Random Thread #1

[Bonny]

So I'm considering how I'm going to be welding my go kart frame together, talked with my dad about it, and he recommends either MIG or TIG. I'm stumped as to which one to go with. Really, with either I need argon shielding gas (not such a big deal) and for either I'd need some new equipment. The TIG *could* be done just by picking up a torch and some supplies, although I think I'd rather pick up a nice cheap/small inverter welder with torch and all. The MIG welder would cost about the same, although the cheap ones are all sketchy about whether or not they come with all the gear to hook it up to gas (rather than simply using flux core wire).

 

Any welders on the board, any thoughts?

 

Here's a link to the TIG unit I'm considering.. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=91811

 

There's a variety of MIG units that would work, but they all have lower duty cycles than the inverter TIG unit.

I'm assuming you are using stainless for that frame then Tentacles? Although it's been awhile, I welded full time for almost 6 years. For ease of welding I'd go with the mig. You will get nicer welds with a TIG however, but it's much harder to do, especially if you are just learning. Personally, I think an arc welder with SS rods does very beautiful welds (nicer than MIG and almost as nice as TIG IMO). Arc welding is harder than MIG, but SS rods are very forgiving, and easy to start. An added bonus is that SS rods will weld almost anything together, just be careful when you stop welding as the flux flies off and usually finds your face and eyes.

 

If you buy that welder it leaves you the option of either TIG or arc, so it would be a good investment.

[Bonny]

I have an AC arc stick welder and oxy-acetylene equipment, however, I have like no practice. I'm strongly considering learning and practicing a bunch on both over the summer and hopefully getting certified so that I have yet another fall back skill.

Practice makes perfect as they say. If using an AC arc welder, I'd go with easy to use 6013 rods, especially to learn and then maybe try the AC 7018, note they must be AC7018, regular 7018's are to be run on reverse polarity (rod/elertrode positive) and are NFG on AC.

[tentacles]

Bonny, how do you feel about welding 1/16" wall SS tubing together? It seems to me like that could be a bit tricky - that was really dad's only concern. He also mentioned SS sticks were very forgiving but with 1/16" wall it might overheat easily and we'd have to do a bit, let it cool and repeat - thus ensuring a high level of stress.

 

Also, that guy at the place for the copper, what was his name again?

[Bonny]

Bonny, how do you feel about welding 1/16" wall SS tubing together? It seems to me like that could be a bit tricky - that was really dad's only concern. He also mentioned SS sticks were very forgiving but with 1/16" wall it might overheat easily and we'd have to do a bit, let it cool and repeat - thus ensuring a high level of stress.

 

Also, that guy at the place for the copper, what was his name again?

1/16 wall tubing can be done w/o TOO much difficulty with an arc welder, any other welding system MIG/TIG would be easier, I have almost no experience with TIG though. Using 1/16" SS rods should be OK. Assuming you're using 1" tubing?? Is it round or square tubing...I hope square, much easier to work with.

In any case you do the tacking first, allow to cool and then weld between the tacks, possibly whipping to avoid burn through. As you continue to tack different areas it will allow enough cooling to come back after and finish the welds...as always staggering and opposing the welds to avoid excessive twisting/warping. It may also be possible to do some stress relieving with oxy-acetylene torch after by heating whole frame and allowing to cool slow.

 

the guy at the scrap yard was Hart.

[XinE895]

I cant roll stars to save my life...

 

I'm pretty sure my speed and incline are damn near perfect, i put the mustard seed in there and they roll in a nice little pocket like their supposed to, but when it comes to adding some water it all goes to hell.

 

I just worked on this for like 20min and this is what I got...

 

I'll have to keep trying because I want round stars...I want to make an ass load of shells for this 4th...ya thats right I'm actually planning ahead this year...

 

On another note, that 100 shot z-cake tutorial is pretty sweet, thank god I have a massive stockpile of tubes.

[Mumbles]

It looks like you're trying to roll WAY too little. It might just be all clumped too. It's much easier to roll up a bunch of cores at once, and make a smaller quantity of larger stars from there. If you can find them, get some small spray bottles. See if the girlfriend/sister/mom has any of those body spray things. The small empty ones work wonderfully for starting cores. Plus your stars will smell like ocean breeze and mango passion.

[jacob]

I have a Harbor freight 90 Amp Flux MIG welder and I like it alot, I don't have much practice but it's easy to use and learn on.

A setting for gas would be nice but I only ever weld regular Carbon Steel so it's not really necessary for me.

[Pyrohawk]

I cant roll stars to save my life...

 

I'm pretty sure my speed and incline are damn near perfect, i put the mustard seed in there and they roll in a nice little pocket like their supposed to, but when it comes to adding some water it all goes to hell.

 

I just worked on this for like 20min and this is what I got...

 

I'll have to keep trying because I want round stars...I want to make an ass load of shells for this 4th...ya thats right I'm actually planning ahead this year...

