- Thread starter Georgie
- Start date
langy
langys rodshop
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- 6,095
- Location
- London
Thoraited are DC, I've not used lathanated but I believe they are ok with AC
langy
langys rodshop
- Messages
- 6,095
- Location
- London
This may help you http://www.longevity-inc.com/tungsten-electrodes
I'm assuming the colour codes are the same in Canada ?
I'm assuming the colour codes are the same in Canada ?
langy
langys rodshop
- Messages
- 6,095
- Location
- London
No White is Ziconiated, Grey is Ceriated
wheresmejumper
Banned
- Messages
- 2,626
id change tungsten,especially seeing as your having issues with the arc.
ceriated is recommended for inverter AC machines,not a transformer like yours.
ceriated is recommended for inverter AC machines,not a transformer like yours.
ok when my balance is at the max (counterclockwise) its set to 50/50. I had it to almost to the max (clockwise!). Maybe that is also a problem?
Here are some pics of what I just tried. My filler is getting rejected from the puddle...
You can see the trail of the filler as I pull it back
photo host
Heres what the filler looked like
capture
What the hell am I setting wrong?
Here are some pics of what I just tried. My filler is getting rejected from the puddle...
You can see the trail of the filler as I pull it back
photo host
Heres what the filler looked like
capture
What the hell am I setting wrong?
Link is to googles cache as it just kept coming up 'service unavailable', owners manual yes it's for an ESAB heliarc 350 ,that's basically what the L-tec 306 is. Pic here of of an ESAB without the optional DC pulse panel... http://www.gcsurplus.ca/ic-ci/images/FS303740-157616.jpg
In the last pic looks like you're melting the filler wire with the arc which results in a mess... it's to do with angles of attack (torch and wire), if they're wrong everything can get screwed up as it messes with arc length (heat input/arc stability & focus) and sometimes shielding quality- lay the torch back too far by not keeping up with the changing angles on tube and the gas is directed away from where you want it so when you melt the filler with the arc (also due to angles) it oxidises lots and the result is a mess
I know there's not much on ally in this sites tutorials yet but the stuff that is there applies just as much. Pretty much the only difference is that with stainless ideally you'd hold a slightly shorter arc length (not more than tungsten dia) and with ally a touch longer. http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/improving-your-skills/tig/ fills in any gaps in the site tutorials, the TIG handbook and guidelines have diagrams and animations covering angles of attack for different joints. Can't remember if they specifically cover tube but it's a fillet weld that's constantly changing direction and not something to be learning on really. Especially small diameter tube as there's too much happening at once to cope with until muscle memory has been developed some on sheet/plate
As said thoriated doesn't work well with AC TIG- prone to splitting and balling weirdly which mess with arc stability and can result in a weld full of tungsten inclusions.
Tungsten colours differ depending where you live. In the UK zirconiated is white, in the US it's brown. Ceriated is grey in the UK and orange in the US. Lanthanated is the same wherever you live... black 1%, gold 1.5% and blue 2%
Ceriated is just **** IMO regardless of what's being welded. Zirconiated would be my first choice for ally with a big ol' transformer beast. Lanthanated work well too and as a bonus they work well with both AC and DCEN
All the tube welds are contaminated and full of flaws which aren't helping us see what's going on. Run a weld bead along a flat piece of plate (or along a tube offcut) and DON'T brush it after welding. Post a pic of that (preferably uploaded to this site rather than the worlds slowest photo hoster). If you run several beads with different balance settings you should start to see the difference it makes. With it set to max clean the tungsten will have a harder time (melt more) and with it set to max pen there probably won't be enough 'cleaning' action (the white bands next to the weld are the result of the oxides being moved cathodically). The happy medium is as far towards to max pen as you can go while maintaining a clean, shiney, fluid weld pool.
In the last pic looks like you're melting the filler wire with the arc which results in a mess... it's to do with angles of attack (torch and wire), if they're wrong everything can get screwed up as it messes with arc length (heat input/arc stability & focus) and sometimes shielding quality- lay the torch back too far by not keeping up with the changing angles on tube and the gas is directed away from where you want it so when you melt the filler with the arc (also due to angles) it oxidises lots and the result is a mess
I know there's not much on ally in this sites tutorials yet but the stuff that is there applies just as much. Pretty much the only difference is that with stainless ideally you'd hold a slightly shorter arc length (not more than tungsten dia) and with ally a touch longer. http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/improving-your-skills/tig/ fills in any gaps in the site tutorials, the TIG handbook and guidelines have diagrams and animations covering angles of attack for different joints. Can't remember if they specifically cover tube but it's a fillet weld that's constantly changing direction and not something to be learning on really. Especially small diameter tube as there's too much happening at once to cope with until muscle memory has been developed some on sheet/plate
As said thoriated doesn't work well with AC TIG- prone to splitting and balling weirdly which mess with arc stability and can result in a weld full of tungsten inclusions.
