Welding Tips and Tricks

Rick_H wrote:Some more 316L 1.50" sanitary

Rick....Beautiful weld! What I notice is no re-enforcement cap. I assume that this is normal because you have a full pen weld? The reason I ask is today I was screwing around and I noticed on a filet, I get a good re-enforcement but on a butt, it flattens out. My butt weld coupon was beveled and had a slight land on it and I couldn't make the weld cap in the first (and only) pass. I have a stainless project coming up and I just need to know if thats the way they look, incase someone gives me shit.

Kym,
Awesome copper water cooler! That thing will be an awesome functional conversation piece in your shop. Ours are the mundane plastic ones. Did you consider brazing the joints?

nathan wrote:Kym,
Awesome copper water cooler! That thing will be an awesome functional conversation piece in your shop. Ours are the mundane plastic ones. Did you consider brazing the joints?

Nathan - I can't take credit for that, it's Rupe's. But it's awesome work isn't it? Kinda like high tech and steampunk combined. Love it. Guy's got skills.

I think our motorcycle avatars are confusing people!


Kym

exnailpounder wrote:

Rick_H wrote:Some more 316L 1.50" sanitary

Rick....Beautiful weld! What I notice is no re-enforcement cap. I assume that this is normal because you have a full pen weld? The reason I ask is today I was screwing around and I noticed on a filet, I get a good re-enforcement but on a butt, it flattens out. My butt weld coupon was beveled and had a slight land on it and I couldn't make the weld cap in the first (and only) pass. I have a stainless project coming up and I just need to know if thats the way they look, incase someone gives me shit.

Thanks..yes this is a full pen, back purged, autogenous weld, .065" wall tubing, no filler.

MosquitoMoto wrote:
Nathan - I can't take credit for that, it's Rupe's. But it's awesome work isn't it? Kinda like high tech and steampunk combined. Love it. Guy's got skills.

I think our motorcycle avatars are confusing people!


Kym

Damnit. Lol

Rupe, awesome water cooler! Must be nice to use a wp20 now. I just used my wp17, and it will is smaller than our 26's at work, but it is a lot bigger than the 20 we had at the last shop lol.

Good first pass Nathan. The undercut was probably from the mill flake in the angle and not from lack of filler. If I get lazy and don't clean off all the mill flake from pipe it does the same thing.

Poland308 wrote:Good first pass Nathan. The undercut was probably from the mill flake in the angle and not from lack of filler. If I get lazy and don't clean off all the mill flake from pipe it does the same thing.

Thanks! That's encouraging. I knocked about 40% of the mill scale off with a file, but the kids were napping, so I didn't want to run the grinder. I want to cut some coupons, maybe tomorrow. Hoping it'll look better with some proper joint prep. All on the road to learning how to pipe weld!

Nice looking pass imo, if its something important and I see undercut I'll go over and cap it. But I find theres only so much heat/filler that can go in a single pass before the edges start melting and cutting back in too much.

As for noisy grinders have you tried pulse on your angle grinder

I was up at 6am this morning, on a Sunday of a long weekend. Can't sleep in anymore for some reason. Had the same issue with grinder and noise. Everyone asleep. So what I do and it probably only seems quieter to me is just turn the grinder on real quick then off again and grind a patch then on again etc etc ... Pulse

If the missus wakes to what she thinks is a grinder well its already off again by that stage and she goes back to sleep.

I dunno... works for me

nathan wrote: Damnit. Lol

Rupe, awesome water cooler! Must be nice to use a wp20 now. I just used my wp17, and it will is smaller than our 26's at work, but it is a lot bigger than the 20 we had at the last shop lol.

It will be awesome to use a 20. I keep taking it out of the box and thinking if I'd only hurry up and build this cooler. I had thought to use it anyway just with a tap connection and the return line just running off to the garden but had one of my lazy attacks.

Put most of it together this morning. Runs well. Has a ball valve that discharges into a line returning back to the tank so that I can set pressure once I have the torch hooked up. Pump rated at 200psi and 190gal/h but I've got it on a 1410rpm motor instead of 175rpms so that's about 80%. Probably have at least half the flow bypassed back to the tank but that't fine.

Rupes wrote:Nice looking pass imo, if its something important and I see undercut I'll go over and cap it. But I find theres only so much heat/filler that can go in a single pass before the edges start melting and cutting back in too much.

