nitrodann

I always have trouble getting totally perfect light straw colour when Im using filler on exhaust tubing.

I have a number 5 gas lens the the moment and have tried using double even triple the argon flow, but the only part that stays non oxidised are my stops where it has a few seconds post flow.

So to get them perfect I can only do like... 5 dimes then stop and let post flow sort it out.

Ive tried high speed pulse, low speed pulse, and welding fast and slow and the only common thread is postflowed section are perfect every time.

I dont have this issue with fusion welds either pulse fusion or non pulse.

Any tips so I can buttweld thin SS with filler without having to start and stop every half inch?

Dann

nitrodann

So the more filler I add The worse it gets.

Ive been playing with a LOT of settings but thats it basically, The more filler added the more mass of hot metal and the longer it stays hot, then as I move past away it cools in oxygen.

So I guess I just get a 1" wide gas lens and a number 12 cup?

Thanks,
Dann

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Your amperage and/or your distance must be off. Are you getting a large heated up spot or what?

nitrodann

What do you mean large heated up spot?

I just get non 100% clear straw welds.

Dann

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

A correct speed/amps weld will be very fine, a wrong speed/amps weld will leave a giant blue overheated warped trail.

nitrodann

I dont have that.

I have nice welds, if I stop and let them get post flow.

If I dont they end up salmon or with a slight thin layer of grey over the salmon.

Dann

bcrx7

iTrader: (5)

Why don't you post a picture so people see what you are talking about? The salmon and pink crap doesn't work!

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

I know exactly what you mean. the weld bead ends up with a gray ash look. Most of my butt welds do that too. Are you back purging? Mine look better if I back purge, still not great. I think Burns has an article about how they make all their welds so perfect and mention their secret as using very lower amperage and going at a glacial pace.

Boost_addict

You need to make your beads smaller, and possibly pulse to keep heat down. If your beads are small and close together you should be able put down less heat. Also, maybe you're trying to get too much penetration for not having a back purge, you'll get gray welds like that at times. Also, you can have too much gas as easily as too little. It may be like Goldie lox, but remember, with too much you can suck in oxygen as well. I weld between 13cfm and 20 depending on how windy it is. But mostly, practice getting your beads closer, with the smallest dips you can repeatedly get. The angle of your torch might be it too, if you have your cup against the weld you are blocking gas coverage. I hold my torch about 20-30 deg back, but with a min of 1/8" between the cup and the metal, so I always get coverage on what I just did.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

Hey guys, how can i get my welds to look better than this and more like this?

TurboTim

iTrader: (9)

tehehe, good one scott.

I stick my electrode out of the gas lens/cup about 3/8"-1/2" But yeah, my weld's don't look pretty but they are strong enough.

nitrodann

Scott if you could TIG weld you would follow along 110% like the other TIG welders did.

Here is a photo.



I was playing with all sorts of settings and cups and flows etc all over this thing.

It makes no difference how far out I stick the tungsten, it makes no difference if I use short high amp pulses or long lower amp pulses, it makes no difference if I turn the gas up double (or triple).

It seems the only way to keep the stainless silver is to do no more than 6 pulses and then just pull away, allow postflow, and postflow for long enough to let it cool, which is around 15 seconds.

This takes a LONG time and uses a LOT of gas.

The best I can manage without stopping is with the tungsten out a fair bit (1/2")on a #12 gas lens, with the gas at around 8L (more doesnt help) and using the shortest burst possible with my pulse-low set to 0. This still gives a light straw colour and KILLS my eyes.

So the answer i guess is just use a LOT of gas and weld slow as ****.

I was hoping the guys online whos welds look amazing as hell in terms of colour had a technique but apparently it's just spend the time and gas and charge for it..

Dann

nitrodann

Another showing a slip over joint. Again playing with settings, on the left of the unpulsed messy tac is pulse, no waiting with postflow, and resulting purple weld.

In the middle is no pulse, its actually just a tac I need to pulse over, and the right is pulse with postflow, only with around 20 seconds postflow could I keep this perfectly silver as shown.

**** this crap camera BTW.






This silver bit is about as nice as you can hope to get as a human without years of experience, but god damn it takes a long time and a lot of gas.

Dann

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Best I can do for you dann is read #1 WeldingFAQs. I managed do it with a water cooled torch (480v) but I don't have the patience for it, I have never managed to do it with my welder with the air cooled torch (115v). Otherwise used the same settings, since defaults on the dynasty should be exactly the same as the fixed setup on the diversion according to miller.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

I go by these general rules as far as settings go, then adjust slightly off of them.

large gas lense, #12 cup(but i've used small cups when i break the big ones), 1/16" E3 tungsten, .045" E308 filler or 1/16 if you can't special order .045, machine set to 90-100 amps (I adjust with the pedal as necessary), no pulse. On my new everlast machine, i set downslope of the pulse not much lower than the upslope. Depending on how hot things are getting.
I used the purple tungsten at work the other day. Very nice imporvement, even on a vintage machine.


But we've seen my welding, so i don't know.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

0.045 wire is pretty tiny. Small enough that you could buy it in mig spools rather than rods if you wanted to save a boat load of money. It might not be as easy to work with due to the curve.

nitrodann

Its not a huge saving around here. 8%.

The issue is just letting it cool enough with gas coverage.

I think.

Dann

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

Keep your tungsten razor sharp. Close in your arc length. Get a gas lens (you dont need a #12 cup or a large diameter lens) Get get a lens in general with a #8-#10 and keep a short stickout with a close arc length.

I prefer stubby lens' with stubby cups so I can get into tighter spaces when I need to.



DONT USE PULSE. Your not trying to break any rules of welding or welding anything special.

Set your amps properly and you can do it with a switch (which I have been doing a lot of recently and actually prefer for stainless work)

nitrodann

Why not use pulse but it's ok to manual pulse?

Dann

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

I dont think he's saying manual pulse either. Doing it with a constant amperage is what it sounds like he's saying. I did some parts of my exhaust like this because I was tacking using the hand control on the torch, and it came out great as long as there were no thickness variations or gaps.