Another issue is set on vs set in joints. Since I am writing the WPS for these joints, set in or portholed joints might be required. It is common in bicycle frame construction on high end cycles. Saves a tad weight but really makes the weld tricky.

Wonder if HF could be added to DCEN to offer ionic cleaning? I know HF is used on AC to maintain arc stability during zero crossing but it isn't needed on certain wave forms like square wave where arc time at zero crossing is minimal.

Yes, I have done DC aluminum welding. Pure Ar too.

Yes, practice makes perfect. Thankfully the EMT is dirt cheap as I have a bucket full of drops. But 70 amps on 0.042" carbon steel? I'm rubbing 1/16" thoriated tungsten so that is fine. I might try larger coupons and let it cool a bit. Tacks are colorless as were the first 1/4s..welded thi...

My son is in his final semester of mech engineering and has his capstone project of the ASME design-build of a human powered vehicle..basically a bicycle frame. I volunteered to do the welding so I better get good. I fishmouthed some 1/2" EMT, then pickled the zinc off with muratic acid. Jigged...

Nice work! I'm practicing for thin tube test using 1/2" EMT . Pickled in muratic acid to remove the zibc, then fishmouthed with rotary file. It is 0.702" OD with a 0.042" wall. 45 amps pulsed rule of 33 is my starting point. Cheap practice material and once those look good, chrome mol...

weldin mike 27 wrote:Also know as Die Cast here in Australia

Die cast is a process, not a material. I can GTAW die cast aluminum all day long without a hitch. But zinc, Zamak or other low temp cast metals are a problem due to hot short properties and high vapor pressures.

Yes, it is a Chevy K30 (that is a 1 ton) with NP 205 transfer case, Detroit Locker rear diff and Dana 60 limited slip front. 4.56:1 axles with a TH 400 transmission means a top speed of 65 MPH. The engine is the DD 6.2, indirect injection without turbo. But it is an exempt emissions due to GVW so no...

Definitely a zinc alloy but slightly magnetic?

It can be repaired with torch soldering using that aluminum repair rod which is a tin-zinc alloy. Melting point around 600 °F so watch out. Propane or MAPP equilavent.

Yes, SMAW will draw a lot more than GTAW, especially on inverter machines. The larger the generator, the greater the inertia to pull the load. And bigger engines also have greater inertia. My Onan MEP 002A has two flywheels plus the generator so it never struggles. It weighs in at 1100 pounds wet ye...

Back in 2012, I liberated a surplus M1031 truck from Ft. McCoy WI. Why? Only 9000 miles for one but less than 4 hours on the PTO driven 12 kW Lima MAC three phase generator and 7 CFM Champion air compressor. There is always a catch.. The generator needs to spin at 1800 RPM to make 60 Hz and to do th...

NEMA 15 series connections were abandoned because of the ground-neutral sharing. Often times, a range or dryer needed 120 volts so the ground then became an intentional current carrying conductor. That the current was usually under an amp matters not. That being said, I still use them but only in th...

First of all, that pin is a needle bearing. No easy weld thanks to carbon and carbon equivalents being well over 1%. Needle bearings are dirt cheap in bulk. I get mine from old universal joints used in automotive drivelines. Yes, heat is how they are removed. This use of needle bearing needles was p...

Totally missed the 50 Hz on that side of the Atlantic. Spot on too regarding copied engines. I know the US military engines of last century were FAR under rated. OHV engines that produced a rated 1/5 Hp per cubic inch or so. And they ran forever. If you run an engine at 100% of its rated max, it mig...

Thanks all! Just did another fix on some household gear. A small hand truck had three broken welds, 1"x 1/8" thick to 1"round tube. So.. I look up arc time and counts..43 hours and 32 minutes :shock: with over 10k arc count you can tell I do a lot of sheet metal. My most rewarding job...

Well put, Brian. Two horsepower per kW is about right for a 3600 RPM (two pole) unit using gasoline engines. "But wait, one horsepower is 746 Watts " you ask? Yes, that is the math but that engine also has to cool itself (hp is often stated gross, neglecting cooling) and the genetator itse...

Looks like something I can fab..I have the wc torch mounted control, great for off bench welding. But a tad clumsly for dynamic power control..learned to use pulsed instead.

DIY? It isn't hard. Surplus Center out of Lincoln NE has a line of Rolair compressors plus motors, belts and pulleys. Plus plumbing and switches. If you have a welder and good fab skills, its a fun project. I've done three re-pumps. ASME tanks from pre 1998 have thicker walls since the code changed ...

Just wondering if you could use a dimmer switch hooked to a outlet to control the speed like I do for my gas furnace. Use a router speed control, built to take 15 amperes or more. These are triac voltage controllers and work by chopping off part of the sine wave. Noisy as ever with the sharp cutoff...

Power (kW) advertised is a big variable for generators. For example, my 1970s era milsurp MEP 002A is rated at 5kW but it easily powers my 200 DX when hooked in 3 phase..being a wye connection, that is 208 VAC. I've load tested the genset with three 3500 watt water heater elements (phase to phase) a...

I got lucky..a friend came over and his radiator sprubg a leak. So we got a new one and it had plastic caps in the transmission cooler fittings. These are ambi-gender so they work on both machine-regulator female and hose male. Red too so I haven't lost them. Price was a bit steep as I didmost of th...

Same here. The tank valve is the likely leak spot. When open, the stem seals by compressing the packing against the gland nut. When closed, there is no compression of the packing. This being said, mine was leaking last cylinder exchange and soap showed it was from the tank-regulator junction. I appl...

I'm in Central Texas within the range of Alamo Community Colleges which has an AWS ATF at their St. Phillips College.

I've done CrMo on bicycle frames so this project is a cake walk. After all, it is a bicycle. But OCD professors and know nothing college students..

Hello WT&T..new here but no to welding. I'm a weekend fabricator with a Dynasty 200 DX. Yes, also use the SMAW function on thicker metal or when outdoors. I've buit quite a few tube frames for compressors, pumps and other machines. My favorite is 16 gauge square from 3/4" to 2". Also l...