Ask your WELDING questions here.

[KRS]

Originally Posted by studley

By the way did you know that if you do touch the filler rod to the tungsten while the pedal is down and you are leaning on the metal work bench, that thing can bite you right through a leather glove?

Yeah the ground was hooked to the bench and I was trying to steady my hands for the weld.

I DID know that

Seriously, glad you are okay and don't do that !!!

[ADV8]

Originally Posted by studley

So I have been teaching myself "TiG". I have a Syncro 200 with the stock torch. I am grinding the tunsten like the book says and getting pretty good to "Oh my god, that is a pretty weld"s.

How long should the tungsten last, under ideal conditions of course, between grinds?

I am getting maybe 20 minutes. If I keep it out of the puddle and do not touch the filler rod to it.

With practise you will get a (LOT) longer tungten life,it will become second nature.
Depending what you are welding you might want to start learning to walk the cup then the filler will be constant,not dabbing.
T.I.G is more a set pattern repeated over and over as you move along.
Fwiw,use a face mask when you prep your tungsten,it is not something you want to inhale.

[studley]

I try to not breathe around the grinder anyway but thanks for the heads up. Guess I'll get some of those paper masks?

The other thing I learned is a pair of reading glasses makes the weld look a whole lot clearer in the helmet. (Damm, something else to lose)

What do you mean by "walk the cup"?

[studley]

Originally Posted by KRS

I DID know that

Seriously, glad you are okay and don't do that !!!

Yeah you only have to hit me with the stick three or four times to make it sink in!! (I think I like it)

You in Phx.?

[Deadly]

I have an el-cheap-o Chicago Electric 110 volt wire welder. It works great on my steel projects that use steel under 3/16" thick. I recently decided I wanted to try welding aluminum with it so I spooled it up with .030" aluminum wire. When I try to weld with this setup it just spits and pops and doesnt act like its getting enough current. I have tried grounding the part to be welded (1/8" aluminum plate) several different ways but still get the same results.

Is it just that my welder is not designed for aluminum welding? or have I just made some bone head mistake somewhere?

This is basicaly the welder that I have:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=55167


I bought it a few years ago so its marked a little different but I think its the same as the one at the link above.





The welder has steel wire spooled up in this photo.

[KRS]

Originally Posted by studley

Yeah you only have to hit me with the stick three or four times to make it sink in!! (I think I like it)

You in Phx.?

Sierra Vista, past Tucson...

[KRS]

Originally Posted by Deadly

I recently decided I wanted to try welding aluminum with it so I spooled it up with .030" aluminum wire. When I try to weld with this setup it just spits and pops and doesnt act like its getting enough current. I have tried grounding the part to be welded (1/8" aluminum plate) several different ways but still get the same results.

Is it just that my welder is not designed for aluminum welding? or have I just made some bone head mistake somewhere?

What type of welding were you doing before? Gas mig or Flux-core?

If you just put in .030 alum wire and left the settings the same.... then yes, you made a mistake :)

Alum wire needs to be very clean, so your alum conversion kit has new rollers, new cable sleeve (nylon) etc. Then you need to polarize it correctly. What kind of gas are you using, what setting on cfm for the gas?

I have a lincoln suitcase 110v welder that came as flux-core (works great) that I recently converted to aluminum.... so I just went through this.

Also, be sure you wire speed is up... WAAAAY up.

KRS

[Deadly]

Originally Posted by KRS

What type of welding were you doing before? Gas mig or Flux-core?

If you just put in .030 alum wire and left the settings the same.... then yes, you made a mistake :)

Alum wire needs to be very clean, so your alum conversion kit has new rollers, new cable sleeve (nylon) etc. Then you need to polarize it correctly. What kind of gas are you using, what setting on cfm for the gas?

I have a lincoln suitcase 110v welder that came as flux-core (works great) that I recently converted to aluminum.... so I just went through this.

Also, be sure you wire speed is up... WAAAAY up.

