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Old 11-21-2017, 08:43 AM
Mike Motage Mike Motage is offline
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Default Practicing my aluminum welding

Periodically I will grab the torch, flux and some coupons that I keep ready to practice. I want my aluminum gas welding to be top notch when I weld those panels which I have so much time shaping to stay nice. Thanks to Kent at Tinmantech for the shove to get starting with this gas welding endeavor. Here's the practice piece.
IMG_20171120_144627276_HDR.jpg
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Old 11-21-2017, 08:45 AM
Mike Motage Mike Motage is offline
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Here's the root side.
IMG_20171120_144607689_HDR.jpg
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Old 11-21-2017, 10:03 AM
toreadorxlt toreadorxlt is offline
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looks great! I really battle with gas welding aluminum. I need to invest more time in it.
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Old 11-21-2017, 11:54 AM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Motage View Post
Periodically I will grab the torch, flux and some coupons that I keep ready to practice. I want my aluminum gas welding to be top notch when I weld those panels which I have so much time shaping to stay nice. Thanks to Kent at Tinmantech for the shove to get starting with this gas welding endeavor. Here's the practice piece.
Attachment 44204
Gold Star, Mike.
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Old 11-21-2017, 03:00 PM
Mike Motage Mike Motage is offline
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Thanks Kent! Your flux, lightweight hoses and headgear are fantastic products.
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Old 11-21-2017, 03:19 PM
dwmh dwmh is offline
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Nice job Mike, I can get the top side looking good but don't get the penetration as consistent as you do. Well done. I need to practice more.

Dave
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Old 11-21-2017, 07:11 PM
cliffrod cliffrod is offline
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man, Mike- That looks great. I've got to get beyond my distractions here and spend more time welding.

Did you use the same torch for this effort that you've been using for other recent posts?
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Old 11-21-2017, 07:19 PM
AllyBill AllyBill is offline
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Alternatively, TIG welding is quicker, cleaner, easier and altogether more forgiving. I learned OA ally welding at age 10 and stick welding of steel at the same time. Many years later, having mastered both, I moved to MIG welding steel and TIG for ally, stainless and most of my steel work unless it was heavy material.

It's just no contest. One machine for everything. One bottle of gas, a nice pedal to control everything while you sit in comfort and a buffet of filler rods to choose from.

Will
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Old 11-21-2017, 07:46 PM
Mike Motage Mike Motage is offline
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Clint, I used a smallish standard torch, I think is made by Goss. But I have used a Henrob Cobra with good success. I've been using a variety of tips in an attempt to become flexible with different situations. Filling holes seems relatively easy for me. Next is dealing with cracks and gaps and fusion, using little filler.

Bill, the time saved planishing out the softer gas welded seam makes this equal to the time saved Tig welding. So now it's about what I'm most confident with. I know plenty of people who Tig weld everything and that's fine with me.

I love the challenge of doing what few people can. My goal is to be in the same group as Fournier, Kent, David G. Stafford, and Sollis. I know there are others. Mastery is my goal.
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Old 11-21-2017, 08:45 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AllyBill View Post
Alternatively, TIG welding is quicker, cleaner, easier and altogether more forgiving. I learned OA ally welding at age 10 and stick welding of steel at the same time. Many years later, having mastered both, I moved to MIG welding steel and TIG for ally, stainless and most of my steel work unless it was heavy material.

It's just no contest. One machine for everything. One bottle of gas, a nice pedal to control everything while you sit in comfort and a buffet of filler rods to choose from.

Will
TIG - MIG are lovely excellent fantasic and are heavily promoted by nearly every single welder on this Earth, and by the huge companie$, also. We hear it all the time - a steady background droning in our ears, as we are just quietly welding.

But until you are building dragster or Bonneville or aircraft or any Other aluminum fuel tanks that need complete penetration for safety on impact, you don't see the TIG guys welding those tanks so much. Peterbilt, Mac, and Kenworth were having huge problems with TIG weld porosity - and LEAKY TANKS. I spoke to them. Perfect environments. Poopy density. Boeing was happily gas welding aluminum in 1994, but due to an industry supply problem they had to change over to TIG. Marietta Corp still gas welds aluminum, from what I hear. Funny thing ...

Even the Aluminum Association admits that "for the forseeable future, TIG will have problems with weld density." I got that from their president, over lunch with him, one day.

And if you pick Ten welders and ask them all the same question, you will likely get Ten different answers. (This is a standing joke in the American welding industry.)

TIG - MIG have problems delivering complete penetration unless you set up for the Back Purge. (But weld density is still a problem.) This Back Purge is fine for thousands of welders, but a few don't like that added complexity, when they can easily avoid it.

Simpler is plain old little boy antiquated outdated clunky dirty sneered-at OFW gas welding, with Great Weld Density.
I have huge respect for all industries, histories, traditions and methodologies in metalworking and in welding, because I have to work with guys in all sorts of different branches of metal work.
And there are huge red and blue companies making billion$ each year promoting TIG - MIG - PLASMA - LASER welding in many countries all over the planet. Big business with loads of promotion ....
even from their millions of customers.

We hear all that, and yet, funny thing, there still seem to be those odd shops with those weird independent craftsmen who are not following the herd.
Gosh. Maybe we are the dimbulbs.
Tough to understand, but there it is.

(and many of them/us also TIG-MIG weld.... ... but sooner or later we will all die off and everyone can then agree. )
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