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I have been welding quite a bit in the last 3 or 4 years - kind of in spurts as needed--- but pretty heavily when "on"--- and I STILL learn stuff from Jody just about every time
I watch him. Many times he reminds me of a trick I saw from him a year or 2 ago and forgot about. I have been lately doing repairs to a set of 85 year old aluminum wheel
pants. They appear to have been run through rock back in the day. And just worn and chafed and all the tings old aluminum does after that many years. I re-remembered
one trick I used to good effect....
For thin and thin+dirty aluminum------- turn the cleaning control to about 50%. Start the arc but use a minimum current - dont create any melting. work and play the arc up and
down the area to be welded. This is sucking the dirty surface corrosion off the metal. Do this until the whole area to be welded looks frosty and even. Now you at least have a
non-contaminated surface. That gives you a big advantage towards getting that first dip to whet in cleanly. You MAY have to grind your electrode off clean as the dirt removed
from the work end up on the electrode tip. (and you want that CLEAN too- especially for that first dip to go well) Once you get the first dip cleanly and wetly attached- then its
MUCH wasier to get the next one in because that first one acts as a heat sink (to help prevent a melted hole) I usually let it cool for a moment after the first drop. Might even stop
every 3 or 4 dips for a few sec. so I dont overheat and risk a hole. When it get down to about .030 inch material im having to work hard to not get too hot. When you increase the
cleaning--- that reduces the heat into the work and makes the electrode hotter. That can be a bit of a cheat to help prevent melt through holes.... but also helps a lot on old dirty
material too. Only downside is that it sucks dirt up onto the tungsten like a vacuum cleaner--- so you may have to grind it more often-- but thats OK if it get you a good sound weld
where you might not have been able to do it otherwise without making aggravating holes !
Another trick I may have invented--- (but I bet somebody else thought of it before me--- cause i taint that smart-)
These things had a lot of old holes from previous riveted on patches. (ugly ones too) So I removed the patches leaving a bunch of empty rivet holes. Now- how to fill the holes ?
Normaly if you have a hole in really thin Al. sheet- you would try to lay the torch over sideways and melt it edge-on. But that always just makes the hole bigger really fast. and no way
to get the filler in there.... You can heat outboard the hole and make a doughnut a little ways outside--- let it cool and keep adding smaller doughnuts toward the center. at some point you still have to weld it edge-ways ... but at least its thicker now- you have a chance. But you end up with a little mountain of filler when you are done. It works... but lits of fileing.
( normally i weld up the outside till closed, Then I flip over- clean the back and make a matching inside bead- which will not get ground or filed down.)
So I tried a new method which seems to work and be easier to finish up. I find a piece of filler rod which just fits into the hole. If it a little too bit- file or drill the hole till it just fits.
Then I slip the rod in from the back side. The cut the rod off on the front with about 1/4 to 1/8 inch sticking out. Then I start the arc. heat a doughnut around the hole a little
out board of it. Then before it cools - jump to the rod stub and heat it till it starts melting down. It will for ma liquid ball as it does so. The ball gets bigger as it goes. When it gets down near the surface- heat just outboard the ball in a circle. The ball and the edges will start to blend. Keep moving in a circle- never stopping. Most of the time I can get a nice little shallow
dome of filler about the size of an aspirin tablet and about 1/16 tall. Some times I might let it cool and brush it and come back and add a drop or two more of filler it it needs more meat
or a spot that didnt zipper up 100% the first time. Then -- flip the work.... clip off the rod on the back side and repeat back there. Seems to be a lot less stress and much quicker than the other way.
Yes- I know this is a lot of yacking about an obscure little thing--- but i couldnt sleep from recovering from a tooth infection. So here I am yacking.... Havnt gotten out to the barn in a few weeks to make more ribs because of the cold weather and other jobs.
I have a small roper -whitney foot operated sheet metal punch. I am using it to rough-out the lightening holes in the ribs. But you have to stand on one foot as you are holding the work
in the perfect position- then stomp. I am trying to mount an air cylinder to make it operate from a simple electrical switch so I can sit down and keep better balance and not be exhaused
after 2 or 3 ribs. It has a 1 inch round punch so it takes about 20 hits to do 1 of the big holes. Kind of like a nibbler working. But it doesnt distort the material at all. I like that.
