You seemed to have proven your point to yourself. But I have to ask..............can you weld aluminum on AC ??? If so, why not stick to AC ??? Yes, I can weld aluminum on AC. I learned it just the same as everyone else that welds aluminum. Where DC comes in handy is in that photo the base plate ha...

Not sure if this will help but we use Hast W AWS 5786. Might narrow it down a bit because there is Hast B-2, S, W, X. Couldn't tell you the difference. Only worked with W. Great stuff though! Ha ha!

IMO, I have to disagree with you about passing inspections using DC. I have passed many NDT tests using this process (Penetrant and X-Ray), so it can do much more than just get you by. Yes, AC is preferred 98% of the time but just wanted to share with others looking for that 2%. When it is called ou...

Great Job! You'll really enjoy working with more intricate parts. As Steve said when you have to pay attention to quality you'll be amazed how much better you'll become. Plus, don't be afraid to talk to the older guys that have been there for years. Ask questions they'll have a massive amount of inf...

I've gotten into this debate many times with younger welders right out of school all the way up to welders twice my age and experience. The debate about TIG welding Aluminum on DC. They all say you Can't do it! One thing I've learned in my 15 years in welding is there no such thing as Can't in this ...

I'm sure you can weld Titanium to mild Steel but not with a conventional type of welding. Friction Welding would be the most likely case. A buddy of mine machined a part for the International Space Station and told me it was Aluminum welded to Titanium. He said the program was a real pain to write w...

Have you taken the test yet??

Jody talks about a good respirator in his latest video. Here's the link. http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/pla ... oject.html I've used this one too and it works great.

Sheridan, I would say if possible to pre heat the thicker piece before putting it together then favor the thicker side while welding. Also, what size rod are you using? Try to find some .020 (~.6mm). I'd use a Gas lens, #6-7 cup, 1/16th Tungsten sharpened to a sharp point for pinpoint accuracy. I'm ...

I've never done any flux core welding but I do know that it is important to have the polarity set right. I'm not sure if you checked out Jody's mig videos they have a lot of great information. http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/Mig-welding-tips.html http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/mig-welding-v...

I agree with Delraydella about wondering if you might be welding galvanized metal. That stuff sucks no matter how much experience you have or what machine you're running! If you're looking into changing over to Gas (always a good idea) look on Craigslist for used bottles. If you go to the weld suppl...

I've never been a fan of using 2% Thoriated tungsten for Aluminum on any machine. If it's all you have it will work but you will get inclusion (small pieces of tungsten falling off into the weld) that is one cause of porosity. After you've welded a few beads with Thoriated it's a good idea to break ...

Another thing to keep in mind is as your welding you should be backing off on the pedal (here and there) to keep the heat a little more under control. Once the metal is hot it just get hotter! Moving faster and lightly backing off on the amps as you go (as needed) will help. Practice makes Perfect

304 and 316 weld about the same. I'm sure there is a difference but nothing overly noticeable. With dealing with X-Ray parts make sure EVERYTHING is CLEAN (Gloves too)! Make sure to wipe down the wire and plates with acetone or alcohol on a clean white cloth and place them on something clean. Really...

From what I can see... I would agree that you need to clean it a little more. From the photo it looks like with the pre heating you might be getting it too hot before you start to weld it. It is 1/2 thick but the part just needs a little heat to help get the weld to puddle the torch with do the rest...

I just picked up a PowerPro 164 and with the little bit of testing I've done I'm very pleased with it. Had wanted to buy the 256 model but came across a great deal on the 164. I do plan on buying the cooler and a smaller WP20 torch and maybe the new foot pedal. Having the plasma torch option is very...

If you're looking at buying a small MIG I'd recommend the Hobart 210MVP (115v/230v). Jody has a great video on this machine. I hate MIG welding but it is what you do most at home, so this is the machine I purchased and am very happy with it. Welded some brackets on a buddies car a few weekends ago, ...

Another thing you can try if you think the gas is giving you problems. Put some scotch bright in the cup as a secondary defuser after the gas lens. I knew a older welder that rarely welded above 20 amps and he always had the second defuser. Could have been just an old habit but that guy could lay so...

If you're still looking for a finger controller from my experience this was the easiest to use. http://stores.ae-welding-industrial.com/-strse-57/Cold-wire-feeder,-north/Detail.bok The problem with the side tractor style is your end up moving the torch around too much trying to adjust the amps but w...

Well Bradshaw106, I'm jealous! Ha ha!! Some of the guys on here may disagree with me when it comes to pulsing... I've been welding for 15 years and up until the last year I never used it. Before the past 5 years I had done nothing but aluminum and never used pulse. What I use pulse for now is when I...

No worries Mick, ha ha! One place I worked at we had to weld our stubs together and reuse them... Cheap!! Where I'm at now being D17 we can't cut any wire cause it has a flag on the end. Big trouble if we get cough doing that. Stupid but don't want cross contamination. But, as you said sometimes you...

Glad to hear that you're using the three finger method. Becoming proficient with that style will help you later with smaller wire. Feeding .020 wire doing the inch worm doesn't work out too well. As far as how to keep your rhythm... It just comes with time and practice. Like Mick and Jody said just ...

I would have to say not to worry about the Argon flow at very low amps. One thing you do have to keep in mind is having a Very sharp and Clean tungsten. At those low amps the arc with come off any little burrs. You want it to come off right at the tip. A diamond wheel works best but if you have a ol...

Hey Everyone,

I'm looking to move to the Tampa Bay area and would like to find a good Aerospace or High Quality weld shop. Any good ideas or names I can look up?

Thanks
Roy

General rule of thumb in my book is the weld width should be no more than twice the thickness of the thinnest material being welded. Not sure what the D1.1 spec is on that but that's what D17.1 (aerospace) is. Sorry this might be a little late but hope that helps for future reference.