Killer Weldz Thread

Running high hertz will help focus the puddle and allow for a tighter fillet....another trick is to run a tungsten that doesn't ball well and give it a rounded sharp tip. Just don't blunt the end by grinding straight into it. You will get arc wander like Stevies head singing.

Forget the rest of the specs, lol.

2% lan, 8 cup with lens, 125 amp w/pedal, 30% balance, 90 freq, sharp polished tungsten, slightly blunted on belt sander (dedicated). 4043 1/8 and 1/16 fillers.

I will have a sharpie handheld grinder soon.



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Couple outside corners stringers, 32" on the long sides. I'm happy with my outside corners, as always, consistency is the key, and I don't get enough opportunity to have perfect bead spacing, the last bead is always the best, lol. But I'll take it on this tank [emoji16].

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Running high hertz will help focus the puddle and allow for a tighter fillet....another trick is to run a tungsten that doesn't ball well and give it a rounded sharp tip. Just don't blunt the end by grinding straight into it. You will get arc wander like Stevies head singing.

My go to setting is 120 hz on aluminum, sometimes I'll go less on really thin aluminum. Alot of that is because I'm new school (didn't start tig welding until after transformer machines).

On the tungsten tip, sometimes I just sharpen it to a dull point and let the ac flatten the tip. I prefer a pointed tungsten for aluminum.
 
My go to setting is 120 hz on aluminum, sometimes I'll go less on really thin aluminum. Alot of that is because I'm new school (didn't start tig welding until after transformer machines).

On the tungsten tip, sometimes I just sharpen it to a dull point and let the ac flatten the tip. I prefer a pointed tungsten for aluminum.

Clean bright aluminum...120 htz all day, dirty nasty aluminum 60 or even less. Think about it like stirring the alloy. Fast focus agitation from one, slow rolling boil for the other. This greatly effects the focal point but also when needed "boils" out trash and helps out gas porosity.
 
Yesterday's welds on 05 superduty knuckles and Jesse Haines steering arms for Travis Watford buggy.

... and some nice cnc plasma cuts on 5/16 p&o...
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I’ve got some to do in the next few months. My plan was to MIG them with a little pre and post heat. Welder should easily handle it, just my first time doing them.
 
I’ve got some to do in the next few months. My plan was to MIG them with a little pre and post heat. Welder should easily handle it, just my first time doing them.
Definitely pre heat.

Everything I researched said cast steel, mig away... but the first welds I tried were tig with er70, and they cracked with no pre heat. But then I tried tig with 309l, and no cracks as long as I really lingered with trailing the heat off at the end of the weld. I really just timed my welds and cooling cycles to keep heat in the knuckles as I moved around. I used the mild steel welds to heat up the cast overall, before I did a cast joint.

These are tig root and cover er-70s filler on mild to mild. On the mild to cast steel joints, 309l root with a hot mig cover. It doesn't mig very pretty at all. Hard to keep a tight stick out due to heavy spatter.

I also installed upper ball joint eliminater.

Used nothing but 309 on those fillets.

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Definitely pre heat.

Everything I researched said cast steel, mig away... but the first welds I tried were tig with er70, and they cracked with no pre heat. But then I tried tig with 309l, and no cracks as long as I really lingered with trailing the heat off at the end of the weld. I really just timed my welds and cooling cycles to keep heat in the knuckles as I moved around. I used the mild steel welds to heat up the cast overall, before I did a cast joint.

These are tig root and cover er-70s filler on mild to mild. On the mild to cast steel joints, 309l root with a hot mig cover. It doesn't mig very pretty at all. Hard to keep a tight stick out due to heavy spatter.

I also installed upper ball joint eliminater.

Used nothing but 309 on those fillets.

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Are those the uniball style? I’ve got the bronze bushing style. Looks killer though. Plan is to learn TIG next year after I get a machine. Local buddy is an instructor at the community college at night.
 
Are those the uniball style? I’ve got the bronze bushing style. Looks killer though. Plan is to learn TIG next year after I get a machine. Local buddy is an instructor at the community college at night.
Yes, customer supplied

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Once you learn tig, it'll be hard to pick up a mig gun; cleaner, quieter, no fireballs finding your balls or ankles... and no need to cover expensive parts... win win to me. Little slower, and a much finer skill to master for sure.

