Tig 102

[GregWeld]

Awesome dude!



Nice that your kids can weld like that.

[Sieg]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Awesome dude!

Nice that your kids can weld like that.

[GregWeld]

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).

[RussMurco]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

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

Austin Texas is in a dry county?!

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Ravenworks

Austin Texas is in a dry county?!

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

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

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...

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':

Originally Posted by GregWeld

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

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

[Revved]

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??!?!?

[GregWeld]

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.

[SuperB70]

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.

[Revved]

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!!! 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?