Least honorable wrote:[edit] would it be a good idea to get a propane torch just to preheat to like 100 degrees F ? i beleive you can get one at any harware store for like 20$, seems like a worthwhile purchase if it will improve welding.
noah
Not Really. Those are average ambient temps here down south, lol. As long as you take it nice and slow (but not too slow) with chromoly, you will be ok, so long as the weld is not subject to any draft, as that will increase the cooling rate, which you don't want. Now if you're at 0.125" or greater, then more care should be taken to not let it cool too rapidly after the arc is extinguished.
Unless you're welding less than 1/16" or greater than 1/8" wall, 1/16" filler is all you should need, IMO.
Otto Nobedder wrote:
E80 is the best compromise choice to get the weld characteristics you want without an enormous normalizing operation, and it's the recommended rod for aircraft by the EAA.
Steve S
Looked up some stuff on the e80. Should I get er80sd2 or just straight up er 80?
Otto Nobedder wrote:
E80 is the best compromise choice to get the weld characteristics you want without an enormous normalizing operation, and it's the recommended rod for aircraft by the EAA.
Steve S
Looked up some stuff on the e80. Should I get er80sd2 or just straight up er 80?
Regards
Noah
Be careful when looking up ER80XX tig filler rods. Some of them are alloy formulations that absolutely require a specific pre-heat and minimum inter-pass temperatures because they are under a "chromoly" designation/class of wires for specific applications. Not following the required procedures = your part just cracked along the weld bead. Again, I'm no pro, this is just what I've gathered from reading as much info as I can find.
I'll have to dig out my EAA books to find the reference to e80, but I'm pretty sure is was -s2 as well.
Steve S
Yea, from what I gather lots of people weld it with 70-S2 since it will still achieve a very high weld strength assuming the rod itself has an actual UTS higher than the minimum requirement to be classified ER70XX and there is sufficient base metal dilution. For me, if I can find it, I'll buy it. Even if it's cheap Blue Demon ER80S-D2.
Back from the trip, they didn't have 4943, so I got 4043, they had the 308l, which I'm happy about and they didnt have 2% lath tungsten so I got the 1.5% that I might end up using exclusively on thiner material, and order some 2% 3/32 online, or is the 1.5% as good as as the 2% at 150 amps? ( Because that's the max I'll reach, when I get to over 150amps I'll get the 2% for sure.)
So should I use the 1.5 lath for this stuff like sheet metal and razorblades/pop cans? Since it does provide a crisper arc start. If that's not that good of an idea I might just keep it in an 'oh sh*t' situation where I might have nothing else to use. And use 2% the whole rest
My machine came bundled with electrodes including Zirconiated and Thoriated.
Nowadays I use 2% Lanth for everything, and yes, all the other stuff just sits in a drawer waiting for that "Oh s**t!" day when I realise I don't have any 2% Lanth to hand.
2% Lanth keeps my welding life simple. And as RB said, it handles heat way better than 1.5%.
Use it till it's gone. That stuff is too expensive to just stuff into a drawer. I have personally given up on trying to weld pop cans because i can't get enough low amperage control with my welder (Everlast Powertig 255EXT) and using a 1/16 electrode just exacerbates the problem. I think it has a lot to do with the crappy foot peddle that comes with the unit.
As far as the 2% lanthanated is concerned, it just handles more heat without breaking down than any of the other electrodes. It really makes a difference on aluminum. I haven't tried nailing a full 250 amps through it yet but it works just fine @ 225 amps with far less balling than thoriated. Pure tungsten electrodes liquify somewhere in that range and look like a bead of sweat that's about to drip off of someone's nose. I talked the old boss into buying some 2% lanthanated one time and he was thoroughly impressed with it's ability to handle gobs more heat. A few minutes later his girlfriend (shop manager) cussed him out when she saw the receipt (truly expensive stuff).
Edit:
I haven't tried 1.5%....I just watched Jody's video where he tests most of the various electrodes.
alright, ill buy the 2% lanth, but ill keep it in a drawer for now, ill use 1.5% after im used to doing tig and got the proper movement/dip pattern, and not dipping the tungsten at all, at that point ill go to 2% to keep them nice and pristine
You're likely to never stop dipping the tungsten.....you just won't do it nearly as much. The really fun part is this: you'll get to the point where it rarely ever happens; then you start welding out of position and you start sldipping it like a noob all over again!
Is a test plate a good way to practice welding? It's what we do at our school for stick and flux, then on might we do both plates and joints, and tig is only joints, but I figure, practicing on testplates can't hurt can it? Plus less material for like 5x the beads ( 7-9 beads total, instead of 1 for a joint.. and you can bend it to see how you did).. I'll probably end up doing 1 test play anyway some day just to try it, and I'll mostly do joints to practice on thin material, but I would use test plates the first week or 2 of each new position. (Can only practice on weekends)
the 1.5%La isn't that bad on DCEN IMO. On AC, on the other hand, you can really tell the difference between it and 2%La. Then there is the tri-mix stuff that is suppose to outlast everything, lol.
How much are you all paying for 2%La that is making everyone cringe at receipts? I buy (well had bought because I still haven't used it up) run-of-the-mill China stuff, and it was no where near causing me to starve for a week, lol. Unless you're buying specifically from ArcZone where they're super expensive, lots of places should be able to get a hold of 2%La for a decent price. USAWELD.COM and MIDWESTTUNGSTEN.COM come to mind. $30 gets you a 10-pk of 1/8" 2%La tungstens. Smaller diameters are less $$.
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How much are you all paying for 2%La that is making everyone cringe at receipts? I buy (well had bought because I still haven't used it up) run-of-the-mill China stuff, and it was no where near causing me to starve for a week, lol.
Agree
I use Diamond Ground.
Everlast 250EX
Miller 250 syncrowave
Sharp LMV Vertical Mill
Takisawa TSL-800-D Lathe
Coupla Bandsaws,Grinders,surface grinder,tool/cutter grinder
and more stuff than I deserve(Thanks Significant Other)
I'll have to dig out my EAA books to find the reference to e80, but I'm pretty sure is was -s2 as well.
Steve S
Yea, from what I gather lots of people weld it with 70-S2 since it will still achieve a very high weld strength assuming the rod itself has an actual UTS higher than the minimum requirement to be classified ER70XX and there is sufficient base metal dilution. For me, if I can find it, I'll buy it. Even if it's cheap Blue Demon ER80S-D2.
Blue Demon makes a lot of branded packages for people you don't realize there are a finite number of filler rod manufacturers in the world. I've used their whole slew of rods on race cars and never had an issue with any of it.
GreinTime wrote:Blue Demon makes a lot of branded packages for people you don't realize there are a finite number of filler rod manufacturers in the world. I've used their whole slew of rods on race cars and never had an issue with any of it.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Very true, you just sometimes never really know who is the manufacturer and who is a middle-man selling re-branded product. I wonder if they make the tig rods for Radnor that is sold at Airgas?
Again, I'm no pro, this is just what I've gathered from reading as much info as I can find.
there are a finite number of filler rod manufacturers in the world. I've used their whole slew of rods on race cars and never had an issue with any of it.