Hello.
I am kinda new to tig welding and using Pepsi cans and razor blades for practice welding very thin materials.
I am using a Lincoln Squarewave 335, 1/16 - 2% Thor. 35 amps at the machine with pedal.
I have done pretty good with the cans and blades but it is really tough to get a stack of dimes look all the way around the cans, lots of turning the cans for position. Being so thin I seem to lose puddle control or blow a hole. The cans are the toughest for me being very light and round.
I am wondering about my ground to the material, if I do not have a good ground, what will that do to my arc and heat. It is hard to attach a ground to two cans and hold everything still ya know.
I have not tried to download any pictures but if someone wants to see my practice work I will try.
Any advice would help,
Thanks everyone,
Richard
Inman, S.C.
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away...
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
Krazziee.
An additional way of grounding.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/welding-ground.html
Alexa
An additional way of grounding.
http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/welding-ground.html
Alexa
thank you Alexa, i will look at this and try it. 
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away...
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
- Otto Nobedder
-
Weldmonger
-
Posts:
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Joined:Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:40 pm
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Location:Near New Orleans
Tungsten is also available at .040", if you feel part of the problem is arc focus at those low amps.
Just a thought...
Steve S
Just a thought...
Steve S
thank you Otto,
i have used some.040 pure tungsten for the Alum. it works good for welding on a can, but not too good for welding 2 cans together, the higher amperage needed seems to be too much for it. i set the machine at 30 - 35 amps and use pedal. could that be my problem ?
thank you very much for you help,
Richard
i have used some.040 pure tungsten for the Alum. it works good for welding on a can, but not too good for welding 2 cans together, the higher amperage needed seems to be too much for it. i set the machine at 30 - 35 amps and use pedal. could that be my problem ?
thank you very much for you help,
Richard
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away...
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
Thank you all,
i am trying to include a picture. as the man said " a picture is worth a thousand words "
i am still having trouble with this practice exercise. getting better though.
any help at all,
Thanks again,
Richard
Inman, S.C.
i am trying to include a picture. as the man said " a picture is worth a thousand words "
i am still having trouble with this practice exercise. getting better though.
any help at all,
Thanks again,
Richard
Inman, S.C.
- Attachments
-
- welded cans
- Resized.jpg (235.52 KiB) Viewed 1294 times
Last edited by krazziee on Sat Jun 29, 2013 4:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away...
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
- Otto Nobedder
-
Weldmonger
-
Posts:
-
Joined:Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:40 pm
-
Location:Near New Orleans
Hey, That looks really good!
Consider how aluminum cans are made. They start as a flat slug of fairly thick material (I forget the starting dimension) that is progressively stretched in a series of dies to final shape. This gives a fairly consistant thickness, but even a 5% variation on material that thin makes "thin spots" as you weld. Also, the inside of the can is sprayed with a food-grade liner. I'd have to watch that episode of "How It's Made" again to be sure whether it's laquer, plastic, or what, but in material that thin, what's on the back side may affect/migrate into the puddle. Might be an interesting experiment to cut open a can, pour it half-full of laquer thinner or MEK, and see if the liner comes off. If so, soaking then rinsing the cans may help.
So far, the thinnest aluminum I've welded was .049 -wall tubing. I keep threatening to try beer cans, but haven't had the free time while I have access to the machine that will do it.
As for .040 pure tungsten, I'd think the arc balance would have to be at max penetration (as far electrode negative as possible), and I'd like to experiment with DCEN on this, but I'd have to pulse it manually, as work is too cheap to get a machine with pulse, though I remind them regularly that it's on my wish list.
I'm now honestly curious whether the sprayed liner in the can actually affects the weld.
Steve S
Consider how aluminum cans are made. They start as a flat slug of fairly thick material (I forget the starting dimension) that is progressively stretched in a series of dies to final shape. This gives a fairly consistant thickness, but even a 5% variation on material that thin makes "thin spots" as you weld. Also, the inside of the can is sprayed with a food-grade liner. I'd have to watch that episode of "How It's Made" again to be sure whether it's laquer, plastic, or what, but in material that thin, what's on the back side may affect/migrate into the puddle. Might be an interesting experiment to cut open a can, pour it half-full of laquer thinner or MEK, and see if the liner comes off. If so, soaking then rinsing the cans may help.
So far, the thinnest aluminum I've welded was .049 -wall tubing. I keep threatening to try beer cans, but haven't had the free time while I have access to the machine that will do it.
As for .040 pure tungsten, I'd think the arc balance would have to be at max penetration (as far electrode negative as possible), and I'd like to experiment with DCEN on this, but I'd have to pulse it manually, as work is too cheap to get a machine with pulse, though I remind them regularly that it's on my wish list.
I'm now honestly curious whether the sprayed liner in the can actually affects the weld.
Steve S
Hello again Steve S,
you are right about the coating inside the can and i can tell you that it stinks and is most likely toxic when burned, i also think there is a coating on the outside to prevent oxidiation. i cut a can open and measured it but i can not remember now.. very thin ..
if you blow a hole in it ( i have a bag full of them ) it is very hard to fill being so thin and mostly the gases from the liner causes a big problem for the shielding gas.
i run the balance more toward the cleaning. the 3 setting is balanced, i run this machine to do this on 2. i tried putting a hole in the bottom of one can and purging the void between the cans thinking that may help, it did not seem to help but i am not really sure.
thanks again Steve,
Richard
you are right about the coating inside the can and i can tell you that it stinks and is most likely toxic when burned, i also think there is a coating on the outside to prevent oxidiation. i cut a can open and measured it but i can not remember now.. very thin ..
if you blow a hole in it ( i have a bag full of them ) it is very hard to fill being so thin and mostly the gases from the liner causes a big problem for the shielding gas.
i run the balance more toward the cleaning. the 3 setting is balanced, i run this machine to do this on 2. i tried putting a hole in the bottom of one can and purging the void between the cans thinking that may help, it did not seem to help but i am not really sure.
thanks again Steve,
Richard
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away...
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.
Lincoln Squarewave 335, water cooled WP20 torch with pedal control
Millermatic 200 mig
Thermodynamics Cutmaster 52 Plasma
Old stick welder
Cutting torch, saws and grinders
Very little talent.