I haven't ever tigged much, but if you are welding 304SS header tubing together, and your joints are perfect, do you have to use filler rod????

 

Mig welding aluminum I have a Lincoln 175 MIG and I wanted to try some aluminum stuff with it. I know what I need to do it but my question is how does it come out looking compared to the perfect looking TIG?

 

If you have it set up right and weave it, it can turn out nice. You won't be able to get it as small as a tig but it can look very good. Edit: This isn't stacked tacks, it is a continueous(sp) weld.
#ad

 

Well?? lol

 

Yes!! A fusion weld isn't very strong, I would strongly suggest using filler rod.

 

It depends on the joint design. Autogenous welds(no filler) are used all the time in fabrication with good results.

If you have an edge, lap or corner joint you can employ no filler with success. Tee and butt joints will always need filler though when tiging.
On tubing you want to use filler as it is a butt joint. Without filler you will end up with a concave weld and more then likely some undercut on the edges.

Run your stainless colder then mild steel but not enough that you don't get fusion. If you run too hot on your 300ss as you will get carbide precipitation and your metal will lose all the qualities you want from it in the HAZ.

 

Alright just read this entire thread. I have a couple questions. First I want to use SS to make my headers, and some one here asked about the flux on the back side. Which is better? To bach purge with inert gas or use a flux? Also Say you are in a car welding a cage in, and you do not have the ability to use a foot pedal. Would you just run off the amperage of the welder? One last question. What about this converting a stick welder to a TIG? Does any one have a link or know some where to look for this? On my Lincoln MIG the gas goes in the back of the welder. So I was just wondering if I bought a good AC/DC stick if I could turn it into a TIG?

 

Purge is far better than solar flux.

Yes, you can run without a pedal. The reason I don't like scratch start/lift arc is that you have no way of terminating the arc other than pulling the tungsten out of the weld pool, and you will loose gas coverage briefly as the weld is cooling.

Stick welders can be converted to TIG just by changing the leads and using a TIG torch with an integral gas valve. Problem is, you'll have to use scratch start unless you start adding a stand alone high frequency box, at which point you're almost better off finding a new machine, especially if you want to weld aluminum.

 

Thanks Supe

 

i really would like to practice and get good at Tig, ^^^ those weld pictures are purrrrdy!

 

This is probably the most informative thread I have ever read (not all). I am going to have to buy the welders bible and a new welder. When I get home from this hell hole....
Thanks to all

 

Iraq isn't that bad. I'm dreading another fucking year in garrison

 

at least in garrison I can drink and go whereever I want without having the approval of a very disfunctional Security Force and GOVT..

I am BORED!!!!!

 

Lots of welding videos on youtube, from what I saw when tig welding you make a puddle and push it with the rod to make the stack of times look.

 

Afternoon all, love the welding subject and have gotten alot of info reading the other threads so maybe my .02
will give some body a little help. Lets go to cast iron con ventional wisdom is that you have 2 methods, heat the part or do it slowly..
whatever that means..LOL I recently welded a flange on a cast slant 6 manifold that I used the heat it up method...
this in it self is a chore , lotta guys using barb -qs ..Sorry that aint hot enough for a flange that is going to heat cycle many times.
you need at least 700 f ...and you need to "candle it" meaning reheat and allow to cool, some and reheat..We all heard that part tho this is where the easy hot rod mentality comes in..propane weed burner , cheap and controlable with HUGE area...
Fact ..cast is garbage material but if its thick it does a lot of good things for us..You will never know what kinda alloys it has
so learn from it..I learned this from the guys that build the turn of the century PUTT PUTT flywheel motors after all they have to repair everything and this method works...stay away from high tech nickel stuff sorry guys but its a differant compisition and will
NOT expand and contract @ the same rate causing cracks..so lets use something close to the cast iron, makes sense right?
I have heated to 900f and mig welded while using RUSTY bailing wire as an add filler dozens of time with 95 pecent success.
yeah the trick is because the part is very hot you cant rest your hand on it to steady the torch handle and if it needs mulitple passes
you need to reheat and if you wishh to beautify the welds after, reheat and crank up the tig with a .125 red tungsten and
use a cresent shape pass..beware tho the tig will allow it to COOL to fast while you are reflowing those MIg welds so Stop and reheat cant get it TOO hot with the weed burner..cooling is in a step manner reheat ,give a few, reheat (slowly tapering off the heat) Coming down to 300 is the critical part then just wrap it in welding blanket or thick leather or NOW the BB-Q
it would take 20- 30 minutes after welding to get to this temp maybe reheat entire part 6-8 times until finally 300 f...
Oh straight argon DC neg ..cast tries to PUSH away the wire filler out of the gun because the cast has ALOT of crushed CHrysler Imperials trying to escape thats were the bailing wire helps to fill the craters just lay it donw and mow over it with the MIG..
use the on and off trigger method..burn a big spot with the torch stationary let off move alittle burn again keeping th trigger time consistant will make it more pleasing to the eye..we are talking USED Part here , USED exaust manifold..new parts would be differant
Just hoping to remind guys that Micheangelo JUST had a hammer and chisel...its you spirit and inventiveness that make yours
Special!...D.Minder

 

good read

 

im new to tigging so take it easy on my lol! i have been messing with aluminum and can lay a pretty good bead down but when i try to tig some aluminum pipe together it just pushes the edges away from each other and wont let me get a bead started . What am i doing wrong?

 

Clean the tube profusely with a stainless steel wire brush, including the edges to be butted up. Wipe down with acetone. Hold a tighter arc, I can almost guarantee that your long arcing it (most common beginner mistake). If they still want to push apart, touch the filler to the gap, and bump the amps up with the pedal so the filler wets out. Once that initial tack is there, it's easier to work from.

 

thank you. i dont think im cleaning good enough! what size electrode and filler rod to get that nice wide aluminum bead on aluminum pipe?

 

Always use the smallest tungsten and filler that you can get away with. 1/16 doesn't always hold up as well on AC, so you may need to try 3/32 tungsten and 1/16 filler.