Yup, I'd agree with Mumbles that you are trying to roll way to few. The more you roll at one time the easier it gets. It also looks like your over wetting them, they look from the picture like all the cores are clumping togethor...am I seeing right?

 

Something else that I would recomend is using a different kind of core. Personally I have tried a few different cores and I always had trouble with mustard seeds...they are just so damn light. If ya keep having trouble try using heavier cores.

 

I got a hold of like 10lb of tiny lead shot... These are tiny....tiny, little pebbles, smaller than your normal shot in a shotgun shell or something... I actually got mine by complete chance, they were all in a bag used to hold cameras down, like sand bags but heavier. Don't really know where you can find them to be honest...sorry. But look around on the internet and you probably can.

 

They work great....they are heavy enough that the stars don't clump as badly, more forgiving when rolling. Also since they are heavier they seem to pick up comp faster.

[tentacles]

I spose I'll just get a Mig/Flux welder then. I could always add a TIG torch to my FIL's arc welder, so that's another option. Torches aren't too pricey.

 

FrankRizzo: Just to let you know, there's some stuff on it's way to your place for me, some small stuff from harbor freight, probably a welder soon, and some go kart parts.

[tentacles]

So I browsed around, found a reasonable MIG/Flux welder at harbor freight, ordered it. Total was $202 with an argon regulator, and some ER308 stainless wire (.023"). Now I just have to decide if I want to buy an argon cylinder (~$100/55cu ft) or rent. I'm leaning towards buy, but who knows. I need to find out how much they cost to fill.

[justanotherpyro]

I feel the pain when trying to roll stars. I tried the method of rolling a lot of cores and ended up with waaaaay to many 1/4 TT stars. I went through a kilo of comp and now the only thing I cna get is a color change to TT...not so sure I'll like how that looks, but if I ever regain my patience I may experiment. Rolling stars usually just frustrates the hell out me and I end up taking a break for a few days or a week. Speaking of which I haven't done anything for a few week. I gotta go make something.

[FrankRizzo]

FrankRizzo: Just to let you know, there's some stuff on it's way to your place for me, some small stuff from harbor freight, probably a welder soon, and some go kart parts.

Sweet, I've always wanted a welder. Thanks Tenacles!

[XinE895]

So pretty much just roll a ton of cores at the same time? I'll try that, I have a ton of #9 shot I can use, i reload shotgun shells for shooting skeet, but I would rather use mustard seeds.

 

I was trying to roll a glitter comp I had laying around, not the easiest thing to roll I guess.

 

Anyone have any suggestions on what to roll to start cores? Meal would be about the easiest I'm guessing...I'm thinking a white would be cool...

 

White star #6

 

Potassium nitrate.................................59

Sulfur............................................30

Meal powder.......................................11

 

??? Never tried it, but looks easy, probably sucks...

[justanotherpyro]

I have heard that high C content comps are harder to roll. I have had the exact opposite work for me because the only thing that turns out to 1/4" for me decently is TT. Using alcohol is helpful to for most comps. Lead shot should be good for smaller batches because it precvents clumping. I used to do 1 teaspoon of lead shot and I could get pretty decent stars, but my rolling container was terrible. For lighter things like mustard seed or millet it is definitely a good idea to do larger batches.

[tentacles]

Frank: LOL! Give er hell if you want to try it out when it gets there. Speaking of which (not really), is there a weekend in June that would be better for visiting down there? Just like a sat/sun night leaving mon morning. Maybe even coming down fri night (well, arriving at like 2 am!) if that's feasable. The welder will probably take 2-3 weeks to arrive so that is a factor as well.

 

Surprisingly, I'm not out of Cay sauce!

 

Does T need any more brass bushing stock? I'm up to my ears these days. I have some for you but Bonny and I are working with his neighbor (eventually) to melt it down in his forge and cast it in a more palatable shape than "KING SIZE SNICKERS". I have a plate that's like... 10x12x1/2" too. I dread cutting it, I know it's more of that damnable aluminum bronze.

[oskarchem]

XinE895> The comp you are talking about dosen't actually suck, if I can remember well, it leaves a tail. It's not that it's easy that it sucks

[mormanman]

So I'm considering how I'm going to be welding my go kart frame together, talked with my dad about it, and he recommends either MIG or TIG. I'm stumped as to which one to go with. Really, with either I need argon shielding gas (not such a big deal) and for either I'd need some new equipment. The TIG *could* be done just by picking up a torch and some supplies, although I think I'd rather pick up a nice cheap/small inverter welder with torch and all. The MIG welder would cost about the same, although the cheap ones are all sketchy about whether or not they come with all the gear to hook it up to gas (rather than simply using flux core wire).

 

Any welders on the board, any thoughts?

 

Here's a link to the TIG unit I'm considering.. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=91811

 

There's a variety of MIG units that would work, but they all have lower duty cycles than the inverter TIG unit.

That looks like a pretty good unit, it looks like you could do stick and TIG with it. IMHO, I would do stick depending on how thick your metal is. TIG makes a very pretty weld but thats all I know about it. Stick is cheaper at to get go but in the long run TIG and MIG I believe is cheaper.

