I always like a sharp point, but on AC it will ball up on it's own in a short bit. 2% works just fine, but you can go with fancy smancy if you want. I do like brown for aluminum better than the red (2% tends to splay at the tip if you are really pouring the heat to it.). Cup size to me is more dependent on where I'm trying to get into to weld. Most of the time I use a gas lens. No you don't "need" to back purge but it always makes for a better weld when you do. Use the same flow as always, you won't need as much post flow as if you were welding stainless. Aluminum takes a lot of heat. You need to pour in a lot of heat before it gets going and then as you progress you'll need to back off as the work get hot. When welding butt joints with aluminum, I like to "keyhole" the puddle and add the rod to the back side of the puddle. The aluminum technique is a little different I tend to get a puddle, add rod, then wait and melt the rod well into the puddle before moving to the next rod dab. With aluminum it will flow to the heat so if you have a lot of tungsten hanging out it's easy to get the aluminum to jump to it, thinking your dipping the tungsten when your not. 6000 series aluminum all welds pretty well. Oh yeah clean, clean, clean. Use only one stainless brush on your aluminum and don't use it on anything else. Be careful about using abrasives to clean as they leave a residue that will contaminate the weld.
ayup. I've used about 6 different miller sw200's at my previous joerb and agree 100%. I conquer (concur) on your aluminum tips. I use the orange rods for whatever reason. When I weld al I have to remind myself to be patient for the material to come to temp before proceeding. For cleaning I've used light abrasives such as flappers/scotchbrights etc then clean with laquer thinner/degreaser. Next time I'll try just a ss brush.
Hey Guys, Thanks for the comments. I'm familiar with cleanliness being up there in priorities. Good to know it's the same with aluminum. AFAIK, aluminum oxidizes within minutes of being cleaned. Probably a good idea to brush ahead of yourself as you go along then? Lojack
Yeah always, cleanliness is more important with aluminum than with any other metal. I wipe the rod off before using too. I know a guy who has specific cups he only uses on aluminum, he claims a dirty cup can contaminate the weld.
Guys, I have a Lincoln 110v wirefeeder that I have had for a while that I may give to my friend in exchange for his VW beetle upper and pan. That would leave me without a welder, so I would need to get another one cheaply. I flat out refuse to buy anything but a constant voltage unit, so.. What do you guys think of this welder: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91110 (waiting until it goes on sale) Powering this unit: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94056 If I wait for a sale I can get both for $200. Plus the inverter welder is designed for a 1/16" rod which is roughly twice the diameter of .034" fluxcore, so wouldn't that also increase the duty cycle of the machine as well? Wiring it all up is no problem for me, and I'd have a CV inverter powered wirefeeder. What do you think?
I have a Lincoln SP175 that's a couple years old. Is there a spool gun available for it to weld aluminum with? --JOsh
I have a brazing question: is there a cheap rig for brazing HVAC refrigerant lines? I need to repair my unit this summer and figure I could start practicing brazing now and be half decent by the time it's hot out. I've heard mixed reviews of OxyMapp rigs, and I'm not sure I'm ready for an OxyAcetelyne rig in my condo's attached garage. Mig is one thing - when I release the trigger the neighbors TV turns back on. I think a 6-10" reduced flame would freak them out.
That makes sense. I found it's more noticeable with titanium over steel. When there is slag* fused to the lens I get weird gas coverage and thus colorful welds, which is not what you want with ti. I know it's time to swap my gear. *I never went to school for this stuff, just learned through work, so some of my teminology may be way off, which probably makes me sound like an idiot from time to time.
<BR> Just for fun I googled solder refrigerant lines. What do ya know, the braze vs solder argument rages on like a which oil filter or tire thread, heh heh. Mechanically, both are more than capable. A basic MAPP torch will do the job with silver solder. All kinds of arguments on both sides though. Chemical contamination this, nitrogen bleed that. Usually an indication that either works. Soft Soldering Refrigerant Lines http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=133110 <BR>
What makes you say that? OAC rigs run in *all* sizes from backpack to massive industrial tanks. Learn how to safely turn it on and off and you should be fine. Also, if your MIG setup causes that much of a voltage drop I wonder how hot the wires are getting inside the wall. Just a thought.
The TV thing was a joke, it's a fairly new building with good wiring. There is this crazy lady that lives across the alley from the garages though, and she had a hissy fit when I BBQ'd with a Propane grill 35' from the garage. BTW - fire code is 20'.
Thanks Poolside! I found the same stuff, I was hoping for some real world experience but I'm starting to think it doesn't really matter. My bigger concern is teaching myself HVAC from the internet enough to pump the unit down, install a filter/bubble sight/TEV/and possibly new coil, vacuum it out, and test it.
{hijack} And of course, no DIY project would be complete without a trip to Harbor Freight. Air Vacuum Pump with R134a Connector ITEM 92475-0VGA $16.99 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92475 Air Vacuum Pump with R134A and R12 Connectors ITEM 96677-7VGA $14.99 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96677 {/hijack} <BR>
Ok so I guess this is a welder question. Why, when I start an arc with the Miller 200syncro. does my radio shut off. Not only does it shut off it also loses all the presets and the time resets itself. The welder is grounded to the work, it happens anywhere in the shop and only the tig not the mig. Any ideas???
Let me ask you something... Does this same thing happen when you unplug the radio? If so, do us a favor and bring an extension cord plugged into the other outlet over to your work. Plug a voltmeter into the extension cord and note the voltage drop (You may have to put a bright light over the voltmeter so you can see the reading, or have a friend tell you what it says) with the MIG Vs. TIG. If the voltage drop is more than 20+- volts, (I'm just throwing out a number, someone with more experience can tell you what an unhealthy drop should be) I'd imagine your welder is simply pulling more juice in TIG mode, and thusly dropping the voltage down below the minimum memory retention voltage. You may want to invest in having your wiring to your welder upgraded so the drop is not so much. Edit: P B G has a great suggestion. Also, if you know someone who has a VARIAC transformer you could see at the *exact* point when your radio loses it's stations, and check your voltmeter against that reading.
Ok I want to weld sheet metal, like on a gas tank. I only got a Lincoln Arc Welder (sticks) and I can weld heavier stuff ok, but if I try to use it weld sheet metal I make more holes than welds. Would a cheap Flux Wire Welder, like this one from Harbor Freight: [FONT=arial, sans-serif]90 Amp Flux Wire Welder, MIG 100[/FONT] <!-- PHOTO --> Be suitable for welding sheet metal? I've never used a wire feed type welder before and I don't alot of extra money to spend a bunch on a good Mig/Tig/etc with an Argon bottle. So what do you think?
Talk about overkill for a simple problem! I laughed when I read this one. When checking lightbulbs, do you bring them into a lab for X-rays, or do you plug them in?
That is what I was thinking also. But this is just a "tig" thing right? Can I set the machine to not have a high frequency start?