Welding Tips and Tricks

Well, I have noticed of late we have a tendency to get off topic and hijack others threads. So I though I would see how a section would go over for just general, everyday talk. No specific topic here or direction, let the wind take it where it may.
-Jonathan

Good idea.

That was the general idea behind the "shop talk" forum in the first place, but it still comes in "threads" and "subjects" that can be hijacked.

Frankly, this might be good motivation for me/we to moderate more closely. It's tough, sometimes, when a thread goes in an interesting and educational direction. Less tough when the girlie pics start showing up (though that went on longer than it really should have...).

Steve S

Yea, I don't mind it at all when we get off into something really interesting, like the Back Purge thread. I was getting a little worried about the other thread, didn't know where it would end up going (no offences anyone). I do wonder what those new members think of us when we turn there one line questions into 50-60 replies that have nothing to do with the original question Any new member that reads this, forgive us!

Anyway to start a conversation, I noticed my LWS does not carry the 17 stubby gas lens'. I have all the 9's they have but needed a 17 today. Will have to order one.
Also noticed they have quite a few CK 17 flex tig torches on clearance. Might have to pick a few (or all) of them up, never know when I might need one or sell one off.
-Jonathan

I'm a self-admitted thread hijacker, I've always done it. Even before the internet I had that rare ability to walk into a room at a party, get the conversation switched to something else and then walk out. The talent does come in handy...whenever my first wife was ready to cuss me out about something, I would just slowly switch the conversation to something completely unrelated. It usually worked and I got a peaceful night out of it!

All in all, I don't mind when other people thread hijack. More times than not it seems to go in a useful direction.

Other Steve

Just so y'all know, you can hijack my threads anytime. It never bothered me and probably why I have been guilty of the same.

So I have to vent for a moment. Had a bad day today. Scolded someone, moved to many things around the shop, material for a job won't be here on time and missed the cut off for a boat to South America. Thought I would cool off in the garage and try to work on my trailing purge, man I messed that one up. I fought my rule of when things go wrong, stop. And my second rule, when you have to pee, don't try to weld more. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Ok now I feel a little better.
-Jonathan

Nice Ventilation!

I've been bitching about not getting enough hood time at work.... Well, I got it today, and will tomorrow.

I have three critical position welds coming up, all ASME code and all x-ray, on sch 160 3/4" pipe.

I'm so damn out of practice on this.... Did five coupons today, and maybe two would have passed. Had to walk away because my frustration was so high. I'll do the three socket-welds in the A.M., and do another practice weld or two on the 160 open-root, and see if I'm comfortable doing the field welds.

Steve S

Had a great day today. Enjoyed beautiful weather and my trailing purge is going better. Still not the way I would have liked it but it will work for a rookie Got he shipping worked out, although will have to do a split shipment. At least they are out of my hair now.
Steve, I know how you feel. I actually am retaking/taking some welding tests. Setting up for a 6G mig test I was highly embarrassed at first. I wouldn't post those pictures here if in had to. Walked away and when i came back, things went much better.
-Jonathan

Yeah, I did the socket welds today, and prepped everything out for the critical welds. The new valve is tacked in place waiting for my confidence to come up a notch... I'll do a couple more coupons tomorrow, then weld it out and hope for the best.

I hate this critical x-ray shit. If I fail one, I'll have to do all three again to fit it right.

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:Yeah, I did the socket welds today, and prepped everything out for the critical welds. The new valve is tacked in place waiting for my confidence to come up a notch... I'll do a couple more coupons tomorrow, then weld it out and hope for the best.

I hate this critical x-ray shit. If I fail one, I'll have to do all three again to fit it right.

Steve S

Both my sons can back a trailer at twenty miles an hour as far as they want. Do you know why? Because they know they can. I can't. Do you know why? Because I know I can't.
A chain can be no stronger than its weakest link. Often confidence is the weak link in the chain. As you know all the other links are strong, why is confidence weak?

