Shop / Tools Opportunity to learn/experience welding... Episode 1

frieed

Jeepless in Draper
Supporting Member
Location
Draper, UT
Never thought to add this 'til now.

The boyscouts have a welding merit badge and I've run about a dozen or so scouts through the process. Scoutmasters included.
For scouts, I've found two at a time works best (and I have two extra welding masks).

Any scoutmasters out there ?
 

zmotorsports

Hardcore Gearhead
Vendor
Location
West Haven, UT
Good for you, I think it would be good to get scouts involved or at least introduce them to welding. Seems less and less adults are being exposed to welding, let alone kids. Seems like all things mechanical or working with your hands is becoming a fading trend but the world still needs craftsmen and hands on skillsets.

Mike
 

frieed

Jeepless in Draper
Supporting Member
Location
Draper, UT
I guess I need to add the oxy-acetylene as the 4th process you can try here....
Good for cutting, welding, brazing, heating and bending.
 

BlueWolfFab

Running Behind
Location
Eagle Mountain
Speaking of bottles.. I'm not sure what to do with mine now that I'm (temporarily) TIGless... they are Praxair bottles with 100% ... (well 99.6%) Argon.. do I just hang on to them until I get my next TIG? Does argon go bad from just sitting? Do I sell them? ... realistically they are in my way more than they are useful to me right now.
 

Gravy

Ant Anstead of Dirtbikes
Supporting Member
Speaking of bottles.. I'm not sure what to do with mine now that I'm (temporarily) TIGless... they are Praxair bottles with 100% ... (well 99.6%) Argon.. do I just hang on to them until I get my next TIG? Does argon go bad from just sitting? Do I sell them? ... realistically they are in my way more than they are useful to me right now.

Well you should have sold me the bottle. I was about to go buy one today, but kids were too buys to take with me.
 

BlueWolfFab

Running Behind
Location
Eagle Mountain
Well you should have sold me the bottle. I was about to go buy one today, but kids were too buys to take with me.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it then. I have a big one that is too big to fit in that cart that I think I'll hold onto until I pick up my next TIG, but the one I have that fits that cart I will likely let go. If you still want it let me know. If you have a Praxair account they should swap you when it's empty no problem, or you could just tell them you're me. It seems to be that as long as they get their $ that they don't really care what's going on account-wise.
 

Kevin B.

Big hippy
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
So I'm butt welding 14ga steel tube. My little Lincoln Weldpak has four settings, A through D (not sure how many amps exactly each setting is), and the little chart on the side is telling me with .35 flux wire I want B and a wire speed of 2. That's way too damned hot. Even on C I'm blowing holes when I get anywhere near an edge. But on D I'm not getting enough heat to build a puddle, not even with the wire speed around 1.5. Any slower and I can't keep a consistent arc.

So I'm done for the day, but what do I try in the morning? Back to C and turn the wire speed up? I've been trying to keep a real short stickout, would backing off and using a longer arc length help cool it off a little? Or do I just suck and need to practice moving the puddle around near that edge?

Help me not suck.
 

frieed

Jeepless in Draper
Supporting Member
Location
Draper, UT
A-D control the voltage, wire feed controls current.
Are you talking about a T joint or are you making your tube longer (a true butt joint). What thickness?

Tight fitup will help.
Looking at your welds yesterday, I think you tend to move just a little too slow and end up with a lot of heat/filler buildup
If a T joint, go back to the recommended setting, keep the puddle on the piece that is the "top" of the tee and wash the puddle onto the end of the perpendicular piece.
Lengthening the stickout a little can cool the weld down a bit as well which is nice for filling gaps
 

Kevin B.

Big hippy
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
A-D control the voltage, wire feed controls current.
Are you talking about a T joint or are you making your tube longer (a true butt joint). What thickness?

Ok, a T joint, sorry. Or actually an L joint if you wanna get picky.

Tell me more about how wire speed controls current, that's new to me. The machine changes the current depending on the setting on the speed dial? Faster = more current?
 

frieed

Jeepless in Draper
Supporting Member
Location
Draper, UT
Ok, a T joint, sorry. Or actually an L joint if you wanna get picky.

Tell me more about how wire speed controls current, that's new to me. The machine changes the current depending on the setting on the speed dial? Faster = more current?
correct, but they are somewhat coupled, more wfs (current) requires more volts.
 
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