 

70-14 and 60-13 make very nice welds for Stick but for penetrating rusted materails (I doubt thats what your using) you would use 60-10.

 

I'm not an expert on this; I've only taken a year of Metal shop.

[Bonny]

There's a variety of MIG units that would work, but they all have lower duty cycles than the inverter TIG unit.

I forgot to mention, as far as duty cycle goes, even 20% will be fine for what you'lll be doing, or most home application really. The % is rated in minutes out of ten welding at full power. IE: 20% duty cyle means 2 min. welding and 8 min. cooling the machine. Due to the faster welding rate with MIG or stick welders, the duty cycle will be OK.

 

@Mormanman

 

Both 7014 and 6013 are good beginner rods, and the 7014 does leave a good finish, but once no longer a novice, you'll likely never use those rods again...they are referred to as farmer rods by most welders. The 6010 (and 6011) are very good for dirty/rusty material, and are mainly used for high pressure pipe welding where high penetration is necessary, then usually capped with passes of 7018. They have a low deposition rate, so welds are small and several passes are often needed. The finish is very high spatter and messy. Personally, other than tacking maybe, it's 7018 all the way.

[tentacles]

Bonny: So then, I have on the way, a MIG welder... 80cf argon tank, ER308 wire, some welding gloves, brush. I plan on getting the tank filled in Grand Forks since gases are still much cheaper in the states. I haven't decided on what gas mix to use, I hear pure argon doesn't work all that well with stainless, hard to get good fusion. The guy at welders supply recommended 98/2 argon/oxygen but online posts point to "tri-mix".

 

Edit: There's a guide courtesy of ESAB on various aspects.. They suggest 75/25 Ar/CO2, 98/2 Ar/O or a 87.5/10/2.5 Ar/CO2/O mix. 75/25 is probably cheapest, and I've read postings that it works fine but the welds may be slightly more prone to oxidizing though none have for anyone replying.

 

For the interested: http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/MIG_handbook/592mig4_16.htm

[Bonny]

Bonny: So then, I have on the way, a MIG welder... 80cf argon tank, ER308 wire, some welding gloves, brush. I plan on getting the tank filled in Grand Forks since gases are still much cheaper in the states. I haven't decided on what gas mix to use, I hear pure argon doesn't work all that well with stainless, hard to get good fusion. The guy at welders supply recommended 98/2 argon/oxygen but online posts point to "tri-mix".

 

Edit: There's a guide courtesy of ESAB on various aspects.. They suggest 75/25 Ar/CO2, 98/2 Ar/O or a 87.5/10/2.5 Ar/CO2/O mix. 75/25 is probably cheapest, and I've read postings that it works fine but the welds may be slightly more prone to oxidizing though none have for anyone replying.

 

For the interested: http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/MIG_handbook/592mig4_16.htm

Interesting. Most I've talked to recommended straight argon for SS. Maybe we can try a mix then... the main reason argon became the main shielding gas was due to the high cost of helium...old term of heli-arc welding. Most standard MIG mixes for mild steel are argon with CO2.

[tentacles]

The 75/25 is tempting but I wouldn't be confident making any brewing equipment with it.. The benefit is price (probably) and 75/25 works for steel too. The argon mixes (particularly 99/1 and 98/2) would be suitable for making brewing gear.

 

The pure argon is said to have poor wetting characteristics, but is doable. It has the benefit of being usable for welding aluminum (if I get a spoolgun).

 

I talked to a truck driver here today, he said he likes tri-mix A1025 (10%He/2.5%CO2) for welding stainless, says it's easy to work with and welds nicely.

[FrankRizzo]

This stuff is all over my head.

 

Tenacles: One of the weekends in June, Eric and I will be heading to Iowa. I'll have to double-check the date with him, but I think we were going on the 27th, coming back on the 29th. Any other weekend would be fine.

 

As for brass, absolutely! I'll have to send you some cash via PayPal or something. We just got his lathe back together on Monday, so we should be turning some 1lb BP tooling this weekend if everything works. He got the ways on the bed of his lathe trued-up, so we had to shim everything ~.035".

[tentacles]

Just trade me for some of that toolin you guys will be making up. Not sure when Bonny and I are going to get to try melting that brass. The plan is to preheat the chunks in a charcoal or hot wood fire to preheat, then stick it in the furnace to melt it. Bonny suggested using angle iron as a mold to make triangular media. I'm hoping to have enough extra brass media to take a 'set' to PGI to trade or sell.

 

I might pick up some 3/4" sch 40 stainless pipe and try casting the brass in it. Not sure if the brass will contract enough on cooling to come out. otherwise it might work to cut a slot in the pipe, make a half round shape.

[jacob]

Let us know how melting/casting that Brass goes, my local yard has lots of Brass but not much in small rod, what do you plan to use as a crucible?

I'm interested in how your Gokart turns out as well, I've never seen one made out of SS.

[XinE895]

oskarchem- Well thats good to hear, is it a nice white though?