Newbie now with TIG.

[dazza]

Thanks for your post @DAPPH Sounds like a good idea, i'm really happy with the finish i get with the tungsten sharpener on my dremel. Now that i'm getting better i can go half an hour without sharpening it some times .

Would be interested to see some of your TIG welds... get some pics up.

 

[dazza]

Got another practice piece ready .

 

[Richard.]

Got another practice piece ready .

View attachment 95125

Sequence your welding don't let it get too hot. Do afew have a brew.

 

[dazza]

Sequence your welding don't let it get too hot. Do afew have a brew.

Thanks Richard, how about quenching in a bucket.

 

[Richard.]

Thanks Richard, how about quenching in a bucket.

No. allow it to cool on its own.

 

[dazza]

Found this by the bin . Don't think i could use a pedal at this bench we will see.

 

[Richard.]

Tig weld a platform from the bench to put your pedal on or a less permanent solution put the pedal on a stool.

 

[HughF]

The last dial very top right I think is for mixed acdc wave. Quite advanced for an old machine but a feature I actually hate on my Rehm. I could be wrong but it looks like that to me

Hmm.... interesting...

 

[HughF]

What the heck does that mean???

@Jim Davey

 

[Richard.]

View attachment 95145

What the heck does that mean???

@Jim Davey

Ah. That's for AC striking. You can bios the polarity towards the ep for a split second which puts heat into electrode for a more positive strike. A hot electrode will always strike better. Nice feature. My old caddy 2200i had this

 

[dazza]

I had high hopes today the tacking up went much better didn't use any filler rod today. Must remember to flush a bit of gas before tacking up as the first tack was a mess.

With the butt joints i did have a couple of breaks but things got a bit too hot in the end. No consistency .

I thought i was better at outside corner joints but i slapped the tungsten with the filler on the first 4 i attempted .

But the fillet welds are a bit better than last time.

 

[eSCHEn]

Check your flow rate on the meter and purge the line as well. Don't feel so bad wasting Ar then

Some tidy beads chap; practise is getting you some good consistency.

 

[Richard.]

Patients and arc length look to be suffering there.

 

[dazza]

Going to cut another batch tomorrow, will resort to quenching as i'm to impatient to wait for it to cool i just want to keep running beads .

The stool was a great find, at first i struggled with the filler rod as i was used to standing at the bench. I also use it to support the torch cable, over the shoulder then down to the stool then up to the torch (like an s shape).

 

[Richard.]

will resort to quenching as i'm to impatient to wait for it to cool i just want to keep running beads .

Worst thing you can do . You'll save no time because you'll have to wait for it to dry out inside too. If there is water inside it when you weld they will look even worse. Just take your time and make a nice job of it.

 

[DAPPH]

Going to cut another batch tomorrow, will resort to quenching as i'm to impatient to wait for it to cool i just want to keep running beads .

The stool was a great find, at first i struggled with the filler rod as i was used to standing at the bench. I also use it to support the torch cable, over the shoulder then down to the stool then up to the torch (like an s shape).

I got fed up with a metre of filler rod waving about in my left hand , so I cut them in half , turned the flattened end over in a small corkscrew manner so if I drop it I can pick it up easily with my gloves on and without burning myself on the hot end of the rod. Plus there is less tendency to try and poke the curled rod end inside you welding mask or use it as a scriber to make scratched on worms all over the visor s glass protector .

I didn't get any TIG done today .. but made a messy weld or two when MMA welding a galv jockey wheel clamp on the drawbar of my ancient small trailer . ( Using up the last of my 8 year old arc rods . I only had 1.6 & 2 mm ones to play with , when I ought to have been using 3.2 mm instead . )

Thanks Richard, how about quenching in a bucket.

Why not set up four or five groups of the cut tube sections , Once you have tacked up each group move on to welding , weld a seam , move to the next group , then when that's had its weld move on to the next group
Having five individual groups should see you keep everything nice and cool .