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Is there any reason to not use 309 on the cover pass also? My plan was just to 309 tig the whole thing.
I don't suppose not. On the 3/16 mild gussets to cast I didn't cover with mig. But on the 5/16 to cast, I rooted both sides and mig cover both, so I didn't cook the mild steel with the tig.

Tig wise, first arc strike would throw spatter until filler was added, then it welded nice. Mig, heavy globular spatter, everywhere... stick out suffered for it, gluing on the electrode tip bad. Anti-spatter didn't last long on the gun.

This cast is still quite dirty after cleaning. The first pair wasn't terrible, but I think Travis found the second pair in a salt mine, rusty and greasy as hell .



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Is there any reason to not use 309 on the cover pass also? My plan was just to 309 tig the whole thing.

By the way, don't pedal pulse for the dimes look on the cast steel with the 309, it will crack the length of the weld. I used full pedal, about 200 amps, dab and pause= no cracks.


(i had to grind one weld out because I tried to pedal pulse like I do mild....the slight cooling effect when backing off the pedal was enough of a temp change between the steel and cast, that it would crack and ran the length of the weld.)

Needless to say, I've got about 8 hours in welding per pair, with consideration to cooling cycles.
 
Built another set of axle fixture standards like those on the I-beam, but 4 " shorter to mount to the certiflat table.

All .250 p&o mild, er-70s-2 .045, 3/32 2% lan, mfurick jazzy10 ceramic cup gas lens, 18 cfh, 190 amp's on the dial using the pedal on the Everlast 250 EX.
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Built another set of axle fixture standards like those on the I-beam, but 4 " shorter to mount to the certiflat table.

All .250 p&o mild, er-70s-2 .045, 3/32 2% lan, mfurick jazzy10 ceramic cup gas lens, 18 cfh, 190 amp's on the dial using the pedal on the Everlast 250 EX.
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Won’t be long and maybe I’ll see my 60/14B on that table.:rockon:
 
Caterpillars have invaded my shop, the big ones are even eating the little ones...

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Very nice work. However I can’t get over why I’ve been seeing fabricators of your stature welding doubler plates at bolt holes.

Any rhyme or reason? Why not just use the thicker plate material right off the bat? Keeping excess weld distortion away from axle tubes?


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Very nice work. However I can’t get over why I’ve been seeing fabricators of your stature welding doubler plates at bolt holes.

Any rhyme or reason? Why not just use the thicker plate material right off the bat? Keeping excess weld distortion away from axle tubes?


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-First would be weight. Anyone could use 3/8 and be done. (But where's the art in that...[emoji16]). Albeit not much difference, in the unsprung area, it all adds up. Here I got the beef of 5/16 at the bolt and joints without the heft of 3/8.

-As far as heat into the tube; proper weld sequence, back stepping, and bead length/ orientation will assist in keeping the tubing from having terrible distortion. (Note: not one weld against or near the tubing, on either housing, either root or cover, was welded more than 2" at a time. ) But this particular area isn't going to pull terribly as its not direct to the tube. There will always be shrinking of weld joints, but proper planning can help alleviate headaches later.

-I have a true bar fixture and pucks to check run out, and determine if and where further shrinkage should occur.

- thirdly: customers call me (I hope) because I don't just throw 3/8 at everything and call it good. I apply form and function with a heavy dose of creativity.

- last- customer wanted strong and light. I build what is asked with my creative license.

Matt

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Very nice work. However I can’t get over why I’ve been seeing fabricators of your stature welding doubler plates at bolt holes.

Any rhyme or reason? Why not just use the thicker plate material right off the bat? Keeping excess weld distortion away from axle tubes?

The other way to do it is to add just a weld washer at the bolt holes (you need the extra bearing area at the hole no matter what), keep the tabs thin, and either bridge/brace the tabs to each other, flange the tab, or add a web to whatever the tabs mount to. Then the tab strength comes from the reinforcing geometry in 3D, instead of thickening the tab along the plane of the tab.


That's some really nice welding.
 
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Man... it’s been a year! Where
all the welders at. I know you guys have been practicing. Let’s see’um


here’s a few pics from a can-am x3 turbo cage I did last week.

I just bought a new everlast machine with a water cooler. I’m pretty happy so far.

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