Welding Tips and Tricks

Hello all, long time reader, first time poster. I've welded most of my adult life and have a degree in aircraft mechanics and non-destructive testing. I can test the hell out of welds, but am only a average welder myself - a fact that drives me a bit nuts (not a long drive...)! Over the past year I decided to try to make an effort to improve my welding skills (MIG and stick) and learn to TIG weld.

I'm not sure how any of this would be very successful in a reasonable amount of time without Jody's and all of your help -- Thanks!!!

Now for the question: I picked up some silicon bronze and started working with it over the last couple of nights. Watched Jody's hammer video and that helped a bunch. How do you judge the base metal heat under a welding lens? I've brazed with a oxy torch and know the appearance of the metal when it is ready to take braze. I feel like I'm either overheating the braze, or simply pooling the braze on top of the base metal and unsure if it is actually bonding. I have some good looking beads that appear like the edges are wetted to the base metal, but it's been hit and miss.

Thank you for your thoughts!
-- Pete

Hey,

Welcome to the forum. I haven't use SB before but I want to try it, Im sure somebody here will help out.

Mick

No help here... I always do silicon-bronze and silver-solder with oxy-fuel. Never bothered to try to learn to TIG it. I'm usually doing 3" or larger brass valves to SS, though, so there's a LOT of metal to get hot.

Steve S

i have tig brazed with silicon bronze, i would agree with your descripion. i use the least amount of heat to get it to take. the puddle can be some what sluggish and you might have to use some movement of the torch. good luck with your project!

Thank you all for your thoughts. The more I mess with it, the better it is looking, so heading in the right direction anyway!

-- Pete

The trick with tig brazing is not melt the base metal. I did a lot of this a my first job in a,sheet metal shop. We used silcon bronze as well. The color of your weld should be gold, if you are getting a dark crusty color your are to hot. I really like silcon bronze cause you can travel extremely fast and almost illuminate warp of thin materials.

Another thing is I like to dip with silcon bronze vs leaving the rod in the puddle just to make sure I am not just laying the silcon on top of the material and bonding.

Sounds to me as if you are using DC as I had the same problems. Try it with AC, the HF cleans the surface and the bronze flows like oxy-acet welding.