jdustu

iTrader: (2)

nice job!

one thing i forgot about cleaning aluminum, the brushes should be stainless. i think it has something to do with carbon from the mild steel brushes can contaminate the base metal........i usually make due with what i have(a mild steel brush used only on al), but it'll "pop" on me every now and then.....
-josh

parish8

iTrader: (6)

i just got a lincoln 185 tig. it took me a little while to get anykind of weld going at all. i am starting to figure it out.

what am i doing wrong so that the tip of the tunsten rounds off and even gets extra fat? i am working on thin mild and have the red tunsten.

i also dont like the filler rod they set me up with. for somereason they sold me 3/32 an 1/8th. it seems way to fat.

FarmerBeau

iTrader: (3)

If you are welding aluminum it is perfectly normal for the tungsten to ball up at the end. Make sure you are using 100% tungsten not the 2% stuff. Another thing is if you are welding aluminum, you will have to either preheat the metal with a torch or use a high frequency setting. What material have you been welding? The red tungsten is 2% (it is a big word and i forgot what it meens Like striated or something)

parish8

iTrader: (6)

i am starting to figure this out. i need to get the right filler and i think i will be able to stick some mild together and have it look nicer than what i was doing with my cheap mig. i was geting a lump on my 2% doing mild but it isn't doing that now, i must be geting better.

is stainless any harder to weld then mild?

i tried for about an hour to do some aluminim, that is some tricky stuff. if it is too cold it just sits there and gets dirty. if i set it where the slide rule thing tells me too i have to move so freeking fast or it all just melts down. right now i think i could weld a bracket onto an intercooler but it woulnd't be prety. i would like to be good at this stuff. i might have to take a class or get some tutoring.

how about a welding table. do you guys build some kind of heavy metal table to weld on? do you weld standing up or do you sit on a stool? i would like to get set up to weld headers and downpipes and be somewhat comfortable while doing it.

LuvmyC5

iTrader: (1)

VERY Nice job for just learning! Are you using a foot pedal or a torch control?

I'm not trying to be critical, but you might either want to turn the heat down a little, or slow down, because if you look at the edges of your weld, there is a little bit of undercut. This is because you didn't fill the gap of your two pieces and could be too much heat, or not enough filler, or moving too fast, or a couple of other things. I'm not trying to be a critic of your work, just trying to help. I haven't welded in a couple of years, but use to be a Nuclear Certified welder (was certified to weld in a Nuclear power plant).

Using the consumable rings is a good idea, but won't teach you to be a better welder. It's a way to get the job done easier, and faster though and can save you from burning through some pricey tubing. While tigging, fitment should be pipe to pipe with no gap. You should let the torch burn a small "keyhole" in the gap, and then you fill it with the filler. The most critical aspect of tig welding is KEEP YOUR WORK CLEAN, especially if welding aluminum.

Are you using straight argon gas or is it a mix?

It makes it easier to weld too (aluminum) if you preheat it to "take the chill out". You don't want to get it past 350° )I found that 275 was optimum for me) though. You can check this with a temp stick (is a crayon like stick, that melts at a pre-determined temperature). This brings the garbage in the metal to the top and allows the heat from the torch to burn it out, instead of keeping it in the weld. Just run a propane torch over it a few times, to get it warm, and weld away. Believe it or not, it should weld easier.

Sorry to jump back and forth on topics, but like I said, I haven't welded in awhile and just sitting here and trying to think of some stuff that hasn't been mentioned by some of the others. Keep up the good work and remeber that you'll get better with practice (not that you did that bad of a job for just starting).

Brains

iTrader: (7)

Hey, be as big of a critic as you can!! I'm all about improving... That series of pics of the exhaust tubing was the first time I'd *ever* picked up a tig. I've welded quite a bit more with it now, I should post my current progress. I mistakenly bought WAY too big of filler (1/8" and 3/32" as well, like Jim got) and found out its not very usable on thin tubing I have been using the .035" wire from my mig as filler instead, just cut a chunk off the spool and away I go.

