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The welding thread

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by dkavanagh, May 27, 2020.

  1. dkavanagh

    dkavanagh Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Let's get specific. I'm all about learning TIG as my next "project". It's slightly more expensive to get going, but I feel it has the most legs, as in it covers a lot of types of metals you'd want to weld and gives you the most control. Franz asked me what TIG videos I've been watching, so I'll start with those:
    This Old Tony:


    The Fabrication Series:



    That's a good start. I watch a lot of machining videos from TOT, BlondieHacks, Ave and others.
     
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  2. dkavanagh

    dkavanagh Well-Known Member Premium Member

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  3. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    From the 1st video how many cup sizes are there and what is the reason for changing them?
     
  4. dkavanagh

    dkavanagh Well-Known Member Premium Member

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  5. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    The shape of the material, for example if the cup size is too big it may not be suitable for internal say 90 degree angles. Good videos I also noted the pedal function for adjusting the amps is build into some of the welding machines.
     
  6. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    TIG cups also vary according to the thickness of material being welded, which determines the amount of current you will use which will determine what size tungsten you will need. A large diameter tungsten with higher current will be so hot it can actually melt the ceramic cup and not allow the torch to be adequately cooled by the water/coolant.
     
  7. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    It is all new to me I have a lot to learn.
     
  8. SQLGuy

    SQLGuy Well-Known Member

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    Moving this over here. My point about titanium and magnesium is that these are doable with TIG, but I don't think they're doable at all with MIG. Also, some motorcycle parts, like crankcase parts and wheels, are magnesium. Not sure if that's true of the XJs. It fortunately was not the case for my XV (Virago) crankcase.

    One thing you can do with TIG is to use a scrap piece of the same metal you are welding as filler. That provides the best results. E.g. if you were welding an XJ valve cover, and had another scrap one you could cut up, that would make great filler.
     
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  9. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    Does the cup help to concentrate the heat? Will a bigger cup spread the heat more ie create a larger weld puddle if the welding tip is kept at the same distance from the metal?
     
  10. dkavanagh

    dkavanagh Well-Known Member Premium Member

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  11. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    Larger cup = more gas coverage.
     
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  12. Minimutly

    Minimutly Well-Known Member

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    Yep, narrow cup for internal angles, wide cup for flat or outside corners, needs more gas flow. I had a go at welding a notch out of an old alloy wheel tonight, just for the experience. 200A, non water cooled torch, it glowed red, stank a bit, but it worked.
    On internal corners I've found you can (and need) quite a bit of "stick out" without contamination. You don't have to have pedal control of amps - most tigs to 2t and 4t - where you press once to start, twice to increase to preset 2, press again to reduce, double press to stop. You can also have a long slope down, where you slope down then restart, over and over if you want. This means coming to the end of a weld needs some planning.
     
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  13. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    Never heard of a water cooled torch. The machine in the video has the push button amp settings forget what it's called. I am going to keep watching them till l can remember it all. Very interesting for a welding novice like me. It's like starting another apprenticeship lol.
     
  14. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    So assuming stick welding is the easiest for a novice I watched the video on that. Does the flux on the rod keep the weld puddle free of oxygen in the air the same way the cup uses gas to keep the oxygen out of the weld with TIG?
     
  15. dkavanagh

    dkavanagh Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Yes, the burning flux creates a shield. What I gather is that you'll deal with more spatter (flying bits of metal) that stick to the work, which can also happen in MIG, but there are ways to manage that.
    I've seen people online use a water-cooled TIG torch. If you do longer runs, the torch can become pretty hot to hold. Also, if you run a higher duty cycle (more welding than resting). So, you can buy a water cooled torch and a cooler that contains a water tank and pump as well as fan and radiator. This Old Tony did a video that opened one of the coolers so you can see what's inside.
     
  16. SQLGuy

    SQLGuy Well-Known Member

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    Really, I'd say flux core MIG is the easiest for the novice. But stick isn't too different.
     
  17. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    It's interesting l am enjoying learning this. I will have a look At the flux core mig and the water cooled torches.
     
  18. Huntchuks

    Huntchuks Well-Known Member

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    Stick type arc welding is not exactly easy. It is hard to learn how to strike the arc without sticking the rod to the work. Then you need to feed the stick into the weld as you also concentrate on speed and where you are going with the weld. Takes a lot of practice to get good. MIG is the easiest to master but not with cheap flux core machines. I have one and it is extremely hard to get any kind of good weld. Almost anyone can make some kind of weld with any equipment but a good weld is a different story. I have been through tough certifications for some military welding jobs (TIG) and when I see some welds on consumer products it makes me cringe.
     
  19. Franz

    Franz Well-Known Member

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    Yes on the video he said not to get the electrode in the weld puddle. There is a lot to learn between the different equipment available and the techniques required. And then there are the different types of metal.
     
  20. SQLGuy

    SQLGuy Well-Known Member

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    What's the "cheap" flux core MIG machine you have? Mine is a Lincoln WeldPak 100. I picked that one because it runs off 110V, so I was able to use it without adding a 220V outlet, and it's handy to use elsewhere from my house. My main unit is 220V, and gas shielding certainly gives cleaner welds, but I can make some good welds with the WeldPak. For some things it's actually easier, because the tip is smaller and it can really deliver a surprising amount of current for good penetration.
     

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