Post your random questions about welding

[VR6ix]

As the title states, I have a random question about welding that Google isn't really leading me to any conclusions. Maybe you have some random questions that need the collective help of the GJ fabrication crew? Maybe you can share some experience and offer suggestions?

What happens to silicon-bronze filler rod when it is used in an outdoor, 4-season steel installment? I'm working to design some things for around the house and want to add some flair with the gold-coloured filler rod, think planter boxes and house numbers and such. Is it going to weather weird? Or stay bright & shiny? Will freeze-thaw cycles make it fall apart? The parent materials to be TIG brazed are either mild steel or Corten A588 weather steel or stainless (409 or 304).

Cheers

 

[Swervyjoe]

As the title states, I have a random question about welding that Google isn't really leading me to any conclusions. Maybe you have some random questions that need the collective help of the GJ fabrication crew? Maybe you can share some experience and offer suggestions?

What happens to silicon-bronze filler rod when it is used in an outdoor, 4-season steel installment? I'm working to design some things for around the house and want to add some flair with the gold-coloured filler rod, think planter boxes and house numbers and such. Is it going to weather weird? Or stay bright & shiny? Will freeze-thaw cycles make it fall apart? The parent materials to be TIG brazed are either mild steel or Corten A588 weather steel or stainless (409 or 304).

Cheers

 

[Swervyjoe]

Bout a year

 

[05snopro440]

As the title states, I have a random question about welding that Google isn't really leading me to any conclusions. Maybe you have some random questions that need the collective help of the GJ fabrication crew? Maybe you can share some experience and offer suggestions?

What happens to silicon-bronze filler rod when it is used in an outdoor, 4-season steel installment? I'm working to design some things for around the house and want to add some flair with the gold-coloured filler rod, think planter boxes and house numbers and such. Is it going to weather weird? Or stay bright & shiny? Will freeze-thaw cycles make it fall apart? The parent materials to be TIG brazed are either mild steel or Corten A588 weather steel or stainless (409 or 304).

Cheers

Will it stay bright and shiny forever? Not really. Almost any metal will oxidize in some way when exposed to the elements. Silicon Bronze can and will oxidize if exposed to weather. It is fairly corrosion resistant, so your chances of actual corrosion are far less. If you protect it with some kind of metal polish annually you might get better results on it staying shiny. It will certainly last better than many other materials, but won't "fall apart". Look at how bronze sculptures do in weather.

 

[VR6ix]

2 solid replies in like 20 minutes, awesome!

By "fall apart" I was thinking of a planter box that ends up full of water in November and freezes and expands over the winter. I want to do a horizontal flange 1" or 2" long on top and in the miter corners braze them for contrast. Probably not a lot of stress.

 

[Firebrick43]

Brazing done to a properly done joint is stronger than the steel. Brazing rod itself has strength from the 40k to 85k tensile strength. But a properly lapped brazed joint will be stronger than a welded joint due to surface area.

 

[Walkers]

It works and holds well. It doesn’t really oxidize like the steel. It is such a slow color change. You can also use high nickel rods for silver color.

 

[engineer2]

I see lots of pictures of people TIG welding without gloves. Won't the UV give you sunburn?

I had a job as a MIG welder when I was in college and one day I forgot to put sleeves on. Won't make that mistake again!

 

[Bodj Built]

I see lots of pictures of people TIG welding without gloves. Won't the UV give you sunburn?

I had a job as a MIG welder when I was in college and one day I forgot to put sleeves on. Won't make that mistake again!

Most people I see doing that are doing very thin material, where dexterity is important and amps are low (like exhaust or intake work). Low amps = not much sunburn.

I frequently TIG in the 175-200amp range with both gloves, and in a t-shirt. My left arm often gets sunburned from the arc, and I now have a killer tan line. If I were doing it every day, I would put sleeves on or wear a long sleeve shirt. Since I only do it every few weeks, I don't really care.

 

[Swervyjoe]

I see lots of pictures of people TIG welding without gloves. Won't the UV give you sunburn?

