Hi Richard,

I have that same Miller control pedal on my Syncowave 180 at home and my two Miller machines at work. No complaints with it, no problems with many hours logged on all 3 machines. I have not used any other control foot pedal so my opinion is very biased.

Jim

Good advice Gary. Makes complete sense to run short beads, inspect, evaulate and make a change or not. Thanks!

Jim

Hello David, The length of my practice seesions (which are far to infrequent) are usually determined by how good my welds are turning out. When I am getting decent to good results, I usually go through 6 to 8 full length filler rods over the couse of 2 hours ( prepping the metal practice pieces, mak...

Thanks folks, I am looking and shopping around for a good table. Trouble is i am running out of room in my tiny shop and having no luck converting the living room into a living shop.

Jim

Hello guys, Anyone have an experience with Certiflat welding tables from a company called Tab and Slot? Link to their site attached below. They require DIY welding to assemble and look like a sturdy design. weldtables.com/.../copy-of-3x4-large-heavy-duty-welding-table-top-kit- certiflat-by-tab-slot-...

Thanks folks for the fast replies and information.

Jim

Hello folks, I recently was given a large supply of 2% thoriated tungsten electrodes and other goodies from a friend who closed down his welding shop, retired and relocated to a warm climate. I have a 0.040", 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8" electrodes in 7" and 3" all machine sha...

I find myself inspecing welds of all kinds in every kind of application while out and about. As we all have, I have seen some beautiful pieces of work to the ugliest, nastiest, sloppy welds that look like they are ready to fall apart. I have seen some structural welds on staircases which were so bad...

I clean off the crud like oils with the acetone first then I'll hitthe clean aluminum with a SS brush dedicated for use on aluminum only. I have not been able to practice this weekend, work keeps getting in the way.

Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback.

Jim

I am planning on spending a good amount of time practicing this weekend, I clean up the surface of the aluminum plate with a sander just before welding practice starts. Thanks,

Jim

I just picked up 40 pieces of 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8" thick, 2" x 8" pieces of scrap. Plenty to practice on now!!!! Got a few 8" x 8" x 3/16" thick plates for running bead patterns on. Sharpened up a dozen 1/16 and 3/32" dia. 2% lanthanated electrodes. Got ...

It did not help my case to show her a drawing of how I would arrange the equipment in the "living" room. I even offered to put only a few items among the existing furniture. The living room is clean, TIG welding is clean, why not? It is not like i was palnning on putting a water jet machin...

Thanks for the feedback. The shop expansion plan is not moving ahead. Today is day 1 of the silent treatment after suggesting my plan. I expected approval of this plan to be about as easy as TIG welding wood.

Jim

Hello Gavin,
I have been meaning to make a third hand tool. I have some 2" dia. copper rod stock and some 3/8 dia copper rods. That will be my next project before I resume the aluminum torture test. I'll be sure to pay close attention to the grounding of the parts. Thanks,

Jim

Very nice work, excellent finish on all the pieces. Would you be able to post or email drawing o fthe folding stands? Thsy sure look like a very good design. I'd like to mak 2 sets in aluminum. Keep up the excellent work!!!

Jim

Thanks, I'll keep practicing and devloping my skills using my Synchro 180. If and when I get significantly better, I opt for a Dynasty 280. I've seen John Marcella's aluminum welds as well as Zank's here on this site, true works of art. I need significantly more torch time, my practice time is far t...

Hello folks, My difficulties with welding aluminum today and some advice I just got on another thread led me to ask about what materials are acceptable for use as the top of a welding table. I don't have room for a dedicated welding table in my tiny garage so I got a 2 ft. x 2 ft. by 1/2" thick...

Thank you very much for all the fast and excellent feedback!!!! A few things I noticed while runining perfectly nice small piece of aluminum: 1. as Dave suggested, the arc did stablize nicely when I applied more power. I admit I mashed the pedal out of frustration but got a good result. I have been ...

Hello folks, My skills with TIG welding aluminum have been improving, slowly but improving. I've used up a lot of filler rod and all the scrap 1/16" to 3/16" pieces of aluminum I could get. I am having a terrible time welding the inside corner of a 90 degree joint. Outside joints are going...

Hello guys,

The large base square is now listed and I ordered a bundled package which includes the square.

Jim

I have repaired a fair number of cast aluminum covers and crankshaft cases for motorcycles and snowmobiles. As others have pointed out, tools techniques and chemicals to clean the metal are you best friends on these jobs. I have a heated detergent tank with ultrasonic agitation with a heated deioniz...

I just went to Jody's store to buy a few things including one of the combination squares with the large base. I don't see them listed anymore. Did Jody drop this product? Thanks!

Jim

Hello folks, What shows are there for the welding industry in the U.S.? The EASTEC metalworking show is next week in Springfield MA, not usually much for the welding industry at this show. FabTech will be helps in November, I am planning on attending this year. Any other shows scheduled, large or sm...

Very very nice. I am trying to convince the wife to let me convert our rarely used living room into a new welding and fabricating shop. i am running out of room to setup and store all my goodies.

I also sense a distinct smell when TIG welding either in my shop at work or in the home shop. I beleive it is the smell of ozone cretade by the arc. I have worked with a lot of high voltage electrical equipment which creates ozone and it is the same smell as when TIG welding. It is fairly persistent...