hot in a short period of time. Conclusion, it works but not very well. I decided that using an AC transformer welder would probably be a much better alternative.
I borrowed a cheap AC welder from my neighbor. It was very hard to keep a good arc going at all unless I turned the amperage up to 80 or so and even then it was difficult. When welding aluminum it wouldn't break down the oxide layer either. I was using 1/16" 2% thoriated tungsten. Is that my problem or do I just have a crappy AC welder (very cheap harbor freight one) or could it be something else?
-Ahab
Welding thin stainless
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