Bill Beauregard wrote:

Otto Nobedder wrote:Yeah, I did the socket welds today, and prepped everything out for the critical welds. The new valve is tacked in place waiting for my confidence to come up a notch... I'll do a couple more coupons tomorrow, then weld it out and hope for the best.

I hate this critical x-ray shit. If I fail one, I'll have to do all three again to fit it right.

Steve S

Both my sons can back a trailer at twenty miles an hour as far as they want. Do you know why? Because they know they can. I can't. Do you know why? Because I know I can't.
A chain can be no stronger than its weakest link. Often confidence is the weak link in the chain. As you know all the other links are strong, why is confidence weak?

Because I spend, on average, three hours each week under the hood, actually welding. You don't back a trailer at 20 unless you do it more than twice a year...

To be sure of myself, I'd need at least 10 hours a week hood time or more. Simply, I don't get the practice I need to stay current, and have to play catch-up when it counts. It's the nature of the beast, and I accept it, but it does bug me when a critical weld shows up out of the blue, and I've been welding sch. 5 vacuum jackets when I've actually been welding...

Steve S

Steve,
I too can go for a few weeks at the shop not striking a arc. There are times we are in between jobs, doing paperwork or waiting on material, that I am not welding. Fortunately it is mostly mig so it is easy to just start back where you left off. I can't imagine trying what you are doing. I rarely do any x-ray welds, I get nervous enough just taking a simple welding test.
Why is confidence the weak link, probably because we simply have not done something enough where it becomes second nature or as my wife tells me all the time, we just think we are not good at a given thing when in reality we are quite good. Our confidence seems to vanish fast after we make the first or second mistake. I believe you will have no problem on your x-ray welds. If all else fails I can hop a plane and at least stand there and make you more nervous I do wish you were a little closer, would love to shadow you for a day, especially when you are doing something like this. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
-Jonathan

My flawless welds are at home, or when Howard(super welder) isn't there. He doesn't criticize, but it's worse knowing he's biting his tongue. I can blame the welders, but would make thje best of them if at home. Howard makes good looking welds with them. The missing link is confidence.

My in the head math skills are second to none. I do complex math in my head while driving. When someone's watching, I get stage fright and freeze. If I had confidence the problem would go away.

Otto Nobedder wrote:
Because I spend, on average, three hours each week under the hood, actually welding. You don't back a trailer at 20 unless you do it more than twice a year...

To be sure of myself, I'd need at least 10 hours a week hood time or more. Simply, I don't get the practice I need to stay current, and have to play catch-up when it counts. It's the nature of the beast, and I accept it, but it does bug me when a critical weld shows up out of the blue, and I've been welding sch. 5 vacuum jackets when I've actually been welding...

Steve S

I hear you - since my main job is teaching math, welding on the side, I have to warm up before welding too.

Sure I know how, but if I have not done that weld recently I have to check everything out and make sure I get the results I'm after.
And, unfortunately, I also have to practice more than I actually weld more often then I'd like to admit.

Well, the code welds were delayed a bit, as there was more prep than I was expecting. The valve had to be disasembled for the initial welds (look like socket welds, but actually fillets on threaded 3/4" XXS pipe.), then the stubs cut to length, and transitioned to sch. 160 using a tapered ream. Tacked it all in place yesterday, then discovered this AM while proving my purge that the valve operation was backward from standard, so cut it out again, disassembled, and rotated the ball 180*. Then back in the trailer, tacked up again, and welded. I still got all but one cap pass done today (considering I had to weld in short bursts, then cool the metal agressively to protect valve components, not a bad showing). I'll do the last cap in the morning, then it's the agonizing wait on the x-ray truck...

That's the valve in it's location. The weld on the right is waiting on it's cap, and as you can see, some of it requires a mirror. Then next pic is a close-up of the low-pressure (3000 psi) circuit, showing the butt-weld done in position, and the "socket" weld done on the bench.


