Hey fellas, I was wondering at what thickness you guys start to bevel aluminum butt welds? I looked for info on this and haven't had too much luck yet.

Thanks,
Pete

Thank you all for the incredible replies, it's so fun to hear the stories of other proud parents (husbands, wives, teachers)! Please reply with your stories.

-- Pete

Proud parent moment tonight - I know that you all are the ones to share it with! My seven year old daughter has been watching me weld for quite a while and asked if she could give it a try. We hooked up the small torch and after a short lesson (and a number of tries), she made a puddle and walked it...

Dave, Thanks for the thoughts, I'll give that a shot. I've been hitting it hard on starts, but not that hard. You are very right about heat building up in the metal. Starting to think that your hit it hard, weld fast, and be done before too much heat builds up makes a lot of sense. On that topic, go...

Hope all of your weekends are getting off to a good start... Jody's video about tungsten sharpening got me thinking about the optimal angle of sharpening for different situations. For steel, I don't have too many issues... If I'm running on the low end of the tungstens range, I'll lean toward a long...

That tank looks great! Thanks for the detailed post.

-- Pete

The welds look great!

Why is cleaning not allowed? I'm just curious.

-- Pete

Thanks for the advice, looks like it's a good time for the weekend to start so there is time to practice these new ideas!
Hope you fellas have a good weekend.
-- Pete

Just a quick question if you folks have a minute. Been working on T joints with aluminum. Using 1" x 1/8" strips of 6061, 3/32" 4043 filler, 3/32" 1.5% Lanth Tungsten (sharpened, point rounded to a small ball), 100hz, 75 balance. Running the torch as close as I dare to the puddle...

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I've been going low and slow with 1/16", looks like it's time to kick the speed up a couple of notches. I have some .035 MIG wire, so will give that a try soon.
-- Pete

Thanks for your suggestions! I just got done watching Jody weld the bike frame with super thin tubing, and am envious of the skill that it takes to do that. My skills are a ton less than his, but I thought that a good goal to start with would be mastering 1/16" and work up (down???) from there....

IMG_0505.jpg IMG_0504.jpg Just a (hopefully) quick question... I've been working on the basic joints with both steel and aluminum. Things have been going well with anything thicker than 1/16". Ripples even, width even, shiny weld surface, etc. The issue that I was hoping that you folks could h...

Just got mine ordered... Thank goodness the kids and gal love me, cause I'll be hogging the TV in the near future!

-- Pete

Steve, Thanks for your advice, I'll get those points sharp! I've been working on learning both aluminum and steel and have been preparing my tungstens the same for both. I can see the puddle well, and you are right, practice, patience. This forum and it's members are really amazing, I hope you guys ...

Hello all, hope you are all enjoying the weekend! I'm working on a bit of late night tig practice and seem to be plagued with undercut issues. Running the following parameters: 1/8" Steel - "T" joints 3/32" Filler 3/32" Sharpened and slightly flattened at the tip 1.5% Lanth ...

Makes sense, thanks!

-- Pete

Great topic - I don't mean to hijack the thread, but was wondering if I could ask a related question? What would be a reasonable flow for a #7 gas lens on aluminum in still air? I've been using 15cfh and having some welds that don't look as shiny as I'd like at times - could the flow be so great tha...

Thank you all for your thoughts, they were most helpful. I spent some more time practicing, and things are starting to progress. Time for more seat time to work out the bugs!

Love that story! You are very right about the helmet fit, they are so big a awkward for little heads. My 3M helmet can be adjusted to fit her pretty well, but it sure makes me nervous too see that $300 lid on her bobbing head! Still got a month to figure it out before the big day.

Not exactly a request for a new individual video, but thinking of additional salable products for you... I've found you current 3-disc set to be immensely helpful and am sure many others have also. I'd buy the next edition as soon as it comes out! Heck even the kids will drift towards the tv when I ...

Steve,

You were in my neck of the woods when you were in Clinton, IA... ADM has been there for a long time, but have greatly expanded over the last number of years (guessing that's where you may have worked). That sugary cooked corn smell can take a while to get used to!

-- Pete

Thank you all for the tips... I 'll try to post a pic by the end of the weekend and we'll see if any of it sunk in!

-- Pete

Thanks for the thoughts ajlskater1, I went out to the shop and gave material one more wipe down with solvent, turned the amperage up and tried to speed the filler hand up to match. Beads looked significantly better, but it seemed like I had to add filler at a frantic pace to make that happen! Clearl...

I got some time to work on tigging aluminum this afternoon and am not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm decent at steel TIG, but probably have about 10 hours of aluminum seat time. Settings/Variables: Miller Dynasty 200DX 200 amp air-cooled torch 15 cfm argon (tried Jody's test for leaks, contaminated ...