I paid very close attention to tailing off to avoid the craters and cracks . I had that problem a few times before . A couple of the starts and stops were a PITA ,the arc wouldnt end in a crisp shut off , it wanted to wander around and kinda sputter out . Either way heres another pic with one comple...

Thanks . I didnt pre heat it cranked the machine up and made a few 1 inch tacks to heat it up .

I will try that and see . And correct i didn't back purge it .

20150420_150301.jpg 20150423_113853.jpg 20150423_145430.jpg I noticed after i welded it ,There looked to be a crack in the center of the root . Couldnt get a picture of it due to phones getting larger and not being able fit . Could this lead failure or a possilble leak . Its 3" schedule 40 alu...

Sorry guys let me correct myself its 3/16 . I posted the wrong pictures . You are correct ak good eye even looking at a picture lol

Ak this was on 18 gauge and nothing critical as far as hazardous purely aesthetic

Voltage ranged from 19 to 23 wire speed just under 2 to 3

Here's a few I done

At first I think I have a pretty weld and then Zank post his pictures lol .just kidding but really nice welds . What amps were you set at for the aluminum ans steel ? If dont mind me asking

Akweld---The machine is a dimension 452 . 7018 rods were Excalibur in 3/32 and running about 85-90 amps . Im not sure of brand of the 309L but it was 1/8 rods running about 150 amps . I do use the dig on the machine to control the arc but not real sure the actual setting. the machines a few years ol...

A little 7018 and 309 on some socket fittings and a 7018 cap on on a flange replacement

Got to weld a little stainless today

Ill try those settings and see how it works out . It seems like it cools or solidifies very fast .tried making small loops ,big loops, stepping it , whipping . Just doesnt look good to me . Ill try and get some pics tomorrow thanks

Seal welded some winch mounts

Looking for some info on settings for welding 309lsi .035 mig wire . Cant seem to get it to lay down and look good any advice on settings or techniques would be great . Im welding 1\8 cromguard material. Using a tri mix gas .

Thanks mike . It is a pain welding over machining oil especially when its trapped under non fused welds . I had a few problems with porosity on a couple of them but got it all sorted out

Once you do one you get stuck with all of them . Apparently since the place that builds these barrels cant get the weld rite I get to fix all of them that we get

20131211_104107_resized.jpg 20131211_104112_resized.jpg 20131211_104117_resized.jpg I had to tig this weld on the inside of a flange today . this barrel came from the factory and the weld on the inside of the flange to the barrel had a small non fusion spot which caused hydraulic fluid to come out ...

Great another learning curve when I haven't even got standard mill pipe down yet lol

Tamjeff I didn't get the option of building the entire project or I wouldve bent the pipe instead of using 45s, I only got paid to weld it . I haven't had a chance to weld any anodized yet is any different than regular aluminum pipe

Heres a small casting platform i built . Its 1 1/2 sch 40.

can I upgrade the torch to a higher amp rating and stay with air cooled. I cant see spending the money for a water cooler and torch for the pt 185 .

just wondering if anyone has used an after market torch with the powertig 185 ? i notice the one that came with the machine gets extremely hot when welding . its a wp 17 series torch . any suggestions on brand or other series that could help with this . is it that the torch is to small to handle the...

ill keep that in mind it would give you a good rep that's for sure .

yea it wasn't to bad. i made few mistakes by second guessing things and mental errors. the customer did add some last minute changes as well which didn't help with the hours but it all worked out. ill definitely be adding a percentage of time to the next bid just for things like this . on the upside...