Thus the foot pedal... for controlling your amperage. Your eyes are the monitor...

Once I get those sync'd up.............:RunninDog:

Little personalizations are helping a lot also. Hand props of varying heights, a taller stool, clamping fixtures, etc. I'm finding I can't have too many "custom" accessories. Anything that improves vision, range of movement, and angle of attack......

EXACTLY!!!



It's all about freedom of movement - or travel - while being able to be unwavering... I find that if I'm moving too slow -- the weld will wander etc. So once I get cranking I just want to make that puddle travel.

Here's a decent video I stumbled across today.

Good video!


My problem is I watch the videos etc -- but by the time I go to weld something -- 8 months have passed and damn if I can remember what it was I was supposed to do! I then go to the internet and try to find the info...


That's the difference between the us and the guys that weld all the time.

If you have a YouTube account there's a thing called "favorites" that you can create a TIG Folder and add the videos to or just add the URL to you browser's favorites............:mock:

You can get even............latest attempt at TIG

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-c...-cmmpNCJ-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5...-5BCWvWp-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-c...-c9Q6dRm-L.jpg

:peepwall:

Hard to tell what size that steel is (3/8th or 1/2") -- but to weld that without a water cooled torch... Dude! You da king of handlin' da heat!

It's .25" and it gets the paws a little warm!

Two more attempts......

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-w...-w3qh7SB-L.jpg

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5...-5mfK3ZL-L.jpg

I'm guessing the speed is a little slow........possibly over penetration?

Thicker is easier.......should have started on that a long time ago.

These weld are with 1/16" tungsten and rod, 110-120 max amps.

You know you can check settings with the Miller weld calculator right??


So that weld is called a FILLET weld... and on .25 (1/4") steel ----

Miller calls for 1/8th Tungsten -- with a 1/2" torch cup -- 3/16" fill material -- 250 to 325 amps -- 13 CFH gas flow -- with a welding speed of 5" per minute.


My little Miller Dynasty 200 DX won't even go that high... :lol: :lol:

Oh ----- I forgot.....


It still is looking like you're gaining some skills....


It isn't that easy you know.

Time to cut them on the saw and see if I can determine penetration. My machine is good for 220.......

Okay -- but a 1/16th Tungsten ISN'T..... it's only good for 150 amps on most charts --- but the Tips and Tricks dude will tell you it's only good to 120. I go with him on this one. (and anything else he says for that matter).

Range on the low side -- 20 amps...


That's DC neg or DCEN as it's called (DC Electrode Negative)

Hey Guys:

When you are purging, are you using a dedicated separate cylinder of argon or have you tapped into the tig argon cylinder? If you have tapped into the tig argon, I would like to see how you did it. If it is dedicated, is there just another regulator? Dont necessarily want to get another set up to purge and occasional stainless tube.

TIG welding practice project......fabbed a necklace and ring holder for the wife for Mothers Day.

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-L...-L3NGTvx-L.jpg

I would think that most of us are just using a single bottle with a tap for a purge line. If you want to you can run a separate gauge etc so that you can control the flow.

Just hit your local welding shop and they can show you some options on how to set this up.









<holding a card to his forehead - and wearing a diaper for a turban> I see a future for you little one......

What you really need to do this CORRECTLY ---- is a DUAL FLOW regulator like this --- they're near $300 if you shop.




http://store.cyberweld.com/viredfm150du.html

I like your style. I'll have to remember this. When she starts complaining about spending too much time in the garage you break out "But... but... honey, I'm practicing for you" :lol:

Definitely a win-win strategy. :thumbsup:

Mom's Mother's Day magnetic photo frame.

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5...5kXBstM-XL.jpg

Wife's necklace holder loaded

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-4...4JBcJWX-XL.jpg

Awesome dude!



Nice that your kids can weld like that.

I think we should all book flights to AUSTIN -- and have ERIC AKA: Griffthmetal give us some TIG instruction. It's a cute little town... he does wonderful work... we can harass Bryan - Eric and SW all in one fell swoop...


Then we can head out to The Salt Lick for a little BBQ and Beer (BYO - it's a dry county).



:hello:

Austin Texas is in a dry county?!:confused59:

No Austin isn't -- but "The Salt Lick" I went to is in Driftwood, Texass......

Agreed on that! I'm proud to have his welds on my car. I need to get him to spend an hour or two teaching me before we wrap up this project. ;)

As for that other type of 'Weld':

Pictures, or I don't believe you actually went. :peepwall:

Suggestions?
 

Just when I think I've got TIG figured out I try something new and get my arss kicked.

Building aprons and rad support for this current project and this is V2.0 trying to weld in this flange. Same thing happened the first time- warped the crap out of the panel. This time I've tried TIGing the flange on before cutting out the opening hoping the extra material would help keep the panel straight. Sheet metal is 18g. V2.0 flange is 11g vs using 18g on the first one- again trying to stiffen the panel. The flange was tacked down about every 6-8" all the way around before welding. I'm welding about an inch at a time then skipping 6-8" and welding another inch. I'm only using enough heat to make the weld and moving along at a pretty decent pace.