KRS

My welder doesnt use gas and normally uses flux core wire. Aluminum conversion kit? .....I didnt know I needed anything like that.

So it was just me being a bonehead, can you tell me what I need to make this work?

[Poolside]

Originally Posted by Deadly

My welder doesnt use gas and normally uses flux core wire. Aluminum conversion kit? .....I didnt know I needed anything like that.

So it was just me being a bonehead, can you tell me what I need to make this work?

Steel

[Deadly]

Originally Posted by Poolside

Steel

My thoughts exactly. I will either go back to steel or figure out a good way to rivet the aluminum.

[KRS]

Alum welding isn't worth doing on a lesser dollar machine... it just sucks

I would rivet or take it to a guy with TIG.

To convert my lincoln welder from flux core to aluminum:

Switch polarity from DCEN to DCEP (electrode or gun from negative to positive).

Remove cable. Remove cable liner. Replace spiral round metal cable liner with a nylon liner (aluminum needs a smooth liner). Flux core is lubricated from the factory. Aluminum needs absolute cleanliness. If you ran AL through your flux-core liner than it was heavily contaminated and won't work.

Replace the driver roller with an AL driver roller of the right size.

Replace the gun tip with an AL tip of the right size.

Replace the plastic gun tip nozzle with a copper one for gas shielding.

Add a gas solenoid valve to the welder itself (must be capable of this upgrade), then add a bottle of argon or other mixed gas acceptable for AL welding. (Need a regulator, hose, solenoid, hookups inside the machine, bottle of gas).

Turn the wire speed from 2.5-4 that you use typically to 12-20 inches per minute, turn on the gas and fiddle until you get it just right, clean all AL with acetone twice prior to welding.....

Get ready for lots and lots of jams and bent wires..... remember,.... it sucks !!!!

The preferred MIG method is to use a spool gun where the spool of AL wire is attached to the gun and does not need to be pushed through 10' of kinked, squished, and bent cable.

KRS

[KLboxeR]

Originally Posted by Deadly

Is it just that my welder is not designed for aluminum welding? or have I just made some bone head mistake somewhere?

This is basicaly the welder that I have:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=55167

If that's the welder you have and you haven't converted it to use shielding gas, it's never going to work on Al. Aluminum wire is not "flux core" wire like you've been using (at least I hope you've been using flux core wire ). I don't think there is a such thing as flux core Al wire unless it's for some specialty application.

When your steel wire melts, it burns the flux inside the wire which makes a protective cover of gas and/or slag over the weld puddle. Gas shielding uses a flow of inert gas that comes out the nozzle and surrounds the weld as you progress. To weld aluminum you need straight argon shielding gas or an argon helium mix. They are readily available at your local welding supply but, as someone stated before, the machine must be able to handle gas.

Take a look at some newer machines because the cost and effort to convert yours would be prohibitive if even possible. If you think you may want to do more Al welding, you may want to consider a TIG/Stick welder as it may be more versatile for your needs.

[KLboxeR]

Originally Posted by JAFO

\
VERY interested. does it have to be motorbike-specific?

I don't see why it would have to be but we could all make up the rules before we started. Let's see if there's more interest and see what KTM640 thinks (I say we make him the judge ) then we can start a new thread.

Chris

[DELTATANGO]

Hey Ya'll,
I have this Airstream that I took the hydraulic jacks off of. (extra shit)

The 4"X4" post was welded to the frame.

How do I break/unweld this without frame damage?

[mark1305]

The die grinder is my friend. I keep an assortment of cutoff wheels in smaller and larger diameters (2" to 4") and 1/16" thickness and either 1/8 or 3/16" thicknesses. When you start cutting out hard to reach welds, you'll see the reasoning behind keeping different size (and almost worn out) wheels.

With a little thought and care, you can cut out almost any weld without hurting the parent metal. No air compressor? Time to shop for one. A few basic air tools will become indespensible for speeding up projects. Personally, I have a die grinder, right angle air drill, high speed sander, two impact wrenches, and air ratchet. Helps a bunch on many routine jobs.