I'm using a Miller Econotig, foot control, with 3/32" thoriated tungsten in the torch (17 series torch, #7 cup). I'm using straight argon at 20 to 22 cfh flow rate.

I found I have a tendency to want to weld fast, and have to "talk myself into" slowing down. I only back off the pedal when I start growing the pool too wide, which is kinda late My latest job was welding in subframe connectors into my LS1 Mustang project, and that went pretty well.

LuvmyC5

iTrader: (1)

Would you Please post up some more pics?

If welding thinner wall tubing (intercooler piping, exhaust stuff,etc.) and you're bench welding, you can put the tubing on a piece of aluminum or copper to use as a heat sink and pull some of the heat back out. It helps a bit to keep the piece at a workable temperature. Also, just lighten up on the pedal as you go, because the piece is holding/building more heat.


I like when a person first takes up welding and gets excited about it. I met quite a few peeps that didn't enjoy it and took it up for the money. A person that enjoys it, tends to learn better/faster than someone who does it for other reasons. You sound like you're enjoying it, and that's a good thing. You'll like it even better as your skills improve and you can see all of the things that you and your machine are capable of. Keep up the GREAT work!

Camaro Zach

iTrader: (7)

Dont know if its been mentioned, but if you grind off the aluminized coating around where you will be welding it will help the quality of the weld a good bit and make it look cleaner.

FarmerBeau

iTrader: (3)

Stainless acts about the same as mild but you pretty much know if you are welding at correct heat and speed when the color of the weld is a golden color. Although the golden color is the sweetspot, multicolored welds are very good nonetheless. What method are you using? Free hand? The pipe shown in the picture above that a fellow member welded, he used the freehand teqnique. Here is a good link of what a freehand looks like (I think it is a stainless weld)
http://www.cyberroach.com/robots/rot.../mDSCN3471.jpg

Have you heard of walking the cup? It is a well known teqnique the pipe welders use to weld high pressure pipe. Anytime i weld something worthwhile, i will walk the cup. It ties both peices of metal in evenly and is very attractive if you do it right. These are pics of similar things that we weld at my work. http://www.cryenco.com/images/photos/shop18.jpg and http://www.cryenco.com/images/photos/shop19.jpg These are high pressure flanges and are stainless. You walk the cup by meandering the cup along the weld at a constant speed. You can tell you are doing it right if the tip of your tungsten is making a figure8 motion on the metal. It takes tons of practice and sometimes months or years to perfect but once you have got it, its like riding a bike. Ok found another really good one. http://www.cryenco.com/images/photos/shop16.jpg
Notice the gold color and the blue edges. Correct speed and heat. Also notice the figure 8 pattern looking like it was laid their. BTW that is Stainless.
Again keep your tungsten out of the puddle!!! and it wont ball up

Brains

iTrader: (7)

Next time I'm in the garage welding something, I'll take some more pics. Farmer, those pics are amazing, hopefully I'll get to that point some day

I'm definitely enjoying the welding, not exactly sure why but who cares. lol.

parish8

iTrader: (6)

ok my turn. i wont show you my first attempt, or my 2nd.. this was my 3rd and i am geting better. i am to the point i have a few question. here are some pic's first.






first question, i have a few spots where there is a hole in my weld. not a burn thru but like a bubble that poped. i can go back and try and smooth it over but it seems to do the same thing. not sure if you can see it in that 3rd pic or not. what is that?

my welds look a lot better when i dont have to add any filler. is that ok to just melt it together without filler? when i did need some filler(gap started to open) i think my rod is too big still, it puts too much down and i end up with a lumpy weld. i am using 1/16filler now.

on the back of the weld a lot of it is melter together like the top but some of it you can still see the 2 pieces of metal. the bottom should look like the top shouldn't it?

Louis

iTrader: (7)

FB- The Dime seems to be the universal weld comparison. LOL!

