Solar stainless flux ?

[John Buchtenkirch]

I plan on tig welding up this stainless exhaust tubing for a generator using Solar stainless flux. It’s my first time using the Solar flux on tubing, is there any tips or tricks I should know about ? Also I was going to use stainless band clamps to attach the stainless flex pipe to the engine pipe, can anyone recommend a sealer they have actually used ? Thank you ~ John Buchtenkirch

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[TheRodDoc]

There is really no point in sealing that joint for the flex tube itself leaks like a seive. Don't use it for exhaust indoors! Use solid tube.
Or
exh9.jpg

Or for small amount of movment,
StainlessFlexPipeExhaus.jpg

Years ago Dad and I were running two welders in our shop. one was a portable miller with a 2 cyl. onan engine with that very same tubing running exhaust outside through a hole in wall. After about 4 hours of running I saw Dad passed out on the floor and I could barely make over to get him drug outside. We were almost not here.

[crystallographic]

Originally Posted by TheRodDoc

There is really no point in sealing that joint for the flex tube itself leaks like a seive. Don't use it for exhaust indoors! Use solid tube.
After about 4 hours of running I saw Dad passed out on the floor and I could barely make over to get him drug outside. We were almost not here.

John,
Mix the SolarB with alcohol, either methyl or ethyl or isopropyl - there are small differences, but no flux chemistry is affected - mix into a muddy slurry and paint on the back side of each kerf.

Tig weld as usual, though you will see orange flare during the weld and the weld will wet out better. I think you will notice that your heat will be somewhat less than without the flux.

Richard, you are correct about that leaky snake flex tubing - Never use indooors! Go rigid or go better tube, John.

[John Buchtenkirch]

Originally Posted by TheRodDoc

There is really no point in sealing that joint for the flex tube itself leaks like a seive. Don't use it for exhaust indoors! Use solid tube.
Or
Attachment 29499

Or for small amount of movment,
Attachment 29500

Years ago Dad and I were running two welders in our shop. one was a portable miller with a 2 cyl. onan engine with that very same tubing running exhaust outside through a hole in wall. After about 4 hours of running I saw Dad passed out on the floor and I could barely make over to get him drug outside. We were almost not here.

Rod Doc, thanks for the heads up on that, I didn’t realize the flex pipe was that bad. Even though the generator is in a pretty well sealed off shed on the side of my shop I’m going to alter my plans on the install a bit….. THANK YOU.
A Doctor once told me red blood cells pick up carbon monoxide by a ratio of 4 to 1 over oxygen , so even small amounts in the air can get to you over a period of time, that’s probably what happened to you and your dad that time. ~ John Buchtenkirch

[Jerry Jackson]

My neighbor lost his life to CO. Witnesses saw his airplane auger in at high speed and shallow angle---no sign that anyone was trying to control it. The autopsy showed very high levels of CO.

Jerry Jackson
San Antonio

[Doug M]

CO is bad, you get stupid enough to not notice before you get to be dangerous, then you pass out.

After you get out of a CO laced atmosphere it takes 4 hours to lose 1/2 the CO from your system.

[SWT Racing]

John,

If you do have any areas that you need to use sealant, like flanges and the like, Permatex Ultra Copper RTV works very well. I've been using it for years on my twin turbo Vega. A thin layer will seal up the headers, turbine inlets and turbine outlets with no gaskets for years.

Also, make sure you thoroughly clean the bending lube out of the bends before you fit up and tack. It has a nasty habit of running around inside the tube once it warms up and wreaking havoc with your welds. Ask me how I found out.

[John Buchtenkirch]

Okay, I got the approved automotive type flex joints. The internal bellows and the outside braiding are stainless, the crimp rings on each end are lightly galvanized or cadmium plated steel. I have to weld stainless tubing to the steel crimp rings. Would silicon bronze be more crack resistant than mig welding ? I’d love to just mig it for the speed but I’m going for durability here and in this case looks aren’t much of a concern. THANKS for any advice. ~ John Buchtenkirch

P.S. I wasn’t able to find 1 7/8” stainless band clamps so I cut 2 ¼” clamps, overlapped the halves and spot welded them. Stainless spot welds so much nicer than regular steel….. I never have any concerns about the spot welds breaking .
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[weldtoride]

John, I did a very similar repair 3 years ago to my daughter's Hyundai, the flex joint went south after 100k. The header pipe with which it was integrated was only available from one source and so it was priced accordingly. I purchased a "generic" stainless flex unit very similar to the one in your picture in post #8 above from my local NAPA. With excellent counter help I found one that had very close dimensions to the OE. It, too, had galvanized ends on a stainless core. The rest of the Hyundai OE header was stainless, but the sort of stainless that rusts lightly and then quits, sorry I can't recall the proper term right now.

I used stainless wire from a spool of MIG wire I had to weld it all up with my TIG. I service her car all the time (oil changes, fluids, brakes, etc) and it is holding up well. On my daughter's car, a transverse mounted manual trans vehicle, this joint flexes every single time she shifts, as the engine reacts to torque changes. I, for one, think welding is superior to silicon bronze in this case, as the join is alternately under tension and compression repeatedly, as well as constant vibration, heating and cooling cycles. Truly a harsh environment.

[SWT Racing]

The ends are probably not galvanized, but aluminized. Fairly common with exhaust repair parts. They'll probably MIG weld fine with ER70S-6, at least to mild steel. If you want to TIG, clean off the aluminization and use ER309 filler rod for a stainless steel to mild steel joint.