Just a thought does your machine have a preflow setting? Some foot pedals have 2 switches in them or the rheostat thst controls the amps does not start to allow current until the pedal is depressed a little further. You can cheat this by holding the tungsten far enough away that an arc can not be established until the gas has a chance to bathe the weld area then move in close enough to start your arc.
Like you said yesterday some of your issues may be in your pedal coordination to arc control.