tig welding stack of dimes

[ericoneill]

how do i get a good stack of dimes look on my tig welder ,it doesnt have pluse as an option ?

 

[ericoneill]

kind of want this look as il be doing some manifolds up

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[biffa]

Practice. Its not down to what welder you have you just need lots of practice. When welding you need to pause and add filler then move, pause add filler. Each time you need to ensure you move the same and add the same amount of filler. Obviously the fit up needs to be spot on to make life easier

 

[ericoneill]

Practice. Its not down to what welder you have you just need lots of practice. When welding you need to pause and add filler then move, pause add filler. Each time you need to ensure you move the same and add the same amount of filler. Obviously the fit up needs to be spot on to make life easier

so no need for pluse machine ,id say heat is another factor as ive no foot pedal

 

[Premiershipman]

You can always use a metal heatsink underneath - nice large block of metal to dissipate the heat - or weld a bit, let it cool, weld a bit, let it cool...etc

 

[ericoneill]

You can always use a metal heatsink underneath - nice large block of metal to dissipate the heat - or weld a bit, let it cool, weld a bit, let it cool...etc

yes problem best to do short runs ,whats best to weld these bends at 70 amps mybe there sch 10 ss bends

 

[biffa]

70 amps mybe there sch 10 ss bends

I would be more around the 50 amp range your better of getting some ss sheet the same thickness to practice on untill you can get the same look, then move onto pipe. Whrn praticeing mess around with the amps, touch angles, travel angles untill you find what you comfortable with

 

[ericoneill]

Practice. Its not down to what welder you have you just need lots of practice. When welding you need to pause and add filler then move, pause add filler. Each time you need to ensure you move the same and add the same amount of filler. Obviously the fit up needs to be spot on to make life easier

very hard to get that dime look ive seen some vids it seems easyer to achevie with plusing lol

 

[chevy2]

The stack of dimes you refer to can easily be achieved without pulse,

The "stack" is formed by various factors, some being moving the torch in regular intervals at the same speed and the correct heat, too much heat and you'll lose that sharp weld definition you're looking for,
LOTS of practice on joints with good fit up with varying methods and you'll eventually get the quality and appearance you're after.

 

[ericoneill]

The stack of dimes you refer to can easily be achieved without pulse,

The "stack" is formed by various factors, some being moving the torch in regular intervals at the same speed and the correct heat, too much heat and you'll lose that sharp weld definition you're looking for,
LOTS of practice on joints with good fit up with varying methods and you'll eventually get the quality and appearance you're after.

hopfully il get it soon bit tricky im chasing this sort of weld for doing a manifold

 

[chevy2]

If you havn't already got them get some 1mm filler rods,
when using the 1.6mm or thicker rods some people tend to without realising weld hotter than needed to melt the thicker rod which then overheats the pool and looses the definition.

 

[ericoneill]

il try that tonight and some differant heat il post some pictures

 

[langy]

If you havn't already got them get some 1mm filler rods,
when using the 1.6mm or thicker rods some people tend to without realising weld hotter than needed to melt the thicker rod which then overheats the pool and looses the definition.

X 2, I never use 1.6 rods on exhaust tube, always use 1mm
As for amps defiantly not 70, I use a pedal but would stab a guess at 40-45 amps.
As Gary said tight fit up is one of the keys to success

 

[ericoneill]

X 2, I never use 1.6 rods on exhaust tube, always use 1mm
As for amps defiantly not 70, I use a pedal but would stab a guess at 40-45 amps.
As Gary said tight fit up is one of the keys to success

was thinking to lower the amps il do a few tests later to see if i get the effect i want

 

[HughF]

Tight fit up, and practice. And more practice.

 

[norlander]

novice with basic set up here but maybe my findings will help:

yep- get 1mm filler +1 on that

+1 on the fit up-needs to be tight.

other stuff- which needs confirming by more experienced blokes on here-

try to clean inside the tube if you can as well the outside ?
maybe a flexi head for your torch might help for some bits?
if the tube is stainless-think it needs back purging??
having a mate masked and gloved up to turn the tube while its in a vee rest is a plan I'm considering?

Preparation, positioning of elbow and hand rests and a dry run on the weld help for me.I've been down to 1mm tungsten and 5-20 amps on my practice so far, but 1.6 tungsten and about 20amps with 1mm filler was going quite well last practice as I've speeded up a bit now.
I don't have any preflow/postflow/footpedal/slope up/down kit, just lift start and a WP9 valved torch whilst I consider what to buy next.

As to the stack of dimes, I've noticed a lot (if not most) examples of those welds you see on the tube are on fairly chunky stuff.
I'm practising on 1mm/2mm and when I get depressed I go to a 2.4 tungsten and bang out some runs on thicker scrap which is easier and helps keep me from slashing my wrists.
Practice, practice and more practice and take a break when its not going well.
Hope some of that helps, good luck.

 

[norlander]

Heck-sorry about second post I forgot some things:

I've been practising on old motorcyle exhaust, I cut into the pipe with a hacksaw but did not cut right thru, this was so I could do multiple runs on the same bit of pipe without repeatedly setting up.

The width of the hacksaw kerf is really too much- dead easy to blow holes-I mention that to illustrate the need to butt the joints up if poss.

When I did blow holes I switched to 1.6 mm filler (1.6 tungsten in torch) to fill in.

My plan not tried and tested for cleaning inside tube is to try a flexi shaft on my drill, with a round wire brush as used by shotgun shooters.

Plan B (if I decide that exhaust fabrication is worth the hassle) is to use steel tube and if my welds do not improve, I'll use exhaust wrap to cover them.

Plan C is to cut and tack up the tubes and get the welding done by a pro.

I need to find out if non stainless tube needs back purging as well.

BTW , I understand the need to back purge stainless is :

A- to get a better finish on the inside of the pipe (less interruption to the flow of the exhaust gases)

B. If stainless is not back purged it is likely to crack.

C improves the puddle.

ABC points were taken from this chaps video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02U0H15_WEg&list=TLyKBAZ_3BbP9888MOTzKm6AdJxm5duNOm

Hope that helps.

 

[ericoneill]

good info there

 

[langy]

Heck-sorry about second post I forgot some things:

I've been practising on old motorcyle exhaust, I cut into the pipe with a hacksaw but did not cut right thru, this was so I could do multiple runs on the same bit of pipe without repeatedly setting up.

The width of the hacksaw kerf is really too much- dead easy to blow holes-I mention that to illustrate the need to butt the joints up if poss.

When I did blow holes I switched to 1.6 mm filler (1.6 tungsten in torch) to fill in.

My plan not tried and tested for cleaning inside tube is to try a flexi shaft on my drill, with a round wire brush as used by shotgun shooters.

Plan B (if I decide that exhaust fabrication is worth the hassle) is to use steel tube and if my welds do not improve, I'll use exhaust wrap to cover them.

Plan C is to cut and tack up the tubes and get the welding done by a pro.

I need to find out if non stainless tube needs back purging as well.

BTW , I understand the need to back purge stainless is :

A- to get a better finish on the inside of the pipe (less interruption to the flow of the exhaust gases)

B. If stainless is not back purged it is likely to crack.

C improves the puddle.

ABC points were taken from this chaps video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02U0H15_WEg&list=TLyKBAZ_3BbP9888MOTzKm6AdJxm5duNOm

Hope that helps.

Back purging stainless exhaust is not needed, its only done if you want the inside neat and smooth, I only do it if someone asks, never had a cracked exhaust because of lack of purging.

 

[justmental]

As langy has said back purging is not needed i did some stailless heeders on a blown small chevy this was three years ago and the are still ok not a crack in site.