Welding on "used" aluminum boats requires a great deal of cleaning first. Got to be clean, clean, clean, and then cleaned a bit more. Acetone wiped, then stainless brushed before welding. The pontoons are often pretty thin too, so heat control will be very important. You might experiment w...

You shouldn't really need the DIG function except for overhead welding, maybe some vertical uphill. A tight arc is always best with stick, you should "almost" feel the base metal. 60xx series rods burn off very quickly with a high deposition rate. It might be easier to practice with 7018 r...

I'd offer you some opinion based input: Welding 1/8" rod on 110v is probably overtaxing your machine. While it may be listed as capable, its usually the outer limit of its performance. Hence, it may struggle to keep the amperage consistent all the way to the work surface. If you want to practic...

The wiring melting will "sag" due to gravity. About the only way to overcome that is to whip across the middle and sweep up, letting the puddle fill in behind you. It still won't be as clean as downhill, but if you must go vertical up, it will help reduce the bulging.

The lesson I learned last night...You know almost immediately if you forgot to turn on the gas! :o I bet there's not a person who's welded with gas that hasn't done this. At least twice. A good habit is to hold the torch towards your face and bump the pedal so you can confirm flow across your cheek...

kiwi2wheels wrote:...American members, they get their second Christmas Jan 20th .....

The gift that keeps on giving!

I wish all of you and yours, peace, health and happiness wherever you are and in whatever you do! May this spirit of Christmas infect those that would do evil to peaceful people

Welding bicycle frames is almost certainly going to require TIG welding. And its NOT easy to do. The tubing is rather thin, and heat effect will possibly do more damage than benefit of your weld. I would not suggest you undertake welding that without some decent instruction and lots of practice due ...

You can learn to do the math and make your own templates to practice any angle or pipe combo posible. If you have already had some welding training and were able to pass cert tests then I would recommend getting into an aprenticeship. He's interested in tools to help create the bevels, not the math...

A friend of mine who is a pipe welder by trade fabbed up a clever tool. He took an Oxo torch wheel (two wheels spread with torch holder in the middle like you might use to cut a straight line) but reduced one wheel's diameter so the torch is angled 37* from centerline. He then wraps the pipe with a ...

Why you would do DC instead of AC I don't know, I have heard of it but never looked into it, I guess if you don't have a machine that can do AC welding, then it would make sense but I think you would just be better of getting an inverter machine that can do AC & DC and getting a bottle of argon...

IF this is just for you, just bevel the joints on either side or both sides and weld em up. I have a Dynasty 200 I have done plenty of 3/16" and 1/4" with it, 80 or 60 grit flap disc and off you go. Thanks, I know I can do it without using Helium. The goal is to do it with less than 150 a...

Looking for some recommendations on using a Helium mix to TIG some 1/4" and 3/8" aluminum. Using a Dynasty 200 with a 17 air cooled torch. My understanding is that the % of Helium will allow me to run lower amps with equal or better heat. But, do you recommend 90/10 or 80/20 for reliable r...

You also need to know the amps available on your generator if using 230v power. It's not just about the wattage... Striking the rod will draw the most amps but then settle in once lit. The higher amps your Dynasty is set to, the greater the wattage seen at the generator.

Look at page B5 on the attached:

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/assets/s ... m10105.pdf

In addition to Poland's comments, use a flexible head torch to get the shaft inline with your travel direction. And, walking the cup can become tricky on carbon steel once it gets really hot. This causes the cup to get "sticky" against the metal and you have to jam it, glide it, jam it... ...

What you should notice is that about halfway through your bead runs, the heat accumulates in the base part, making the bead begin to get "grainy" looking and flatter. That is when you need to back-off the pedal, or increase the tempo of rod and cup movement. Its a delicate balance of fille...

Some other tips with you Dynasty and thin aluminum is to set the pulse on. That turns the heat back and allows you to use more amps (probably 125) without over cooking the sheet while you trudge along. Also, try using 150hz and see if that doesn't produce a better looking result, and balance between...

You can, but you might be trying to weld too thick a piece of aluminum on your 110v welder. Aluminum takes a lot of amperage. Can also preheat with propane as a test to see if that helps. What machine, amps and wire speed are you using? Material thickness and wire gauge?

Most marine aluminum is 5xxx series, so easier to weld with 5xxx rod (and cheaper). I literally just did a transom extension on a Jon boat 2 weeks ago, and encountered some of these issues. You can, plate either side and weld the panel to the transom. You can back either side with copper as suggeste...

Even if you have separators, the routing of the plumbing can produce worse/better results. Best to have your service lines running above the separator, and the filters/separators plumbed in low (gravity draws moisture down). If your tank is rusting, consider its location; indoors or outdoors? Is you...

When you initiate the AC arc, it will wander until you get it cranked up and stabilized. Either more pedal faster, or wait until it stabilizes to before you panic. A "steep angle" is the cup as close as perpendicular to the line of the surface (to be clear). When you lay the cup back, in a...

A "flatter" bead can be accomplished in a number of ways: less filler rod, travel further between dips, different AC balance, smaller wire, burning in longer before travel, etc... From your description, it sounds like your amps are low and rod is thick. You might experiment with higher amp...

I'll offer you some opinion and advice based upon observations: Amps needed will be low. I just welded 16 gauge sheet yesterday and used between 20-40 amps on my foot pedal. I used a 3/32 tungsten with about 13-15cfh, postflow of about 8.5 seconds (more than needed). Your objective is dicey. To buil...

If I may... To Kym's and the OP's point, what is it about welding (specifically) that attracts someone? Work in often terrible conditions, dirty, hot, freezing cold, in the dirt and mud, grinding, laying upside down welding a Wastewater treatment pipe surrounded by decaying diapers and human filth, ...

You didn't mention what machine you're welding with either. Depending upon the box, changing the frequency or AC Balance can effect your welds quite a bit too. Also, on thin tubing, setting the background pulse helps a lot to prevent blowout. When you weld aluminum, it takes a bit of time for the fi...