[Samrindfleisch]

Dear fellow welders, fabricators, and weekend warriors,

I have been welding at a local fab shop for 6 months now and in my life have only dealt with stainless in thicknesses no less that 16ga... with that being said a freind of mine took me up on a challenge I couldn't resist...

The challenge is making him some stainless steel syrup pans out of 22ga. I have been practicing with coupons and I'm getting in the swing of things. Using heat sinks clamped close to the weld I get my 1/16 tungsten up close and personal with the joint and zip down the line. If anyone could give me some pointers of a better way to do this, I would appreciate the feedback

[exnailpounder]

Pulsing? It does wonders for keeping the heat down on SS. I am picturing that thin SS warping and stretching and doing crazy things. Can you post up some pics? Welcome to the asylum

[Samrindfleisch]

Thanks for the quick response. I have one picture here [attachment=0]20161125_173301.jpg[/attachment]

Thanks, Sam

[exnailpounder]

Ok I see. I was picturing chill bars or something else. You have it bound where it can't move or do the weird things stainless does. All I could suggest would be pulsing but you seem to have found a good way to work your project. Nice job. Show us the finished project. It doesn't take much to spark off a competition around here

[Samrindfleisch]

Thanks for the feed back. I can tell there is very many knowledgeable people on this forum. Glad this is here, I'm sure it helps many people with fab projects. Would you have a ballpark pulse setting? I'm at about 32 amps and 15cfm with a #6 gas lens, #9 torch and a 1/16 Dia. Electrode. Foot pedal also. Just a fusion weld no filler.

Sam

[exnailpounder]

Thanks for the feed back. I can tell there is very many knowledgeable people on this forum. Glad this is here, I'm sure it helps many people with fab projects. Would you have a ballpark pulse setting? I'm at about 32 amps and 15cfm with a #6 gas lens, #9 torch and a 1/16 Dia. Electrode. Foot pedal also. Just a fusion weld no filler.

Sam

I couldn't really recommend a pulse setting except to mention that I experiment with different speeds and I am of the belief that faster pulses keep the heat down better but others may disagree. It kind of depends on what you'redoing. My machine only goes to 50pps and the on time and background is not adjustable so it may be best to experiment yourself a little and see what happens. Pulse is definitely worth looking into for SS but I do alot of thick to thin SS and it doesn't really help me for that as I concentrate the heat on the thicker metal and wash onto the thinner so in those cases heat is actually my friend but on equal thickness material, pulse really makes a difference in keeping good color. You have good color in your welds so you are on the right track. We see people come around here with cooked gray metal and more often than not they are not welding hot enough and waiting for a puddle. Play with pulse if you have it and see what happens

[Otto Nobedder]

I've been privileged to use some of the most advanced equipment Lincoln had five years ago, and find (beyond frequency control for HFAC) I'm happier with the more primitive ranges of settings for pulse.

In the example shown, I would use pulse for the cosmetics, yet reap the benefit of lower total heat input. I'd be at about 2 PPS, a good rhythm for me to advance the torch between pulses, using Jody's "rule of thirds"... 33% peak time, 33% background. This will require a higher peak amperage than without pulse, but, again, only about 1/3 higher (instead of the 2/3 logic would suggest), for no more than 45 amps (and your pedal still sets the working limit).

Your mileage will vary, as you will have to find what suits your personal style best, but this formula has worked for me on many materials, and is my suggestion as a starting point. Happy experimenting!

BTW, you have that set up brilliantly. Confinement and heat-sink in the same set up, and the closeness of the pieces outside the corner make a great argon dam to aid gas coverage and finish color. One suggestion I'll make is to chamfer the angle backing this corner very slightly, to allow a space for your puddle to fill, "shrink to", and to naturally radius your inside corner. It looks in the picture to be an extrusion with a hard 90* corner.

Steve S

[Samrindfleisch]

HI
I appreciate the feedback guys

Ok a few more questions. On the design of pan I am working with, there are drop flues in the bottom to double or in some cases triple the surface area of the bottom of the pan. These will be a you know what to weld. Getting a chillblock in there and clamping it is a problem too. Could a guy machine a block of aluminum to fit the profile of the flue and clamp to it? Any suggestions?

pan.jpg (14.16 KiB) Viewed 1456 times

Second thing... in the picture you can see how the pan is made with the ends welded on. That is where I think I will run into problems. If I don't have my fit up perfect I'm basically digging my own grave. So would it be a smart idea to have the ends cut out with CNC water or Laser?? That would ensure a correct profile, but then I would have to brake the pan without error.

What do you guys think?

Sam

[Otto Nobedder]

Sam, I think you're playing with us, a bit.

We've gone from simple questions of technique to serious design-builds in one post?

Come clean.

Steve S

[Samrindfleisch]

I came to this forum seeking advice and collaboration with A TON of smart people. I know you guys are very knowledgable and I know if we can throw ideas around we will learn somthing.
I am 18 years old and have A LOT to learn. I have grown up in the shop shadowing my elders and I finally get the chance to prove myself. I know some but not near as much as you veterans.

Welding is not my strong suit so I tried to get that cleared up right away. I am a lost puppy when it comes to welding talk.

BTW. The pan that I have pictured is from the Internet. Not mine

[GreinTime]

Actually, I prefer Dave Blackburn's rule of pulse for fusion welds at 1.5/25%/5% . It's slow enough that you can make every bead the same, and on the low side, you see a tiny tiny puddle that allows you to place the next flash.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[exnailpounder]

Sam, I think you're playing with us, a bit.

We've gone from simple questions of technique to serious design-builds in one post?

Come clean.

Steve S

I was lost when he showed the pic of the syrup pan in the back of the truck at least I think that was a syrup pan in the back of a truck. Yeah I think ol' Sam here knows a little more than he's letting on.

[Samrindfleisch]

I'm sorry if there's any misunderstandings here guys. I was asking about welding because I don't know much about it. Again the picture of the pan in the back of the truck is not mine. I put it there for a visual. Just wondering if you had any better ideas to fitting the sheet on the end?

Sam