You suggested I put up some pictures of my TIG welding .. ... If I did you'd soon be seeing little men in white coats arriving on your doorstep , because you'd be laughing yourself silly at the mess , HONEST .

At the minute I'm content to mess around with my new multipurpose Synergistic welder , I' still getting the feel of it as it's 50 years ago that I did any argon arc welding . on duraluminium , Co2 wire welding off a reel was not invented in those distant days as far as I know .
So long as the welds are strong & low pressure propane gas tight I'm happy for the present , as I'm trying to make a working smelting furnace to smelt brass to cast some intricate bits using lost wax casting .

I'm still gaining experience using the welder to do my jobs as they arrive at the top of the to do list . By the time it comes round that I have got the metal band saw repaired / up & running correctly I should have no probs running flat beads & I'll also be reasonably conversant & hopefully competent with this new welder.

It's also a bit of a race against time ... I may end up having to have a heart pacemaker fitted .. I understand that electric welding may be a bit of a no no if I have one.

 

[dazza]

I didn't get any TIG done today .. but made a messy weld or two when MMA welding a galv jockey wheel clamp on the drawbar of my ancient small trailer . ( Using up the last of my 8 year old arc rods . I only had 1.6 & 2 mm ones to play with , when I ought to have been using 3.2 mm instead . )

Sounds like fun, i've never tried stick welding will have to get myself an electrode holder and a few rods.

Why not set up four or five groups of the cut tube sections , Once you have tacked up each group move on to welding , weld a seam , move to the next group , then when that's had its weld move on to the next group
Having five individual groups should see you keep everything nice and cool .

Good idea maybe i will cut 25, and do 5 groups of 5 should keep me entertained for a little while.

I've had enough of the box section now, i enjoy the welding but my band saw blade is getting dull and its taking ages to cut. Will do another batch tomorrow hopefully i have some stainless and aluminium rods by the end of the week. Think i will also have to get another bottle of gas .

It's also a bit of a race against time ... I may end up having to have a heart pacemaker fitted .. I understand that electric welding may be a bit of a no no if I have one.

I suppose hf start would be a no no.. oxy-acetylene.

 

[dazza]

Got a bit done this afternoon.

Stuck some smaller bits together.

Then cut it up again

Tacked up the 3 groups.

Butt welds are a mess as usual, Maybe i v'd out too much?

Outside corner joints are better, And the fillets are a little bit better.

I've had enough of doing these now. What next??

 

[Omniata]

Try welding a nut over a hole in some pipe/tube to put threaded bar through to clamp a smaller pipe/tube...

I managed M8 nuts over an 8mm hole. You'll need to re-tap the nut after as the heat/oxidation alters the thread slightly...
Pity I've got no pics but the MD at the time wouldn't allow us to take any

 

[DAPPH]

Try welding a nut over a hole in some pipe/tube to put threaded bar through to clamp a smaller pipe/tube...

I managed M8 nuts over an 8mm hole. You'll need to re-tap the nut after as the heat/oxidation alters the thread slightly...
Pity I've got no pics but the MD at the time wouldn't allow us to take any

I did that on Sunday , as I didn't have the band saw up & running I used an angle grinder .. it's not cut as square as I'd hoped .. the brass nipple i made to go into the thread was lob sided on the thread ( cheap Lidl tap & die set with no guide on the the die stock ).
So I made a new one and this time used a home made button die holder in the tailstock chuck to align it on the brass jet in the head stock chuck , then turned the lathe chuck back & forth by hand . Purrrrfect !

I'll have to make a new tube up because like you said the thread is affected by the heat etc. it's a wee bit too loose and so the jet stream of the gas flame still goes ever so slightly lob sided rather than straight & central in the venturi pipe .

This time I'll turn up a long shouldered long sleeve to just under tapping size , slip it in the pipe then weld it in place , then tap the sleeved end when it's cold