Steve S

Had an ole buddy, Kunta Kintay( old, like said). That dude could run down the interstate WFO in an old Vista Cruiser wagon, 455, drunk,IN REVERSE, better that he could drive forward and sober.
I asked: WTF Kunta ? How ?
He said: " Cuzz I already dunn been thar" ( southern emphasis)

Steve,
That is impressive. I especially like the "socket" weld. Gotta love it when you have to take two steps backward. I guess it happens to all of us. That cap with a mirror looks like it would be fun or challenging, which ever way one would look at it.
-Jonathan

Thanks.

The cap in the mirror is "almost" gravy, when you consider I had to do the root in the mirror... I left this weld to cap last, so I can do it in the morning. I'm steadiest in the morning (after my first coffee), and can adjust to the mirror easier.

I only stuck the tungsten once in this endeavor, and that was on the second pass on this mirror weld... Right when I came out of the mirror, and could see it straight again. That screws me up every time, because my hands still want to do the opposite of what I'm looking at. So I had to grind out a bit (stuck it good, and broke it off).

Steve S

I know what you mean. I avoid root runs by mirror if I can. I never get enough practice mirror welding to develop muscle memory so on root passes I always manage to stick the electrode and grinding out the back side of the weld is not my idea of fun either. I have better success welding through the pipe. Capping by mirror is not completely awful because you can have more room to wave the electrode around the wrong way before cussing happens.

What is the material and what filler are you using by the way? Do you change filler size from root to cap on this small bore pipe?

I don't think you need to worry about x-rays much. You welds look superb and if they didn't spit at you along the way (you would know) it's happy days.

Well, here's the cap. As usual, it's the last weld that finally looks like I know what I'm doing, and I won't likely do another like this for months.

@ Coldman, the material is 304, 3/4" pipe. The stubs off the valve are gun-barrel (scd. xxs) that I've transitioned to sch. 160 to match the pipe it's welded to. (xxs was specified because they were NPT threaded fittings, rather than simple socket-welds. I made a point of burying the threads completely, making the "socket" welds a bit oversize, but doesn't look out of place on the large fittings.) The filler is plain 'ol 308l. Root and fill done with 1/16" rod, the cap with 3/32.



Static tested to 2000 psi, to prove the valve wasn't damaged by the weld heat. Leaving the pressure in for the weekend as a retention test. After x-ray, the client will be sending specialists to test it at 9600 psi and calibrate all the sensors and switches.

Steve S

Is that basically like a leak down test? Here is today attempts at vert up mig .035 solid wire 18.5 225 230. Wfs I gotta get this licked lol it's bugging me bottom pic was first attempt upper was last everybody at work is like why the hell are you working on your breaks lol

Steve
Looks nice again. If I recall, the highest my welds have been tested is 5000psi. 9600 is quite a jump!

Well today I was welding on some .100 3003 alum and was thinking about the thread a while back on fusing aluminum so I thought I would throw this up. This is fused to 1" x 1/8" square tube. I don't know the amps.
I also have a question for everyone. Why did I have a problem with porosity on these fuse welds? This was the best one, but the others looked bad. They will hold but I had quite a bit of porosity.
Oh and don't touch your filler wire to your wrist....it hurts.
-Jonathan

JDIGGS82,
I see quite an improvement. Some suggestions for you. try to hold a tighter weave and see how you like that. It may not be your "thing" though. Also you can try to hold the sides just a half a second more. These are only suggestions, you are doing great without my help. I think you are close on the settings, though there is quite a bit of spatter. Maybe to much angle? I will try to give it a go tomorrow so you have a better idea of settings. Are you using 75/25?
-Jonathan

Yes 75/25 I'm pretty sure it's the angle thats off but if you get the chance I'd appreciate it I'm to stubborn to quit till I figure it out lol

Will do!
-Jonathan