Ask your WELDING questions here.

[mark1305]

Just more anecdotal BS to add to the bacon sizzling discussion....

While continually self teaching myself to MIG over the last 14 years (wow! time flies), I started copying some weldors I saw on car/hot rod TV shows who plugged holes in sheet metal and did other stuff by just covering the torch with a gloved hand to protect their eyes and pulling the trigger.

While doing this and fine tuning votage and wire speed to get the bacon sizzle sound, I noticed the welds were often better (penetration, accuracy, and appearance) than if I was watching the puddle. Later on I learned how to watch the freeze zone rather than the arc, but I still get some of the best results by sound alone.

Just my comments FWIW.

[nanotech9]

I have a Tig question...

I've got an older Miller Synchrowave 250 (no digital readouts - only knobs and switches).

When it runs, it runs good... but most of the time its having a BIG problem.


When i try to start a nice flame, instead of developing the flame at the point of the tungsten, it'll start popping and arcing back in the cup, and try to make a flame as big as the cup... the tungsten turns bright red very quickly, and it produces a crazy amount of heat.

I've completely replaced the torch.
I've first gapped, then re-finished and gapped the points.
tried other bottles of argon
Does the same on DCN or AC (steel or aluminum)

Something i thought was weird is even with the high-freq turned to start, i still see it arcing like crazy (on DC-N) and its arcing way back up in the cup on the tungsten.


Every once in a while it'll start a perfect flame at the tip of the tungsten and purr like a kitten.

I can sit down at any other TIG that works, and lay down some decent beads, so I dont think its my own fault... who knows?

[ER70S-2]

What size tungsten are you using? Do you know that you can't use the same tungsten for DC and AC (red for DC and green for AC)? I know that red and green are old school, but so is the welder. 100% argon?

[Strong Bad]

Originally Posted by ER70S-2

snip......... Do you know that you can't use the same tungsten for DC and AC (red for DC and green for AC)?....snip......

This statement is incorrect

[ER70S-2]

You are right. I was thinking of the arc problems a green tungsten can cause when welding with an inverter welder.

The question was arc problems on a transformer welder.

[David R]

My first thought is the torch. Do you have another one to try?

[fxstbiluigi]

Originally Posted by ER70S-2

What size tungsten are you using? Do you know that you can't use the same tungsten for DC and AC (red for DC and green for AC)? I know that red and green are old school, but so is the welder. 100% argon?

Pure tungsten (green) can be sharpened and used like the thoriated tungsten, But, the point isn't going to last very long before it wants to ball the end. It won't last long enough to make sharpening it worth while.
Thoriated tungsten, on the other hand, will do better at higher amperages commonly encountered with welding alum.

[sailah]

Can we pause on the tungsten discussion for a minute...

I have green, red and orange, which I understand from memory are pure, thoriated and ceriated.

I have been using pure for aluminum obviously. Welding these panniers, I have been using my WP9 with a 1/16" tungsten, gas lens and a 5 cup I think.

The material is 0.080" 5052 and I'm using 5356 filler. Should I got up to my other torch for this (WP26)? is there any advantage to a larger tungsten in this application? For the 26 I think I have collets for 3/32"



Also I know I am supposed to use the red for steel sharpened to a pencil point. Why would I use the orange? I bought it solely so I would have them all, never used it

Oh and I was welding these up today feeling good about my aluminum welding and how much progress I have made from a year ago when I basically started welding casually. Then I see this posted up in the Shiny Forum.

[fxstbiluigi]

The advantage of a larger tungsten is the capability of more amperage needed when heavier material is welded,( 3/16- 1/4" and heavier.) If the end of the tungsten starts to vibrate you need a larger dia.
Judging from the pic I wouldn't change anything, It's lookin good.

[sailah]

Originally Posted by fxstbiluigi

The advantage of a larger tungsten is the capability of more amperage needed when heavier material is welded,( 3/16- 1/4" and heavier.) If the end of the tungsten starts to vibrate you need a larger dia.
Judging from the pic I wouldn't change anything, It's lookin good.

There's a reason I didn't post too close

I can tell where I was on/off with the pedal and it bothers me as you can see the bead rising and falling. I think I had the amps at 100 and floored it, when I could feel the puddle flattening out I just sped up and added more filler rather than back off the heat suddenly which never looks good.

It's amazing to see the small little things that you only get to witness once you've settled down under the hood. Like for example what you just said about the tungsten moving. I just noticed that the other day. The ball was rolling around and I was thinking I had too much heat in it. I just usually grab the smaller torch because its easier to hold and move around.

I wish one of you pros was around Pittsburgh, I'm tired of learning by practicing the same bad techniques and watching youtube videos.

[ER70S-2]

Originally Posted by nanotech9

I have a Tig question...

I've got an older Miller Synchrowave 250 (no digital readouts - only knobs and switches).

When it runs, it runs good... but most of the time its having a BIG problem.

When i try to start a nice flame, instead of developing the flame at the point of the tungsten, it'll start popping and arcing back in the cup, and try to make a flame as big as the cup... the tungsten turns bright red very quickly, and it produces a crazy amount of heat.

