weld pictures, how am I doing so far?

[Boomer II]

Great, now build me a bumper!

 

[formula]

:-laf

 

[lil red cummins]

you are right, it is normally necessary to taper off the power at the end of the piece since it is already hot and you are near the edge of the piece. try and keep just enough power to close the crack and then drop it off slowly till the arc shuts off. this normally works the first time. sometimes you may have to let it cool and then just touch it up. on thin material you have to be careful not to burn through since it may distort the piece. as long as you see some of the base material molten before you added filler, thats probably good enough. it also has a lot to do with how strong the weld needs to be. if its cosmetic only, a little is good enough. experience will teach you the correct amount.



the electrode will need continuous touch up. its the nature of the beast. use the largest diameter you can for aluminum that gives you control once the part is hot. i normally use the 1/8" unless i am welding under 1/16" material. then i use the 3/32".

on sharpening the electrode, i use a cordless drill and turn it slowly on the grinder wheel. i know you are supposed to ball the tip for aluminum, but i normally give it a blunt tip. it helps focus the energy into a smaller area. also, has anyone mentioned the correct way to grind the electrode? if you use a normal bench grinder to dress the electode, hold it vertically rather than horizontally across the wheel. this way, the grinder scores are in the "same" direction as the current passing through the electrode. if you grind across the electrode you may experience "swirling" of the arc. this wastes power. i have seen microscopic photos of what the electrode looks like after grinding. it is really rough and can effect power flow.



have you tried welding heavier aluminum? i didnt notice how much power you have. if you have around 200 or better you should try welding 1/2" or 3/4" aluminum. it is a real trip!!!!! talk about heat. :--)



keep up the good work and oh by the way, i think there are some other folks who would like to "contract" with you for some side jobs.



jim

 

[formula]

Looks like things are OK for the tungsten prep. I took a couple of pics of the ones I've been using most. 3/32 2% Th and 3/32 pure. I've also got them in 1/16 and 0. 040. Talk about some tiny beads with the 0. 040 I'll probably get some 1/8 for doing thicker aluminum (up to 1/4") Think I'll order those online because the local supply house is dang expensive for any tungstens over 1/16" My machine maxes out at 180 amps. As far as I can tell, that's probably not enough for 1/4" aluminum on a single pass. Is it acceptable to notch the joint and make 2 or 3 passes for the larger stock?



I'm definitely interested in doing some side jobs on steel and/or aluminum. Not quite sure how to go about arranging that sort of thing though. On another note, I've been making steel furniture and sculptures that I plan on selling this summer. People around here just love that kind of stuff.



Sean



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[HoleshotHolset]

I think I see some copper deposits... .



How much have you experimented with tungsten protrusion? You have yours set into the cup a lot more than I ever dared to try...



Matt

 

[formula]

LOL, not copper deposits. That's what happens when you do a fillet weld and some goo made it's way into the joint before you started to weld. Makes a nasty spatter mess :{ On the gas lens, the black crap is the result of touching the filler rod to the tungsten. Makes a heck of a pop when that happens I've got a much more steady hand now



As far as the tungsten extension... ... On the pointed electrode, I set it that way when doing a fillet joint so I can use the cup as a guide to maintain the proper arc length and bead height. Also makes it possible to rock the cup along the workpiece to create the nice looking "stack of nickles" I've found with the regular type nozzles that more than about 5mm extension makes for trouble. Any longer and then gas cover will be reduced due to the cup being too far away from the work. Also, when welding around corners, it allows air to get sucked in behind the arc which really makes a terrible mess. Too much extension will cause the tungsten to oxidize more easily after you stop welding too.



The gas lens, however, is a totally different animal. You can have the tungsten hanging way outside the cup with no problem. I had it sticking out about 1. 5 inches once to reach into a joint. The gas cover is larger and much straighter. This makes corner joints and strange angles much easier and won't suck air behind the arc. One disadvantage is that the gas lens is a lot fatter than a regular cup, which can make it impossible to reach into some joints. Another is that it weighs about double what a regular cup and collet body does.



Sean



BTW, a Millermatic 175 made its way into the garage today I know, I know... ..... plasma

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I thought I saw some green on that gas lens... . oh well... maybe I'm going color blind. Staring at a computer screen for 8+ hours/day might be taking its toll...



1½" of tungsten protrusion!!? Man, I gotta experiment with a gas lens!!



I've never been able to let the tungsten protrude more than ½" or so, at most.



Millermatic 175 - Did you find a good deal on a used one, or is the credit card heavy again? I really like the Millermatic 210... . but the 'Pulser' looks sweet too. Ask Scott Hovey about my MIG welding skills sometime... . I need some practice with that process. I hope like heck I don't ever loose my TIG skills... .



I'd offer the use of my plasma cutter, but I don't want to make you spend more money.



I'm looking at CNC plasma cutting equipment... you can make some neat stuff with a setup like that.



Matt

 

[formula]

It was a friend of mine who got the MIG machine. I kindly offered to let him keep it in my garage I had a go with it on wednesday. Felt a lot like stick welding but faster and you can see the weld pool very well. Ran a couple of welds with some self shielding flux core wire. Welds nicely, but makes a ton of smoke. I like the solid wire better though.



I've got my eye on a Powermax600. Hopefully I'll be able to do something about that relatively soon, the jigsaw and tinsnips is getting a bit old.



Sean

 

[HoleshotHolset]

You can't buy a PowerMax 600... that's a bigger plasma cutter than I have!! :-laf



Did you find a re-furb unit?



I know what you mean about storing metal-fab equipment. Dad says that he'd be happy to let me store a big MIG machine right next to the TIG and the PowerMax 380.



Going from TIG to MIG is an adventure... I felt like I had no control at all over anything. I was at the mercy of the feed speed... . I only had that one 'go' at it... hopefully I'll get some more practice sooner or later.



Matt

 

[nickleinonen]

Originally posted by HoleshotHolset

Nick:



Good luck finding a used TIG box. I looked for about 2 months... and gave up. All the good ones go really quick. I settled on my box (Miller Syncrowave 180SD) and have never looked back.



Don't waste your time with an old dinosaur... . the newer boxes with HF (high frequency) allow you to start an arc really easy... and the power supplies these days are like buttah!



Matt

i've been looking for a 180sd, but i think i may have just come across a near new 250 dx for an ok price [if the guy will come down $500, i will buy it if it is all good]



i'll have to call him and get some more details. bigger than i wanted, but bigger is better, right??? :-laf

 

[formula]

Bigger machine can't hurt Unless you plan to move it around a lot. Also make sure your electric service is up to the load. If I get a bigger machine I'm going to have to get a seperate service installed on the garage



Sean

 

[nickleinonen]

dang, called about it and it was already gone... oh well, the search will continue

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Nick,



I ran into that same thing twice.



I picked up the classified ad magazine (Want-Ad) the day it came out... and called that very same day. On two occasions... . the welders were already spoken for on the same day the magazine came out.



I gave up and bought brand spankin' new.



Matt

 

[nickleinonen]

well, i have a little 110v flux cored wire feed welder that does me well [other then the awful spatter from the weld when you are using the higher power settings]... i'd buy new if i could get a steal of a deal, but we'll see...

 

[maint.man]

A good TIG weld deffinitly deserves respect. good job!

I personally like the lincoln 250 pulse on pulse with the push pull gun , unless the aluminum is less than 18 ga. it does a slick job. The best part is that it is easier to use for me cause its like using a standard MIG.