busterrm
solid fixture here in the forum
Okay Guys, Indycars said I should post this to the forum. I kinda sorta put this together so Rick will have some knowledge of TIG welding before we assemble his tranny mount for his T Bucket. All the specs, and heat settings are based on his project. But her it is:
Tig welding alah Busterrm
Setup
Shroud number 5 or 6
Stick out 5-6 mm
Argon flow 6-7l/min
Flow down time 1 sec per 20 amps (also called post flow time after arch has stopped, you let argon flow on the weld to cool it)
Aluminum AC / Carbon Steel DCEN
Heat: Buttweld – 90 amps
Filletweld-110 amps
Lapjoint/open root- 80 amps
ADD 5 amps for larger filler rod
Technique
Right handed moves from right to left, torch 20 degrees from vertical.
Left handed is opposite moving left to right.
Arc 1 – 1 ½ times electrode size, (1/8 = 1/8-3/32)
The tungsten is positioned about 1/8-3/32 from the steel. The position can be checked by tapping the tungsten against the work before starting the weld.
The torch is kept stationary for a few seconds to allow a weld pool to form. The size of the initial weld pool sets up the width of the weld. A large pool will tend to result in a wide weld with a lot of penetration, and a small pool in a narrower weld with less penetration.
You can see the tip of the tungsten reflected in the weld pool. The arc length can be judged by the distance between the end of the tungsten and the reflection in the pool. As you become more familiar with TIG it becomes easier to judge the arc length by the width and height of the arc itself.
The filler rod is added to the very front of the weld pool - it is the weld pool that melts the filler rod not the arc. Adding filler rod will cool the weld pool.
The filler rod is kept low - too high and the arc would ball it back. If the arc length is too long the filler wire will tend to melt back before it reaches the puddle.
The filler rod is kept under the gas shroud at all times. This keeps it close to the arc to keep it warm and make it easier to melt, and also prevents it from oxidising.
At the end of the weld the torch is brought back a little and switched off. The torch is held in position until the post flow gas has stopped. The post flow protects the tungsten and the end of the weld pool.
It's not going to go well at the first attempt - there are so many things going on at the same time that you'll tend to focus on one while the others go astray. It's best to start with getting the arc gap right. After some practice it will become natural and you can focus on the weld pool and adding the filler rod. Once there is a look at how wide the weld pool is and adjust speed of travel to control penetration. Only when all of that is in place will you start to achieve the neat welds that TIG is capable of. TIG is not a easy process, so give yourself some time and practice. When I learned one thing I always kept in mind is, " A tight arc is like a tight family, it always stays together!" In my opinion, a tight arc is the foundation of TIG welding. If your arc is always tight the rest will come with a little practice, so practice using a tight arch, if not anything else do it dry no power or gas. Position your TIG torch and practice smooth consistancy with the torch and then go to power and gas.
Arc length controls the amount of heat in the weld. TIG is a constant current process (the amps you set on the machine are the amps you get), but increasing the arc length will increase the voltage which in turn puts more heat into the weld.
Beginners will tend to have their arc length too long for fear of contaminating the tungsten. It should be maintained at between 1 and 1.5 times the diameter of the tungsten.
Excessive arc length will make the arc difficult to control, and it will also make the tungsten very hot so if you do touch down into the weld pool the tungsten will suck up a fair bit of steel. That is a major frustration for beginners. With a tight arc the tungsten stays cool and touching down hardly even takes the point off the tungsten.
Butt joints can be either together or maybe a small gap. Keep the arc tight and add the filler to the end of the weld pool. When welding a gap start away from the end move toward the end of the material. Keep your arc tight.
Fillet joints are similar but more important to keep the arch tight, but adjusting the stick out may be needed. Autogenous(using the parent metals) is a good way to get the feel for the stick out adjustment. But do it on a test piece, autogenous isn’t as strong as using filler metal. Torch is orientated at 45 degree angle.
Lap joints are almost the same as fillet joints but the angle of the torch is slightly different, 40 deg and pointed at the bottom parent metal to allow heat dissipation. The top parent metal is usually smaller and will not dissipate as much heat as the bottom.
Outside corner joints The main thing that sets outside corner joints apart from other joints is the poorer gas coverage. There is no steel to bounce the gas off, so the gas sails off past the weld rather than hanging around to protect it. Increased gas flow from 6L/min to 9L/min for this joint and a slightly larger shroud improve gas coverage along the joint. Welding this joint can be done much like a fillet joint, but needs to move a little faster to avoid blowing through the inside corner to corner fitup of the parent metals. Tungsten stick out can be shortened to about 4mm.
Guys, a final word, this is only meant to be a basic overview. I have been in the welding business since I was 17, now at 52 I wish I had had someone give me a basic idea of each type of welding process we use. Not gonna happen, its not like that, here we are dreamers and home craftsman. Each of us has a project and wish we had the needed skills to do all that is needed to finish. You will never know how much this Ole Cowpoke has learned in the short time on this forum. If any of you need any help with any form of welding, fabricating just give me a holler.
