Welding Tips and Tricks

One of Jodys older vids (circa 2010), about getting better gas coverage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-mnZ2oyCxM

I'm looking to pick up a roll of stainless mesh and cut out a bunch of circles to fit my lenses.
Does anyone know what mesh # is best for this application?

Thanks.

I've used from 50 up to 120+ mesh. Equally important as the mesh is the wire diameter. You don't want wires thinner than about 8 thousandths. It is the reason I use a collet as a tungsten guide. Too thin of a wire and the mesh can oxidize if your post flow is too low even just once.

Major thanks. That was exactly the info I was looking for.

Do you have a link to the kind of diffuser screen that you would suggest?

In your design, are you running two screens per lens (towards the back, then the front)?

Again, major thanks for the help.

Welding wrote:Major thanks. That was exactly the info I was looking for.

Do you have a link to the kind of diffuser screen that you would suggest?

In your design, are you running two screens per lens (towards the back, then the front)?

Again, major thanks for the help.

Actually, there's 4 in each. The more you stuff in there, the more laminar you can get the gasflow. I take 0.030" SS wire and bend it into a circle so it works as a spacer between the screens. I had simply bought SS mesh on ebay. They sell small 4"x4" sections cheap. Then I used a 4130 chromoly tube of the appropriate I.D., sharpened the end to about 45°, then I heated and quenched it to harden it. This keeps the sharp cutting edge, sharp. I use a 1/4" thick piece of copper to punch out the screens on. Hard enough to easily punch them out, soft enough so that it doesn't mess up the sharp edge on the tube.

Oscar, I wish I could have you in my shop. That's the kind of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills we need.

At present, we've got one new guy who will start a sentence with, "I don't want to sound retarded, but..." and I clench up and hold on, because "here we go...".

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:Oscar, I wish I could have you in my shop. That's the kind of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills we need.

At present, we've got one new guy who will start a sentence with, "I don't want to sound retarded, but..." and I clench up and hold on, because "here we go...".

Steve S

Thanks Steve. I guess all the nerdy, hard-core math and science studying did pay off with developing my frontal lobe.

I actually have a really off-the-wall ideal I'd like to try with screens, but I need to get better at machining first.

Reading this paper gave me some ideas..

Numerical Investigations on Fluid Flow through Metal Screens

Oscar you may find standard production screen material from an refrigeration company. Many of the screens put inline are specialized for refrigerant flow and have been engineered for this very fact.

Poland308 wrote:Oscar you may find standard production screen material from an refrigeration company. Many of the screens put inline are specialized for refrigerant flow and have been engineered for this very fact.

True, but I didn't want to take a chance should they be just a smidge smaller than the advertised OD.

Bumping an old thread.

Oscar or anyone else- what is the exact specification of the mesh I need to buy for this?

My info is in post #2.

Thanks much. I asked the wrong question.
I guess what I meant to ask was, what is a good source for mesh that is adequate for this application?

EBay

In your experiments, have you found a particular mesh size to be adequate for general purpose use or easier to work with?