Tungsten colours differ depending where you live. In the UK zirconiated is white, in the US it's brown. Ceriated is grey in the UK and orange in the US. Lanthanated is the same wherever you live... black 1%, gold 1.5% and blue 2%
Ceriated is just **** IMO regardless of what's being welded. Zirconiated would be my first choice for ally with a big ol' transformer beast. Lanthanated work well too and as a bonus they work well with both AC and DCEN
All the tube welds are contaminated and full of flaws which aren't helping us see what's going on. Run a weld bead along a flat piece of plate (or along a tube offcut) and DON'T brush it after welding. Post a pic of that (preferably uploaded to this site rather than the worlds slowest photo hoster). If you run several beads with different balance settings you should start to see the difference it makes. With it set to max clean the tungsten will have a harder time (melt more) and with it set to max pen there probably won't be enough 'cleaning' action (the white bands next to the weld are the result of the oxides being moved cathodically). The happy medium is as far towards to max pen as you can go while maintaining a clean, shiney, fluid weld pool.
ok did some welding with the zirconated rods... just grinded it flat and used it straight up. It worked, but I switch back to lanthanated and had better results.
Heres a pic to give yall and idea of what im building
windows 7 screenshot
this is where I start my welds
jpg images
this where I end them, and reposition...
image hosting over 2mb
I often screw up near the end of the "1/4 hemisphere" weld. (at the top, like last pic)
I don't know if my angles are wrong or im building up too much heat?
Here are all of the welds I did tonight, unbrushed after welding...
image upload without registration
screen capture open source
Here one I ****ed up big time, once this happens its VERY hard to fix
image hosting 30 mb
small screenshot software
image ru
Heres another one I F'd up. I will try and fix it tomorrow
screen capture
image hosting site
screenshot app
This is what the 1.5 lanthanated tungsten looked like after the previous weld (last pic)
image upload
Anybody got some suggestions as why am I screwing up these welds??
Heres a pic to give yall and idea of what im building
windows 7 screenshot
this is where I start my welds
jpg images
this where I end them, and reposition...
image hosting over 2mb
I often screw up near the end of the "1/4 hemisphere" weld. (at the top, like last pic)
I don't know if my angles are wrong or im building up too much heat?
Here are all of the welds I did tonight, unbrushed after welding...
image upload without registration
screen capture open source
Here one I ****ed up big time, once this happens its VERY hard to fix
image hosting 30 mb
small screenshot software
image ru
Heres another one I F'd up. I will try and fix it tomorrow
screen capture
image hosting site
screenshot app
This is what the 1.5 lanthanated tungsten looked like after the previous weld (last pic)
image upload
Anybody got some suggestions as why am I screwing up these welds??
shenion
Tool Pack Rat
- Messages
- 7,586
- Location
- Stone Mountain, GA USA
Looks like contamination. The pipes must be spotless.
Make sure you don't pull the filler wire out too far or it will oxidize and add the black flakes to the weld.
The problems at the end look like air is coming out the pipe. When you get to the last part, the pipe is sealed and the air inside the pipe heats up and blows out where you are trying to weld. You can try doing most of the weld, let it cool and come back lather with a quick fill for the end after brushing.
When stopping, turn off with switch but hold the torch to allow the weld to cool. If you pull away quick, it will oxidize.
I prefer to grind the tungsten to a point then flatten the end. That seems best for my transformer beast.
pipe corners are tough, you need to keep the torch closer to vertical or the gas will flow too much to one side and pull in air. Also keep as short an arc length as possible.
I think you said you were using 5356. 4043 is easier and produces smoother welds.
Most of those welds don't look bad.
Make sure you don't pull the filler wire out too far or it will oxidize and add the black flakes to the weld.
The problems at the end look like air is coming out the pipe. When you get to the last part, the pipe is sealed and the air inside the pipe heats up and blows out where you are trying to weld. You can try doing most of the weld, let it cool and come back lather with a quick fill for the end after brushing.
When stopping, turn off with switch but hold the torch to allow the weld to cool. If you pull away quick, it will oxidize.
I prefer to grind the tungsten to a point then flatten the end. That seems best for my transformer beast.
pipe corners are tough, you need to keep the torch closer to vertical or the gas will flow too much to one side and pull in air. Also keep as short an arc length as possible.
I think you said you were using 5356. 4043 is easier and produces smoother welds.
Most of those welds don't look bad.
To be blunt it's because you're trying to run before you can walk... thread started with a few contaminated beads on plate that are full of defects (some too cold, some too hot, some where the filler is being melted by the arc not the weldpool, at least one that's cracked and all with crater defects) and then jumped to welding small dia tube for something that will see dynamic loads and used on public roads
I pointed out the various causes a while back and asked for some more beads on plate to see where you're at and try to narrow it down. Ploughing on with the tube ain't gonna achieve anything except making a mess at the moment
Not bad for someone trying to learn by jumping straight into small diameter tube before mastering the basics on flat stuff but i wouldn't even describe most of them as welds. Again just being blunt, we've all been there while learning but those attempts belong in the scrap bin not being used as a roof rack
here you go hottroder, I did these before doing the welds I did last night..
free picture upload
imag
image hosting 10mb limit
Heres a shot of the penetration...
image hosting 12mb
All these welds were done back to back, and all the settings were left the same:
-150 amps
-AC
-3/32 lanthanated 1.5%
-3/32 filler
-high frequency intensity : MAX
-15 sec post flow
-9 CFH
- balance set too
upload a picture
what do you think?
free picture upload
imag
image hosting 10mb limit
Heres a shot of the penetration...
image hosting 12mb
All these welds were done back to back, and all the settings were left the same:
-150 amps
-AC
-3/32 lanthanated 1.5%
-3/32 filler
-high frequency intensity : MAX
-15 sec post flow
-9 CFH
- balance set too
upload a picture
what do you think?