As for noisy grinders have you tried pulse on your angle grinder

I was up at 6am this morning, on a Sunday of a long weekend. Can't sleep in anymore for some reason. Had the same issue with grinder and noise. Everyone asleep. So what I do and it probably only seems quieter to me is just turn the grinder on real quick then off again and grind a patch then on again etc etc ... Pulse

If the missus wakes to what she thinks is a grinder well its already off again by that stage and she goes back to sleep.

I dunno... works for me

I may have to try that. Never thought pulse would be applied to a grinder. I also considered dragging the grinder out of the garage on an extension cord, but the grass is so dry that it caught fire last time I did that lol

Rupes, what made you want to use copper? And did you consider brazing?

I was going to do it in aluminium but I'm a plumber and all my fittings and brassware and such is in BSP 1/2 3/4 etc. Couldn't find any weld in bungs in these sizes in aluminium. Plus there was mention that alloy tanks pit out and need to be replaced ever 4-5 years or so from the copper in the power line reacting.
Did try brazing but near impossible to get the heat without it warping. Had I had a bender I would have brazed lap joints but silver brazing butt joints was not going to happen.

Use a flapper wheel on your grinder about 40 or 60 grit. Less noise and does a great job.

Rick_H wrote:Some more 316L 1.50" sanitary

Hey Rick, very nice, having a good purge makes this weld possible (along with your skills of course). In the 3rd pic it looks like your tube is sitting in something that allows you to rotate this as you weld?

Richard

LtBadd wrote:

Rick_H wrote:Some more 316L 1.50" sanitary

Hey Rick, very nice, having a good purge makes this weld possible (along with your skills of course). In the 3rd pic it looks like your tube is sitting in something that allows you to rotate this as you weld?

Richard

I just clamp it up in a pair of soft jaws in a vice so it doesn't scratch the pipe then weld what ever position makes sense...I think I did them all yesterday...lol at least that is what my back and neck says this morning.

The third pic is after I polished the weld out, so it was clamped tight.

Rupes wrote:

nathan wrote: Damnit. Lol

Rupe, awesome water cooler! Must be nice to use a wp20 now. I just used my wp17, and it will is smaller than our 26's at work, but it is a lot bigger than the 20 we had at the last shop lol.

It will be awesome to use a 20. I keep taking it out of the box and thinking if I'd only hurry up and build this cooler. I had thought to use it anyway just with a tap connection and the return line just running off to the garden but had one of my lazy attacks.

Put most of it together this morning. Runs well. Has a ball valve that discharges into a line returning back to the tank so that I can set pressure once I have the torch hooked up. Pump rated at 200psi and 190gal/h but I've got it on a 1410rpm motor instead of 175rpms so that's about 80%. Probably have at least half the flow bypassed back to the tank but that't fine.

20151004_120305.jpg

20151004_120805.jpg

20151004_120816.jpg

This needs to be up front 'show cased" as one enters the shop. Oh and polish the copper !

Use funiture wax to keep it bright for the long run.

I sheared the kingpin that held the blade together pushing stumps, welded it into a fixed position.

right turn, left turn but a 30' double jump
makes it interesting.
craig

motox wrote:right turn, left turn but a 30' double jump
makes it interesting.
craig

The whoop-de-dos always slowed down the amatuers while the pros skip over the tops. Balls and brains are two different things

exnailpounder wrote:... Balls and brains are two different things

And only one set is functioning at any one time...

Steve S

Two Stroke exhaust, YZ125 . My buddy dented in the pipe, he heard if you fill it with water, then throw it in the chest freezer, it pushes out the dent. It pushed out the dent...and then some... The ice split that seam almost an inch wide open in the middle so he asked me to fix it . I wire brushed and sanded the hole, inside and out, best I could ...used some clamps to get it back in position. Welded it up , 0.045 wire and 60 amps but pedal pulsed. Feeler gauge says it was 045" . Starting to get more "constructive" practice in lately ! Nice when the practice makes something useful again ....now that darn aluminum T-joint is still killin me ! Wish I knew a "Jody" here in northeast PA ;-(
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scroll down this pic to see the gaping hole ! ...yeah, that's ice in there ...haha Tacked it about every inch first Welded up Threw some BBQ flat black on . Done

Looks great! Nice work! I have seen ice do some pretty amazing things. Ice WILL burst things that you wouls swear could never be damaged.

subway
i have repaired plenty of two stroke pipes and
have found that they weld better with OA if they
are used then they do with TIG. seems the open flame tends to clean
in inside contaminates off better.
craig

Otto Nobedder wrote:

exnailpounder wrote:... Balls and brains are two different things

And only one set is functioning at any one time...

Steve S

Gonna be on my tombstone!