thatoneguy wrote: As for welding it... This might be stupid to say but maybe some Hastelloy W?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but hastelloy w is just er312 isn't it? I love it too but I don't think that is going to stick to any aluminum alloy.

-Sandow

Unless you are using lift start or scratch start, the electrode should never touch the base metal. If you dip it, it may or may not matter if you keep welding. Aluminum will blow off black cruft if you keep going, mild will probably just wander more. Only practice will limit how often you screw up a...

Also, 15 seconds of post flow is a waste. I set my machine at 6 seconds and have never changed it. Just use enough post flow to keep your tungsten shiny... On my air cooled torch I need a lot of post flow since the wire and torch head are heating the gas up before it blows onto the electrode. The w...

It isn't that your machine isn't capable, it is that you are shooting for the moon right out of the gate. Buy this: http://www.amazon.com/RMP-Ga-Stainless-Steel-Sheet/dp/B00ICS73N4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462202703&sr=8-1&keywords=304+sheet and this: http://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Rectan...

Otto Nobedder wrote:Short form, after my digression, you will not suffer any ill effects from using an all-purpose stone to sharpen your tungsten. I do code welds that are x-rayed, and the tungsten doesn't care if you sharpen it on a rock by the creek.

Unless some idiot has being grinding aluminum on it...

Going to the jumbo gas lens will make a difference but ultimately you need the base metal to be cool before it exits the shielding gas. I was doing some 1/8" 304 parts with just an inch of weld earlier this week and even with the metal clamped to big blocks of aluminum and running 40 cfh on a #...

Are there tricks I am missing, but I am having a hard time following a tight bit joint. My welds are getting better but wander off the joint How close do you keep your helmet from the weld. With tig you can be practically wearing the weld area. Since there is no splatter unless you hit rust, you ca...

The miller machines are certainly good choices but there are a lot of options out there and for a hobby level welder, that may be over the top. Many people use machines like this and are very happy with them: http://www.amazon.com/AHP-AlphaTIG-Stick-Welder-PULSE/dp/B00REX6USW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&...

3/32 lath tungsten. Measuring with my Mics about a .020 flat. I'm using a piranha grinder. Sorry should have mentioned that. Presuming this is DC. Why are you using lanthiated rather than ceriated or thoriated for DC? IMHO lanthiated works great for AC, but prefer ceriated/thoriated for DC. 2% lant...

If you aren't grinding a small flat, you are likely to get inclusions. Even with 1/8" electrodes, a sharp tip will see a lot of heat (>3000C) and can drop off. The higher your amps, the larger your flat can be without arc wander and in the end you will get better penetration with a flat too. -S...

Nothing smells better than 1300 degree dogshit...ask me how I know. LMAO... What is my take away from the science? Yeah, this stuff is a marginal concern for most applications. Your weld looked good and while most people would run colder, as long as you aren't leaving cavities at the corner, you'll...

Well, first I'd say it doesn't take much to form martensite. since this is only .35% carbon: Steel_035_water_quenched.png But beyond that, anything with a tendency to form a crystalline structure will form small crystals if the transition is fast and large crystals if transitioned slowly. Since the ...

It works. What I'm concerned about is making sure I'm using best practices. Best combo of consumables and settings. So this will probably generate some dissenting opinions but my understanding of the metallurgy is that in mild steel, slow progression ends up with a stronger weld. High heat input fr...

If you are running flat out at those amp settings you are probably too hot unless you are really trucking. Beyond that, post a pic and we'll tell you what if anything seems off.

-Sandow

You can just put a lid on the buckets and reuse them until most of the acid is used up or it has gotten funky. Once you want to toss it, you just add baking soda until it stops reacting and then dump it down the drain if it is small volumes. For larger scale disposal, there is a liquid hazardous was...

I thought I'd revisit this now that I've had a chance to play with big buckets of acid a bit more. When it comes to quickly stripping scale or galvanization, 1M hydrochloric acid is fast but dilute enough that it isn't violent in reactions or volatile in emissions. The addition of some isopropanol h...

I haven't had the first issue with mine. Though, the first thing I did after unboxing it was upgrade the power cord to a 240V/35A clothes dryer cord and replace the worn out breaker with a 50A double. Still, it isn't a Miller a Lincoln. But, I've run it all the way up to it's maximum 200A on AC for...

I have the upgraded version of this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super200P-220V-Inverter-Welder-AC-DC-Aluminium-Pulse-TIG-MMA-CUT-Welding-Machine-/361430825016?hash=item5426f4b838:g:JB4AAOSwZVhWSt-R It does everything a Syncrowave can do (maybe not better, but it gives it an honest try). The torch is a...

Jody has a ton of great videos on this stuff and I'd suggest sitting through an hour or two of them. For over filling... If you are adding rod to a melt pool than you will never end up with cold welds. That really isn't a failure that tig is prone to. You should be able to see the puddle all the tim...

Carbon migration is my bet too. The other thing that may be happening is that you are being too gentle on advancement rates. You need to get under the surface with some stainless or you will just surface harden it rather than remove material. I'm not sure how deep you are trying to cut but it needs ...

This paper seems to indicate nickel fill will do the trick. https://www.nickelinstitute.org/~/media/Files/TechnicalLiterature/WeldingofFlakeandSpheroidalGraphiteNi_ResistCastings_4421_.ashx http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Demon-ERNI55-nickel-welding/dp/B00I4WXZR6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458845498&...

The back stays are terminated on top of the stock spring perch area. This was part of the original roll bar and it's too much work to improve for now. At some point I would like to tie it into the strut towers and diff mount. The backstay angle looks good and that is at least somewhat reinforced me...

Yeah, when one of our guys crashed our Chump, it looked rough from the outside. The driver was only emotionally damaged and the car was almost unchanged between the axles, while outside of the cage it was wiped out pretty hard. 10405281_10152910788208287_5478236345307868806_n.jpg I refused to get b...

Am I the only one left on the planet that uses a green wheel on a bench grinder to grind my tungsten? So what I've settled on is cutting new tungstens to 2 1/4", chucking them in a cordless drill and doing the majority of the profiling on a bench grinder. I'll then finish them in the printed g...