Barking Mat
Cuddler of hedgehogs.
- Messages
- 12,287
- Location
- France, Brittany.
10 minutes of welding, has made my day and I'm chuffed.
Over Christmas someone mentioned that HF has to be on continuous to weld Alu on old basic machines.
(Thankyou, whoever that was!)
Explained why I'd never managed to get a puddle, or anything.
Lanthanated 1.6 tungsten and 1.6 filler rod.
Miller dialarc 300 odd amps, ac/dc tig on three phase.
How many amps? About here on the dial today....
I initially blackened a tungsten and got grey smoke on my cup?
Turned up the gas, new tungsten, something new happened!
Note to self, your gauges are rubbish.
After second attempt to get a puddle I cranked up the amps, and 'hell' yeah, I had my first alu puddle!
Then I realised I needed a filler rod. All of my alu filler rods were at the house, so I borrowed a couple off next door (rallycross engineering company), initially tell me they haven't got alu rods(thinking arc), and I explain I'm learning alu tig to the young mechanic, and ask to borrow two and he pulls out 3.
Two minutes later back in the workshop (nextdoor), whilst I was getting the acetone, the boss ( of next door) came round, and said, "I'm not here to show you how to do it". He wanted to discuss how some translation into polish from French via english.... and he just helped me along my way.
I explain my first puddle.
He asks how it's set up, I explain big dial at front.
He asks to try, I hand him the torch.
Still talking to me about some miss translation.,...., holding his hand over the arc, he listens to the sound of it.
He asks if I have a second bit of alu, I cut the only bit I could find in the workshop in half, which is what I've been practicing on, the hole in the middle of the vertical piece is my first puddle.
He tacks the two strips together whilst still discussing geometry and bodywork...talking to me with the torch behind his back intuitively, (that's what I found crazy, just watching what he was doing and listening to the arc my attention was focused, let alone his polish / English correspondence. He hasn't even picked up a mask.
Then with a mask, runs a bead, up the amps 20%, another little bead, down 10%, tells me I really need a pedal for alu, and I'm watching through a fixed shade helmet thinking that looks the same as what I've done with steel and ss, can't see the difference.
Then I tried, sometimes it all gets too hot, and I need to practice my speed and fill technique.
Really carp photo. I'm was sure that's all mine but I think 3/4 of the way along there's a little six dabs which are perfect I think that was his second bead testing the amps. He then asked how you adjusted other parameters, and I said you cant.
I can see how it's managing the heat or running faster, as it gets hotter. It's was quite thin. Need some more aluminium tommorow. I'll get some thicker stuff.
And ask some questions.
Over Christmas someone mentioned that HF has to be on continuous to weld Alu on old basic machines.
(Thankyou, whoever that was!)
Explained why I'd never managed to get a puddle, or anything.
Lanthanated 1.6 tungsten and 1.6 filler rod.
Miller dialarc 300 odd amps, ac/dc tig on three phase.
How many amps? About here on the dial today....
I initially blackened a tungsten and got grey smoke on my cup?
Turned up the gas, new tungsten, something new happened!
Note to self, your gauges are rubbish.
After second attempt to get a puddle I cranked up the amps, and 'hell' yeah, I had my first alu puddle!
Then I realised I needed a filler rod. All of my alu filler rods were at the house, so I borrowed a couple off next door (rallycross engineering company), initially tell me they haven't got alu rods(thinking arc), and I explain I'm learning alu tig to the young mechanic, and ask to borrow two and he pulls out 3.
Two minutes later back in the workshop (nextdoor), whilst I was getting the acetone, the boss ( of next door) came round, and said, "I'm not here to show you how to do it". He wanted to discuss how some translation into polish from French via english.... and he just helped me along my way.
I explain my first puddle.
He asks how it's set up, I explain big dial at front.
He asks to try, I hand him the torch.
Still talking to me about some miss translation.,...., holding his hand over the arc, he listens to the sound of it.
He asks if I have a second bit of alu, I cut the only bit I could find in the workshop in half, which is what I've been practicing on, the hole in the middle of the vertical piece is my first puddle.
He tacks the two strips together whilst still discussing geometry and bodywork...talking to me with the torch behind his back intuitively, (that's what I found crazy, just watching what he was doing and listening to the arc my attention was focused, let alone his polish / English correspondence. He hasn't even picked up a mask.
Then with a mask, runs a bead, up the amps 20%, another little bead, down 10%, tells me I really need a pedal for alu, and I'm watching through a fixed shade helmet thinking that looks the same as what I've done with steel and ss, can't see the difference.
Then I tried, sometimes it all gets too hot, and I need to practice my speed and fill technique.
Really carp photo. I'm was sure that's all mine but I think 3/4 of the way along there's a little six dabs which are perfect I think that was his second bead testing the amps. He then asked how you adjusted other parameters, and I said you cant.
I can see how it's managing the heat or running faster, as it gets hotter. It's was quite thin. Need some more aluminium tommorow. I'll get some thicker stuff.
And ask some questions.