I had a job as a MIG welder when I was in college and one day I forgot to put sleeves on. Won't make that mistake again!

I cant remember ever having a sunburn on my hands. Palms particularly. Arms, definitely can and will most likely burn

I rarely wear gloves for anything but stick

 

[Monza Harry]

UV exposure can be cumulative with regards to Skin Cancer. I've never seen much sunburn on my hands but a number of years back I was using a crude stack of **** as a hand rest, and as it fell the arc of my torch hand followed the filler close enough that not only was that a shocking experience [literally] I burnt the living $#!+ out of my thumb and my finger and I had a "SUNBURN" on my hand as well, and after years of the neck Vee tan and remarks from my wife I added the helmet bib and shortly thereafter the welding sleeves. I have also had a tan on my chest through the uniform shirt complete with (bright) white pocket and button flap patch work to add to the spectacle. I am a true Canadian! Red and white forever. Funny looking yep but a real wake-up call for me. So now I rarely weld without gloves and sleeves, and more frequently now an over/protective coat. Excessive UV exposure isn't something to take lightly. Just my two cents Harry

 

[WoodsTruck]

Speaking of using PPE, my neighbors wife is a nurse in an eye clinic. They will ask during initial consult if you weld. I was curious why and she stated that welding = grinding and any small metal fragments that get in the eye will destroy your eye in an MRI. Something to consider.

 

[vrinner]

Speaking of using PPE, my neighbors wife is a nurse in an eye clinic. They will ask during initial consult if you weld. I was curious why and she stated that welding = grinding and any small metal fragments that get in the eye will destroy your eye in an MRI. Something to consider.

FYI...

That same question was on the form when I had an MRI done and I asked the same thing and got the same answer. (edit) They also said within the last 30 days.

 

[stickshift]

Speaking of using PPE, my neighbors wife is a nurse in an eye clinic. They will ask during initial consult if you weld. I was curious why and she stated that welding = grinding and any small metal fragments that get in the eye will destroy your eye in an MRI. Something to consider.

So you're supposed to wear goggles instead of simple eye pro when grinding?

 

[VR6ix]

I dun gone and goofed again. Went and bought a couple different packs of tungsten and got excited at the option for 7" long. Too bad my stubby gas lens kit means about an inch is sticking out! Does anyone make extended-length backcaps? 17 style torch. Or am I stuck breaking them in half or going back to full-length cups?

 

[GaryM909]

You can get stubbies, mid-length, and full length back caps.

 

[Jswain]

How many of you guys have used straight CO2 for mig welding? And what machine were you using? I've always read that it was ok, more spatter, not as smooth as C25 but damn I tried it out in my Miller 250 the other day and I'd be tempted to say it was nicer then the c25.

Research found quite a few more guys saying the same thing with the same welder so I'm curious who else has had good results with which machine.

Only welding 1/4" of course I will have to try thinner/thicker but she may become my new go to for less then half the cost/cuft

 

[corn chip]

if its cheaper and all you do is solid wire then it makes sense. why pay more for something you dont need. i started buying 85/15 as it can short circuit ,spray and dual shield

 

[rattle_snake]

Which way do the electrons really go? Or is it the holes that move?

 

[MBeaty]

Here is another oddball tidbit about welding. Nearly all of my experience pertains to ASME pressure welds on boiler tubes. In the past people have broken the flux off of a stick welding electrode to use as a TIG filler material. On low alloy electrodes like E7018, this can work, but as the chrome and moly of the electrodes increases, some of the alloy is actually in the flux. From what I have seen 8018-B2 filler is true to the alloy, but 9018-B3 is actually the same base alloy as 8018-B2 but with the additional moly and chrome carried in the flux. To ensure the alloy is what you want, the best practice is to never strip the flux and use stick rods for TIG filler.

 

[bdbecker]

How many of you guys have used straight CO2 for mig welding?