Tig welding alah Busterrm
Setup
Shroud number 5 or 6
Stick out 5-6 mm
Argon flow 6-7l/min
Flow down time 1 sec per 20 amps (also called post flow time after arch has stopped, you let argon flow on the weld to cool it)
Aluminum AC / Carbon Steel DCEN
Heat: Buttweld – 90 amps
Filletweld-110 amps
Lapjoint/open root- 80 amps
ADD 5 amps for larger filler rod
Technique
Right handed moves from right to left, torch 20 degrees from vertical.
Left handed is opposite moving left to right.
Arc 1 – 1 ½ times electrode size, (1/8 = 1/8-3/32)
The tungsten is positioned about 1/8-3/32 from the steel. The position can be checked by tapping the tungsten against the work before starting the weld.
The torch is kept stationary for a few seconds to allow a weld pool to form. The size of the initial weld pool sets up the width of the weld. A large pool will tend to result in a wide weld with a lot of penetration, and a small pool in a narrower weld with less penetration.
You can see the tip of the tungsten reflected in the weld pool. The arc length can be judged by the distance between the end of the tungsten and the reflection in the pool. As you become more familiar with TIG it becomes easier to judge the arc length by the width and height of the arc itself.
The filler rod is added to the very front of the weld pool - it is the weld pool that melts the filler rod not the arc. Adding filler rod will cool the weld pool.
The filler rod is kept low - too high and the arc would ball it back. If the arc length is too long the filler wire will tend to melt back before it reaches the puddle.
The filler rod is kept under the gas shroud at all times. This keeps it close to the arc to keep it warm and make it easier to melt, and also prevents it from oxidising.
At the end of the weld the torch is brought back a little and switched off. The torch is held in position until the post flow gas has stopped. The post flow protects the tungsten and the end of the weld pool.
It's not going to go well at the first attempt - there are so many things going on at the same time that you'll tend to focus on one while the others go astray. It's best to start with getting the arc gap right. After some practice it will become natural and you can focus on the weld pool and adding the filler rod. Once there is a look at how wide the weld pool is and adjust speed of travel to control penetration. Only when all of that is in place will you start to achieve the neat welds that TIG is capable of. TIG is not a easy process, so give yourself some time and practice. When I learned one thing I always kept in mind is, " A tight arc is like a tight family, it always stays together!" In my opinion, a tight arc is the foundation of TIG welding. If your arc is always tight the rest will come with a little practice, so practice using a tight arch, if not anything else do it dry no power or gas. Position your TIG torch and practice smooth consistancy with the torch and then go to power and gas.
Arc length controls the amount of heat in the weld. TIG is a constant current process (the amps you set on the machine are the amps you get), but increasing the arc length will increase the voltage which in turn puts more heat into the weld.
Beginners will tend to have their arc length too long for fear of contaminating the tungsten. It should be maintained at between 1 and 1.5 times the diameter of the tungsten.
Excessive arc length will make the arc difficult to control, and it will also make the tungsten very hot so if you do touch down into the weld pool the tungsten will suck up a fair bit of steel. That is a major frustration for beginners. With a tight arc the tungsten stays cool and touching down hardly even takes the point off the tungsten.
Butt joints can be either together or maybe a small gap. Keep the arc tight and add the filler to the end of the weld pool. When welding a gap start away from the end move toward the end of the material. Keep your arc tight.
Fillet joints are similar but more important to keep the arch tight, but adjusting the stick out may be needed. Autogenous(using the parent metals) is a good way to get the feel for the stick out adjustment. But do it on a test piece, autogenous isn’t as strong as using filler metal. Torch is orientated at 45 degree angle.
Lap joints are almost the same as fillet joints but the angle of the torch is slightly different, 40 deg and pointed at the bottom parent metal to allow heat dissipation. The top parent metal is usually smaller and will not dissipate as much heat as the bottom.
Outside corner joints The main thing that sets outside corner joints apart from other joints is the poorer gas coverage. There is no steel to bounce the gas off, so the gas sails off past the weld rather than hanging around to protect it. Increased gas flow from 6L/min to 9L/min for this joint and a slightly larger shroud improve gas coverage along the joint. Welding this joint can be done much like a fillet joint, but needs to move a little faster to avoid blowing through the inside corner to corner fitup of the parent metals. Tungsten stick out can be shortened to about 4mm.
Guys, a final word, this is only meant to be a basic overview. I have been in the welding business since I was 17, now at 52 I wish I had had someone give me a basic idea of each type of welding process we use. Not gonna happen, its not like that, here we are dreamers and home craftsman. Each of us has a project and wish we had the needed skills to do all that is needed to finish. You will never know how much this Ole Cowpoke has learned in the short time on this forum. If any of you need any help with any form of welding, fabricating just give me a holler.