I've completely replaced the torch.
I've first gapped, then re-finished and gapped the points.
tried other bottles of argon
Does the same on DCN or AC (steel or aluminum)

Something i thought was weird is even with the high-freq turned to start, i still see it arcing like crazy (on DC-N) and its arcing way back up in the cup on the tungsten.

Every once in a while it'll start a perfect flame at the tip of the tungsten and purr like a kitten.

I can sit down at any other TIG that works, and lay down some decent beads, so I dont think its my own fault... who knows?

Bump.

I'll try another guess. You've replaced the torch, changed argon bottles, it does the same on DCN or AC and arcs up into the cup, which implies a shielding failure.

That leaves your flow meter. I don't know what's inside one, maybe an old leaking diaphram, been dropped, needs a rebuild?
I don't know what's inside the gas solenoid in the welder either. Maybe it's sticking 'off'.

Edit: Has someone turned the 'balance' knob way off?

[David R]

1/16 tungsten will blow like a fuse at about 200 amps. Depending on the job which size I use. Some times I use a larger than needed tungsten because I can see it better. Aluminum on an inverter will work with any tungsten. Real sharp red ones seem to end up having some kind of hair looking stuff on the end unless I sharpen it more like a D instead of a point. I prefer smaller when I can because they cost less and take less time to re sharpen which I do a lot. I use a diamond wheel sharpie which is just a dremel tool. The bigger the tungsten, the faster I go through wheels and the longer it takes to re sharpen each one.

For stainless counter tops I use .040 tungsten. It looks bigger when its glowing red at 40 amps. For aluminum I usually use one size bigger than needed because I seem to have more control.

As far as color of the tungsten, it does not matter what color it is or how much I paid for it when I dunk it in the puddle. Its all the same to me except I do not use pure. (green).

My LWS has red or green. That is all. I Have ordered orange (2% cerated), Black, (lanthinated?) Grey (unknown), Blue and brown. I usually just use red.

Any tig welder I have is an inverter.

Those aluminum cases are going to be sweet! You are not going to paint them I hope.

David/

[fxstbiluigi]

Originally Posted by sailah

Can we pause on the tungsten discussion for a minute...

I have green, red and orange, which I understand from memory are pure, thoriated and ceriated.

I have been using pure for aluminum obviously. Welding these panniers, I have been using my WP9 with a 1/16" tungsten, gas lens and a 5 cup I think.

The material is 0.080" 5052 and I'm using 5356 filler. Should I got up to my other torch for this (WP26)? is there any advantage to a larger tungsten in this application? For the 26 I think I have collets for 3/32"



Also I know I am supposed to use the red for steel sharpened to a pencil point. Why would I use the orange? I bought it solely so I would have them all, never used it

Oh and I was welding these up today feeling good about my aluminum welding and how much progress I have made from a year ago when I basically started welding casually. Then I see this posted up in the Shiny Forum.

That weave is actually fairly easy to master ( pipe in a slipon flange) where you have a joint like that. A butt joint (where two pieces of pipe are joined) the cap is cosiderably more difficult to execute properly. I'm not able to post pics but possibly the inmate that posted this pic could find a pic of a butt joint.

[fxstbiluigi]

Originally Posted by nanotech9

I have a Tig question...

I've got an older Miller Synchrowave 250 (no digital readouts - only knobs and switches).

When it runs, it runs good... but most of the time its having a BIG problem.


When i try to start a nice flame, instead of developing the flame at the point of the tungsten, it'll start popping and arcing back in the cup, and try to make a flame as big as the cup... the tungsten turns bright red very quickly, and it produces a crazy amount of heat.

I've completely replaced the torch.
I've first gapped, then re-finished and gapped the points.
tried other bottles of argon
Does the same on DCN or AC (steel or aluminum)

Something i thought was weird is even with the high-freq turned to start, i still see it arcing like crazy (on DC-N) and its arcing way back up in the cup on the tungsten.


Every once in a while it'll start a perfect flame at the tip of the tungsten and purr like a kitten.

I can sit down at any other TIG that works, and lay down some decent beads, so I dont think its my own fault... who knows?

I've never encounterd a problem such as you describe. However if there is no shielding gas flowing there will be a lot of fuzzing (for lack of a better description) of the tungsten and without the shield flowing, or a leak in the gas hose that allows oxy to be drawn into the hose, the tungsten will oxidize as it gets hot which will cause some sputtering. Check for gas flow at the cup. The solenoid in the machine is either on(open) or off(closed). The Flowmeter is a preset regulator (set at 35psig iirc) that allows you to select the Cu.ft.hr. CFH that will be delivered to the torch.

[Mambo Dave]

Weld question: I've heard that non-critical stainless steel welds can be done with 75/25 gas, which I have. I also happen to have a DG muffler and slip-on exhaust that has a SS (seems to be SS) bracket that cracked at the welds to the pipe.

Two options occur:

!.) try to buy a 1-pound spool of SS wire (2-pound if I have to) and practice my SS welding for the first time on a relatively cheap exhaust.

2.) and the other - which this thread is not about - take it to someone to weld.

So back to option #1, what type of stainless would I most likely be working with in an exhaust tube, and secondly, which type of stainless wire should I buy (Ideally .024 to get the better current flow with my 120V Lincoln)? Besides burning through it, the worst I could do would be to have a weld that would fail... but DG already proved people can make money for those kinds of welds.

Thanks so much.