Keep an eye on your regulator running straight CO2. You can frost it up and damage it. Also, if the regulator is setup for an argon blend, you may not be getting accurate flow rate readings. As far as performance goes, nothing wrong with running it provided you've got a good setting and can make good welds. If you weld "dirty" metal, it can also help get through mill scale and has better cleaning than a blended mixes.

 

[welder4956]

Here is another oddball tidbit about welding. Nearly all of my experience pertains to ASME pressure welds on boiler tubes. In the past people have broken the flux off of a stick welding electrode to use as a TIG filler material. On low alloy electrodes like E7018, this can work, but as the chrome and moly of the electrodes increases, some of the alloy is actually in the flux. From what I have seen 8018-B2 filler is true to the alloy, but 9018-B3 is actually the same base alloy as 8018-B2 but with the additional moly and chrome carried in the flux. To ensure the alloy is what you want, the best practice is to never strip the flux and use stick rods for TIG filler.

The core wire on E8018-B2, E9018-B3 and other CrMo stick rods is usually mild steel AISI 1005 or similar with no alloy addition. The reason the weld deposit from E9018-B3 core wire appeared to be similar to E8018-B2 (1-1/4 Cr 1/2 Mo) is because the carbon steel weld filler picked up some alloy from melting (dilution) with the 2-1/4 Cr 1Mo base metals. So the final weld deposit chemistry is a mixture of weld filler and melted base metal. The same can occur with some stainless steel electrodes. I agree, never knock the flux off of an alloy stick electrode and use the core wire for tig welding.

 

[sjvicker]

I recently bought an Everlast PowerPro 205Si (Plasma, AC/DC TIG Combo) and have never TIG welded before. Can someone recommend a beginner level YouTube on how to get started? I really want to learn the correct way from the beginning and not pick up any bad technique habits.

 

[steve in nj]

Best welder for auto sheet metal repair and nothing else? I’m a beginner except for a stick arc class in college 30 years ago.

 

[corn chip]

weldingtipsandtricks is a good chanell. theres other good chanells but wtat probly gets my first vote. ive watched hundreds of videos and wtat is as good as any for learning but ive picked up tidbits of info from other chanels as well. if you have time for books the jamesflincolnfoundation has good ones for cheap

 

[Jswain]

Best welder for auto sheet metal repair and nothing else? I’m a beginner except for a stick arc class in college 30 years ago.

Lincoln 140 w 75/25 gas and .023 wire

 

[no704]

How many of you guys have used straight CO2 for mig welding? And what machine were you using? I've always read that it was ok, more spatter, not as smooth as C25 but damn I tried it out in my Miller 250 the other day and I'd be tempted to say it was nicer then the c25.

Research found quite a few more guys saying the same thing with the same welder so I'm curious who else has had good results with which machine.

Only welding 1/4" of course I will have to try thinner/thicker but she may become my new go to for less then half the cost/cuft

I only use co2. Works great and the back up bottle can be used in the kegerator too!

 

[speed bump]

Best welder for auto sheet metal repair and nothing else? I’m a beginner except for a stick arc class in college 30 years ago.

120v SMAW with the smallest gun possible that takes a 10 b spool. I have a 100a century that I love for this kind of work. Personally I find the Lincoln and Century welders have a softer arc profile that works well for body work versus the Millers and Esabs but not everyone notices it.

 

[steve in nj]

Thanks for the replies on auto sheet metal welder

 

[Jswain]

How many of you guys have actually tried mig welding aluminum without a spool gun? Did you give it an honest shot and change liners/drive rolls/tips?

After many years of welding(hobbyist) finally tried it. Miller 250 welder w/ teflon liner/u drive rolls/drilled out tip(will get a proper one now)3/64 5356 aluminum wire and 100% argon. Was using a nozzle with a 1/8" contact tip recess to hopefully help burnback and with ~3/4" stick out I didn't have much issues it burned back twice at the beginning and was quick to fix. Pushed through a 15ft Bernard no issues

I started testing on 1/8 and it wasn't great but also no issues. Stepped up to 1/4 and it honestly welded great, starts were slightly cold so a touch more preheat and for the **** I do definitely acceptable I think.