Mmmm...Beads....

smoknta

Anyone ever weld Chrome Moly tubing. I am having a hard time keeping a stable arc. The arc is all over the place and I am getting very bad tungstem erosion. I think I am having a gas issue or a problem with the welder itself.

jdustu

iTrader: (2)

Parish8: to get rid of those pinholes you need to grind away the area and start over......sometimes you can go back over it and make it "look" good, but the porosity will still be there....there are a few different causes, but in my experience when doing work similar to yours, it's usually from an arc disturbance: i never even use the ventilation fan when tig welding because the arc is so sensitive........it could also happen if there is oil/dirt on the metal, if the electrode is contaminated, the gas flow is interupted(or the wrong gas is being used), with tool steels if the metal isn't preheated right, ect. ect.....

smoknta: i've don't remember ever welding chromemoly, but make sure the polarity is right(dc negative)....i'm guessing you have, but there have been plenty of times when i can't figure out what the heck i'm doing wrong and it's as simple as that, or i don't have a good ground ...other than that, are you using the right gas(straight argon)? this link may or may not help....

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/chrome-moly.asp?print=yIt's

jdustu

iTrader: (2)

not much beats a pretty stainless weld!

Camaro Zach

iTrader: (7)

Parish8- do the *bubbles* form at the end of the weld when you pull the torch away or just anywhere? If its at the end it could be caused from impurities from the air because there is no shielding gas there to protect the weld. Your machine should have a built in post flow for the gas, which makes it keep flowing after the weld. If you leave the torch over the weld (no arc or anything) just there for a second or two after your weld it might solve some of the problems. And it could be caused as Jdustu said with the dirty metal or a fan blowing the shielding gas away.
Also if your just starting out tig welding you might want to practice some on thicker metal. The thicker metal is more forgiving to heat and wont burn through as easy. That will help you get your bead consistancy down and the feel for the welder, then you can move onto the thinner stuff.

smoknta

Is it bad to have constant High freq when DC welding?

pwrtrip75

iTrader: (8)

Im an x-ray gas pipe welder. I TIG steel from 3/4" thick to 1/4 stainless tubing. And do alot of 1/8 aluminum sheetmetal.

Mild steel - clean all the carbon and any coating off it. Carbon will jump on your tungsten and eventually coat the end and get dirty. gas set at around 35 high freq to start only.

Stainless- I usually turn the gas down to around 25 and the heat way down. perfectly clean surface, of oil and anything is best.

Aluminum - you are supposed to have a nice shiny ball at the end of your pure tungsten (green) and turn the gas up a little - 40. high freq on continuous and AC.
3/16 and under thickness doesnt really need to be preheated. I never do. But 3/4 ich ive done Ive had to preheat alot.

Stainless when you weld it can not be welded around in a continuous circle. It will be prone to cracking if it isnt stress releived. So weld 1/4 one way, then go the other way , kinda skip around. Also if you go slow and hot it will tend to burn and turn chaulky gray. It should be a shiny tan/blue when your finished.

Chromoly is similar to stainless. just make sure you clean the carbon off it.

Your welds show your putting way too much heat in or moving way to slow. The inside of the pipe should be perfectly smooth. If you want 100% penetration it should look fused and smooth. Any protrusions or burn through is pointless and restrictive. You dont really need 100% penetration on exhaust pipe.

wkdivr

iTrader: (8)

You should be ok with 1/16 filler. Anything smaller is too hard to keep steady. Just try to add the filler at the very front of the puddle. Try to get comfortable, and relax your torch hand. It funny how you get a death grip on the torch, or the filler, and don't realize it! For small parts on a bench, I like to use a stool, if possible. With practice you should be able to get the right travel speed, and filler speed. You don't always have to jam the wire into the puddle, just barely dip it. Hope this helps!

J&J Speed Shop

iTrader: (8)

On a pipe butt weld you need to add filler. If you just melt them together you are just decreasing the thickness of the material. Also when welding pipe make sure you have NO gap. Belt sand or grind until the fitment is perfect.

Also practice, practice, practice