Hope to get back to it an a couple days when my jaw feels better.
Tim
I watch him. Many times he reminds me of a trick I saw from him a year or 2 ago and forgot about. I have been lately doing repairs to a set of 85 year old aluminum wheel
pants. They appear to have been run through rock back in the day. And just worn and chafed and all the tings old aluminum does after that many years. I re-remembered
one trick I used to good effect....
For thin and thin+dirty aluminum------- turn the cleaning control to about 50%. Start the arc but use a minimum current - dont create any melting. work and play the arc up and
down the area to be welded. This is sucking the dirty surface corrosion off the metal. Do this until the whole area to be welded looks frosty and even. Now you at least have a
non-contaminated surface. That gives you a big advantage towards getting that first dip to whet in cleanly. You MAY have to grind your electrode off clean as the dirt removed
from the work end up on the electrode tip. (and you want that CLEAN too- especially for that first dip to go well) Once you get the first dip cleanly and wetly attached- then its
MUCH wasier to get the next one in because that first one acts as a heat sink (to help prevent a melted hole) I usually let it cool for a moment after the first drop. Might even stop
every 3 or 4 dips for a few sec. so I dont overheat and risk a hole. When it get down to about .030 inch material im having to work hard to not get too hot. When you increase the
cleaning--- that reduces the heat into the work and makes the electrode hotter. That can be a bit of a cheat to help prevent melt through holes.... but also helps a lot on old dirty
material too. Only downside is that it sucks dirt up onto the tungsten like a vacuum cleaner--- so you may have to grind it more often-- but thats OK if it get you a good sound weld
where you might not have been able to do it otherwise without making aggravating holes !
Another trick I may have invented--- (but I bet somebody else thought of it before me--- cause i taint that smart-)
These things had a lot of old holes from previous riveted on patches. (ugly ones too) So I removed the patches leaving a bunch of empty rivet holes. Now- how to fill the holes ?
Normaly if you have a hole in really thin Al. sheet- you would try to lay the torch over sideways and melt it edge-on. But that always just makes the hole bigger really fast. and no way
to get the filler in there.... You can heat outboard the hole and make a doughnut a little ways outside--- let it cool and keep adding smaller doughnuts toward the center. at some point you still have to weld it edge-ways ... but at least its thicker now- you have a chance. But you end up with a little mountain of filler when you are done. It works... but lits of fileing.
( normally i weld up the outside till closed, Then I flip over- clean the back and make a matching inside bead- which will not get ground or filed down.)
So I tried a new method which seems to work and be easier to finish up. I find a piece of filler rod which just fits into the hole. If it a little too bit- file or drill the hole till it just fits.
Then I slip the rod in from the back side. The cut the rod off on the front with about 1/4 to 1/8 inch sticking out. Then I start the arc. heat a doughnut around the hole a little
out board of it. Then before it cools - jump to the rod stub and heat it till it starts melting down. It will for ma liquid ball as it does so. The ball gets bigger as it goes. When it gets down near the surface- heat just outboard the ball in a circle. The ball and the edges will start to blend. Keep moving in a circle- never stopping. Most of the time I can get a nice little shallow
dome of filler about the size of an aspirin tablet and about 1/16 tall. Some times I might let it cool and brush it and come back and add a drop or two more of filler it it needs more meat
or a spot that didnt zipper up 100% the first time. Then -- flip the work.... clip off the rod on the back side and repeat back there. Seems to be a lot less stress and much quicker than the other way.
Yes- I know this is a lot of yacking about an obscure little thing--- but i couldnt sleep from recovering from a tooth infection. So here I am yacking.... Havnt gotten out to the barn in a few weeks to make more ribs because of the cold weather and other jobs.
I have a small roper -whitney foot operated sheet metal punch. I am using it to rough-out the lightening holes in the ribs. But you have to stand on one foot as you are holding the work
in the perfect position- then stomp. I am trying to mount an air cylinder to make it operate from a simple electrical switch so I can sit down and keep better balance and not be exhaused
after 2 or 3 ribs. It has a 1 inch round punch so it takes about 20 hits to do 1 of the big holes. Kind of like a nibbler working. But it doesnt distort the material at all. I like that.
Hope to get back to it an a couple days when my jaw feels better.
Tim
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