What's Going On? TIG 4043

[whm_fab]

Well it's for a bit of both really. The collet body is as you know very acceptable for Alu. The lens does offer a more evenly distributed gas flow direct onto the pool so it can only improve things further. I pay for my own gas so the biggest advantage for me is the saving as I've dropped my consistent usage to over 1lpm. I've not had contamination issues with a collet body set up on Alu before but to achieve the same results I've had to have higher flow rates.

I'm in the very same boat, i work for myself also, so i know every LPM counts! i wont however scrounge on gas in favour of quality on any job.

 

[Richard.]

Gas lens kits do not compromise the quality of the job. I certainly wouldn't use any less gas than is required to ensure adequate protection but on the other hand I won't give it away either which is why I find them better than a collet body set up. Even for aluminium.

 

[Brad93]

Sorry guys haven't been on have improved things with the 4043 much cleaner bead keeping a consistent movement and arc length not pausing too long and putting too much heat in.

Will get some pics at some point with my macro on the dslr.

The regulator is an r tech but I've got a flow meter positioned after it and set my lpms off that.

 

[Richard.]

Sorry guys haven't been on have improved things with the 4043 much cleaner bead keeping a consistent movement and arc length not pausing too long and putting too much heat in.

Will get some pics at some point with my macro on the dslr.

The regulator is an r tech but I've got a flow meter positioned after it and set my lpms off that.

Did you want to send me Afew or have you sorted it and are happy. Yeah some pics would be good. Don't worry too much about the reg just get yourself a peashooter and check your rate at the business end and adjust the reg till your reading good at the torch. Think mine was about 7-8 quid.

 

[hotrodder]

Its most definitely the photo, sorry it was taken on a crappy phone at the time, and i agree how it looks!
I've full EU and U.S qualifications in alu plate and tube TIG it was just to illustrate that clean beads are possible with an R-tech.

and yes, your right, the best place for an R-tech regulator is over your shoulder - its just a generic chinese item rebadged.

Richard, do you always use a gas lens on Aluminium? I find it unnecessary alot of the time.

I never thought the machine had a thing to do with it for a second all i was saying was that the picture showed what an ally weld with oxide problems (be they shielding related or AC balance settings) often looks like. IME with the exception of massive cups on large gas lenses turning the gas flow up when there's a problem makes things worse more of the time, moreso with outside corners or butts on small dia tube or tube to tube fillets

FWIW the only time i don't use a gas lens is welding mag (entire head of the torch usually ends up covered in soot including the screen in a lens) or when i can't physically get the torch into the joint and i can't swap to a larger lens with more stickout due to what's in the way
It's not about scrounging on gas, i turn the flow up when i need to but IME less is usually more. I use gas lenses virtually all the time as they're more forgiving with regards to draughts, the venturi effect (outside corners/edge welds/small dia tube etc) and stick out. This means that most of the time i can just leave a 2.4 gas lens with a #7 on the torch instead of swapping things about constantly as i have 1.6mm collets with the same OD and profile at the business end as a 2.4mm

The elga multistage reg with flow meter I think is the same as mine badged Esab optiflow. They are very good but I have noticed as you say the scale on the flow meter is very course. Mine over reads by just under 1lpm when compared to my peashooter so I usually set it at the reg then adjust the flow till I'm happy with the results at the peashooter. Inside corner I can get away very well with 4lpm very well, butt joint and outside corner 5-6 usually (if I remember to adjust it.) to me the last run on the last pic does look a little compromised with contamination as some of the freeze frames look a little discoloured but as you say it could be a balance issue as apposed To gas or a bit of both maybe. Fwiw a good quick cheap modification to start with would be to replace the collect bodie set up with a lens and play with the balance till the reflection of the tungsten is gleaming in the pool. To be honest though the main problem was with the Si filler causing the dull grainy appearance and I don't think that's down to gas flow at all, more likely set up and or technique.

Yeah, i'm guessing GasIQ makes them for both companies, dunno about ESAB but the Elga ones are kinda dual branded. GasIQ do a couple of different scales for the flowmeters, for some reason they always seem to be supplied with the coarser version that reads waaaaay higher than would ever be needed for welding

 

[Richard.]

Yeah, i'm guessing GasIQ makes them for both companies, dunno about ESAB but the Elga ones are kinda dual branded. GasIQ do a couple of different scales for the flowmeters, for some reason they always seem to be supplied with the coarser version that reads waaaaay higher than would ever be needed for welding

Ha ha I was thinking the same thing even used on a mig/mag set up you wouldn't reach the top of that scale but with Tig all I use is the first 10mm. Sometimes I have to get right up to it just to be sure it's actually moving.

 

[Richard.]

Is that's the unfine scale adjustment I'm dealing with. I'm guessing yours is the same

 

[Jim Davey]

Probably a 0-40 lpm flow meter for a MIG, TIGs are normally 0-14 lpm.

 

[Richard.]

I think they cater for both GMAW and GTAW as the flow meter is fixed and the hose outlet is on the other side so you are pretty much stuck with the course scale. I could be wrong though. It's no biggy though as it's clear enough to read from and I always tune it at the business end

 

[Richard.]

I never thought the machine had a thing to do with it for a second all i was saying was that the picture showed what an ally weld with oxide problems (be they shielding related or AC balance settings) often looks like. IME with the exception of massive cups on large gas lenses turning the gas flow up when there's a problem makes things worse more of the time, moreso with outside corners or butts on small dia tube or tube to tube fillets

It's hard to tell as I'm looking at the photo from a phone and the pic is about 4cm2. I can see what looks like 4 evenly spaced dark spots along the first 100ish mm of the run.

 

[whm_fab]

are you talking about my photo richard? if so thats reflection, the beads are nearly mirror finish, hence lots of reflection, i can guarantee there is no oxide problems - the part was xray passed before heading for a lola F3000

 

[hotrodder]

Is that's the unfine scale adjustment I'm dealing with. I'm guessing yours is the same

Probably a 0-40 lpm flow meter for a MIG, TIGs are normally 0-14 lpm.

Yeah, flow gauge looks identical. GasIQ don't really advertise them as MIG or TIG although that kinda* makes sense, they just offer a choice of 0 - 20 lpm or 0 - 34lpm. For some reason many (the vast majority?) of retailers only seem to bother stocking the 0 - 34lpm version?
https://www.ewm-sales.com/product/view/2152 offer a choice but are asking more ££ than the SSP is according to other sources and 1.5 x what i paid, i just wish i'd noticed that a 0 - 20lpm version was available before i bought mine. That said the flow gauge can be changed in seconds and they are available as spares. Peashooter is bound to be cheaper and more accurate though

* maybe it's because my world is relatively small/thin stuff but i can't see 40lpm ever being useful for welding or even purging?