Going to try some more on the 1/8 tomorrow

 

[bdbecker]

You did it right with the rollers and liner. The only thing I would add is that 5356 does like to flake, so keep your liner blown out, otherwise it may cake up and cause feeding issues down the line. We typically blow out the liner with compressed air when changing spools. Lincoln makes several variations of 5356. The "HD" version supposedly has less issue with flaking, but I don't recall if that was in fact the case. We were testing a bunch of different brands trying to find what worked best for us and ended up going with AlcoTec (an ESAB brand).

 

[Opa]

can anyone explain or discuss when welding aluminum why TIG welding requires alternating current (AC) but mig only requires DCEP, and not AC and not DCEN?

I understand that when using TiG, AC provides DCEP for cleaning action, and DCEP for penetration (by setting proper balance).

but when using mig, why is only DCEP required, and not AC (with some kind of balance between both DCEP and DCEN)? is it because with mig you get both cleaning action and penetration using solely DCEP? or some other reason? thanks in advance.

 

[Opa]

correction: I meant to write:

can anyone explain or discuss when welding aluminum why TIG welding requires alternating current (AC) but mig only requires DCEP, and not AC and not DCEN?
I understand that when using TiG, AC provides DCEP for cleaning action, and DCEN for penetration (by setting proper balance).

but when using mig, why is only DCEP required, and not AC (with some kind of balance between both DCEP and DCEN)? is it because with mig you get both cleaning action and penetration using solely DCEP? or some other reason? thanks in advance.

 

[Sumboodie]

I see lots of pictures of people TIG welding without gloves. Won't the UV give you sunburn?

I had a job as a MIG welder when I was in college and one day I forgot to put sleeves on. Won't make that mistake again!

Yes, plus the UV from a TIG is way worse than the UV from the sun.

 

[no704]

How many of you guys have used straight CO2 for mig welding? And what machine were you using? I've always read that it was ok, more spatter, not as smooth as C25 but damn I tried it out in my Miller 250 the other day and I'd be tempted to say it was nicer then the c25.

Research found quite a few more guys saying the same thing with the same welder so I'm curious who else has had good results with which machine.

Only welding 1/4" of course I will have to try thinner/thicker but she may become my new go to for less then half the cost/cuft

I all was use CO2. I think it works as good if not better. And my spare bottle can also go in to the kegerator.

 

[Monza Harry]

I've read about and seen on TV "TIG Brazing" there was only commentary on TV so the sound wasn't particularly useful to determine welder settings. So here is my question, does this technique use DC +ve or -ve AC with or without HF. Then do you clean the "brazing rod" of its flux or use as is? I've played with this a very little with unsatisfactory results, so can someone proficient in this technique help me (and potentially others) out, please? Harry

 

[Opa]

can anyone explain or comment: when welding aluminum why does TIG welding require alternating current (AC) but mig only requires DCEP, and not AC and not DCEN?

I understand that when using TiG, AC provides DCEP for cleaning action, and DCEN for penetration (by setting proper balance).

but when using mig, why is only DCEP required, (and not AC with some kind of balance between both DCEP and DCEN)? is it because with mig you get both cleaning action and penetration using solely DCEP? or some other reason? thanks in advance.

 

[ntsqd]

The use of AC on Aluminum goes away when the thicknesses get really thin (DC reverse worked best for me) or thick (DC straight worked best for me). However, I keep the High Frequency running regardless of AC or DC.
I'm no expert, I can only say what worked for me in the particular situations that I found myself in.

 

[mark-NJ]

Not trolling.....genuinely interested in learning: What is High Frequency DC? From my electrical background, that's a contradiction in terms.

 

[ntsqd]

GTAW welders superimpose a high frequency voltage over what ever the weld voltage type is selected. In normal DC welding on steels the high freq. turns off after getting the arc started, but on welding aluminum there is a cleansing advantage to having it run for the whole bead.

From there it gets much more complicated if you want to let get that way.

Oh, and being in the weld current path when the high freq is running is distinctly unpleasant.