Suggestions??!?!?

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps0884598d.jpg

Too much heat.... and not enough clamping....


You'd need to use a large angle iron bar or something similar and hold down the entire edge of the sheet metal....


Then you need to turn the heat way lower or weld way faster -- but most of the heat into the "flange" rather than the sheet... and you need to allow it to cool before beginning another weld and weld on a completely different area... use a damp rag to cool quickly after welding and do far less of a bead than you're running...


That's my .02 ---- I hope others will kick in with how they'd do it.

I'm with Greg. Heat as always. But instead angle iron, how about large thick piece of aluminium or copper. It would tranfer the heat out from the welded piece. Pulse is nice on that kind of welds, just set it low p/sec.

Or fab the piece little bit different. Cut the opening but make hole smaller and make straight sections of the angle from it and only weld the cornerpieces.

Another cooling style is compressed air, blowgun, less mess and easier to continue welding than water.

OK just ruined V3.0 Better than the last one but still warped the edges. I clamped it with a piece of 1" square tubing in about 5 spots down the length as I welded the top and bottom. I've got the heat turned as far down as it will go and still melt metal. I've been using one wet rag laying across the inside and another small one to quench each spot after my weld. I even tried rolling a bead around the opening to see if that would help control the warpage but still not flat. Somehow I must still be getting it too hot!!! :bang: I wonder if a different type of filler rod with a lower melting point would help? I've often noticed that when TIGing mild steel with this rod it tends to be sticky (not wanting to fully puddle) and I have to get it right on top of the tungsten to get it to melt.

Or I just need to get better at my metal working to straighten out the edges...

I think I will try some 16g for V4.0 And I do have some aluminum bar laying around that I will try for the clamping next time.

Has anyone tried that Eastwood welding heat putty?

You would be surprised how many counties out here are dry. Even going into Chilli's or Saltgrass Steak house in some counties you have to "join their club" to have a beer with your dinner. They can't serve alcohol to the general public but they can serve to member of their "private club."


I'm down for a run to Austin for a metalworking class!! It's only about a 3 hour drive for me. Get that set up Greg!!

If this is not a "structural" weld.... you could get yourself some silicone bronze...


By the way -- I don't think you could NOT have warpage on that flat plate of some kind. Any time you heat metal you expand it and when it cools it shrinks... since you're welding in only one area that area is going to expand and contract more (warpage).

What you may need to do is to make your gauges match --- but we don't know what you're building...

Does the piece require the two gauges of metal? Could you use an L shape and just plug weld it? Or use a thicker gauge and drill and tap it to attach your flat?

It is a radiator support. The "flange" is basically a close out to clean up the transition to the radiator core and giving a recessed area where the A/C condenser will sit. The flange is not structural- mostly cosmetic but having the added benefit of stiffening the panel. I know it can be done... I've done it on smaller pieces without the warpage- I've just never tried a large flat panel like this before. I'd rather not use angle iron as this is a high end build and I'm trying to make it as nice as possible. I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong with my technique. I guess I could build a separate sheet metal "L" flange that I could spot weld instead of having to weld the entire edge...

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/v...psa4dbb017.jpg
http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/v...psa009de03.jpg
http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps53f79048.jpg

Well --- seeing it really helps!



You're welding too much bead....cut those beads down to half an inch or 3/4's of an inch let it cool down and add another half an inch if it needs to be longer. WAY smaller welds --- skipping around the piece will really cut the warpage. There's a lot of metal there.... but it can't take that much heat without warping. Looks like there's 3 inches of weld on some of them -- and that's where you're running into trouble. Ya gotta sneak up on it!!

BTW --- WELDING ON FLAT is just a problem -- period. You'd be far better off making this out of a series of way smaller pieces with structure -- and then welding them together to make your final piece. Just my humble opinion.

Those 3" welds were done 3/4" to an inch at a time. I've been doing short welds just for that reason, quenching it and letting it sit till I can touch it by hand and then doing the next round of welds.

I'm going to think about the idea of breaking it up into separate pieces...

Thanks for the insight! If anyone else has ideas I'd like to hear them as well.. I know this can be done but obviously I'm not there yet! :lol:

If it was easy -- the fat chicks could do it!


LOL

can you list what size tungsten and filler you are using. I usually mig stuff like that. On a support piece I like to use tube then 16g to fill in. Most welds are fillet.

3/16 red stripe tungsten with 1/16 mild steel rod.

I do have some 1/16" red stripe tungsten I bought when I was learning on aluminum tubing but I never had luck with it.. kept melting down the tungsten before the aluminum. Perhaps I'd have better luck with it on steel?

Remember that you must match your tungsten SIZE to the amperage you're attempting to weld with.... they're rated differently whether you're welding in AC or DC.

1/16th (red) 2% Thoriated tungsten is rated at 30 to 80 amps on AC

DC will be rated HIGHER -- but, of course, Aluminum is welded in AC