Welding Tips and Tricks

This is what my lecturer told me regarding the welding of thin materials.

So here's the deal.....

I've got 10mm carbon tubing to weld, 2mm wall thickness. The welds are pipe to plate (pipe obv lol) and butt. The butt welds are the 10mm, but the pipe to plate are 6mm with 1mm wall thickness and 8mm with 2mm wall thickness, both being welded to 10mm.

As I mentioned in another post I am new to TIG welding and unfortunately there are no other TIG welders at work.

I am finding that I have my best results at around 8-12 cfm with amps between 45 and 55. Also there is only 2.4mm wire to use atm (seems like madness to me).

Anyway, would be great if anyone could give me some tips or a ball park for gas and amps. I realise that the poor quality is down to my lack of dexterity/poor technique but would be good to know that I have my basic settings right and I can work on the rest.

Thanks

Hey, That does seem like madness. The only thing i can think of is to sharpen your electrode really well. Polish that sucker, then point mainly to wards the thicker plate. have the filler right there readu to go to help dissipate some of the heat on the tube side. I cant really offer much but it does seem like a hard weld. Maybe also preheat the hell out of the plate first..... Any idea what a joint like this would be used for?

Mick

Thanks Mick

Some kind of oil ring circuit? That's what I was told. Company makes stuff for offshore if that helps.

Can't be holding much pressure as they do not care about penetration, just a neat looking weld.

Hey,

Good luck with that..

let us know how it goes.

Mick

Got any solid-wire MIG machines around? That E70-s6 MIG wire in .035 or .045, cut in two-foot lengths makes GREAT filler rod. Just be sure to clean at every start-stop and between passes, as -s6 leaves little silicon islands on the bead...

2.4mm is way too big for that heat... sucks the heat right out of the puddle. You'll have to feed fast with MIG wire, but you'll like the control a lot better. And, yes I think your heat is about right. Gas sounds like it could be higher, but that depends on gas lense vs. standard collet-body, and cup size.

Steve S

Thanks Steve mig wire did the trick!

Settings were good, it was my arc length that was giving me problems I discovered. With such small diameter tubing I was really struggling to maintain the correct distance and angle while getting round the whole weld in like ten seconds! Lol