[Steve49suzuki]

I have a question on this. I can weld aluminium with a gas lense and do ok. Now a lot of the great aluminium welders use standard ceramic lenses. Now I can't weld at all with a standard lense I have practice loads gas pressure stick out or flat to lense, frequency balance tried everything. Now I can get buy just fine but would love to master standard set up ? Any advice ? It general looks like a gas coverage problem does anyone know of any tricks like a modified collet body or use a diffuser? I'm at a loss. Cheers

[Bill Beauregard]

For me they work about equally well. I use more stick out with lens. I understand you use less CFH with lens.

[Steve49suzuki]

I just can't seem to get it to work for me. No problems with a gas lenses.

[Bill Beauregard]

Something else is at play here, I have an aerator on my kitchen faucet, it pours smoother with less splash. I don't have one it comes out too fast, splashes a bit. Some people have them, some don't. Something doesn't fit right, you have leaks, your nozzle is plugged, I don't know yet. The difference should be noticeable, but not extreme. Tell us about all your settings. I'd guess you need slightly more flow rate without a lens.

[kiwi2wheels]

I just can't seem to get it to work for me. No problems with a gas lenses.

There was a post recently on an earlier thread about the collet restricting flow.

Do you know the brand of the standard collet body that 's giving you the problem ? Have you tried another from a " name " supplier ; e.g. Weldcraft, C&K, Speedway et al. ?

[Steve49suzuki]

I just can't seem to get it to work for me. No problems with a gas lenses.

There was a post recently on an earlier thread about the collet restricting flow.

Do you know the brand of the standard collet body that 's giving you the problem ? Have you tried another from a " name " supplier ; e.g. Weldcraft, C&K, Speedway et al. ?

Hello that's great I will look it up. It's just a standard cheap one that comes with my welder. I will look into buying a branded one and try that. Cheers

[kiwi2wheels]

I just can't seem to get it to work for me. No problems with a gas lenses.

There was a post recently on an earlier thread about the collet restricting flow.

Do you know the brand of the standard collet body that 's giving you the problem ? Have you tried another from a " name " supplier ; e.g. Weldcraft, C&K, Speedway et al. ?

Hello that's great I will look it up. It's just a standard cheap one that comes with my welder. I will look into buying a branded one and try that. Cheers

I was a bit unclear. I should have you'll need both collet and collet body.

[weldin mike 27]

In relation to stigmas, I want to ask about repairing alum bicycle frames. There seems to be a school of thought that if a Tig welded one cracks, it can be rewelded due to work hardening. Could this be true in all cases or only some. My idea is if it's cracked already, might as well have a go at fixing it.

[WerkSpace]

This fellow offers some 'Tips and Tricks' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6emWh53WpZI

In relation to stigmas, I want to ask about repairing alum bicycle frames. There seems to be a school of thought that if a Tig welded one cracks, it can be rewelded due to work hardening. Could this be true in all cases or only some. My idea is if it's cracked already, might as well have a go at fixing it.

[weldin mike 27]

That bloke had some serious serial killer face going on at the end....

[Bill Beauregard]

I wonder if a crack can develop without some crystallization nearby. I'd want to cut away a fairly wide gap, maybe 1/2" wide, then build it up. Then move around to the other side and repeat the process.

[Otto Nobedder]

Repairing cracks is something I do quite often.

The key is knowing the actual end of the crack. I do this with dye-penetrant.

On thin materials I will stop-drill just outside the ends.

On thicker sections, I'll grind the whole thing out and replace everything with fresh filler.

Cracks always extend beyond what the naked eye can see, and will come back of not allowed for.

Steve S

[Bill Beauregard]

I want to think of the cause of the crack, and how I can change the situation to prevent it happening again. Reinforcement is an obvious solution, but often that isn't the best solution. Often it's vibration, and it can be addressed. Bad designs can be changed, or an extra fastener might eliminate the problem.