The Welding Thread

[Eric]

A few little projects I've done...

Needed a big ass allen wrench, so I made one out of a nut/bolt.

Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr


Cherry red!
Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr


Increased the intake size on my S38B35 from 3" to 4" so now the intake is 4" from the airbox to the air plenum. Before it would neck down after the MAF. Some guy on MyE28.com says he got 35hp from doing this... who know's though.

Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr

Not perfect, but for welding pipe to cast aluminum with no pre-heat I think it turned out alright. I had too much cleaning action too, so I was blowing the tungsten tip off which was annoying.

Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr



I made a little bracket for this oil cooler. We're putting in my old euro 3.0l in my buddies 320i touring. this cooler was zip tied in my track car, now it will be secure!

Template:
Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr

Action shot!
Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr

End result. I've thought about cleaning it up a bit and painting it black, haven't decided on doing that or not.
Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr

There are actually two angles going on here, both the stand off from the radiator core support, and a bit of diagonal angle to clear the fan. I know this is super simple fab work, but I do enjoy making these little things compared to running 6" beads over and over like I did in school.
Untitled by ericandshovin, on Flickr

Next up is exhaust, but I need to acquire the bits to purge argon for SS pipe.

[flyboyx]

Good tip. Thank you.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

The Welding Thread

When it comes to welding BMW body panel together though. You take that flux core and throw it in the trash and use L-56 .023 super arc and c25 thats what i have had the best luck with and best results with as far as welding on thin ass body panels cause thats what I use my welder for is body work.

[Eric]

I spent a few days on a flux core machine in school and I kind of liked it. Granted, everyone taking advanced MIG had the same assignment, so the machine was setup pretty well. I found that a much slower travel speed worked well, if I moved at the same travel speed as normal MIG the weld would be cold... Look like a rope.


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[4x4_e30]

Flux core takes a different technique than MIG or stick to make it come out right. It's closer to stick in that you have to keep the arc in front of the puddle or the slag will freeze in the weld. But since flux core is constant voltage like MIG, your wire speed/travel is what actually controls the temperature of the weld.

Higher voltage= bigger arc gap if all other variables are the same, but how fast you shove wire into the puddle(wire speed), and how much material you allow into a given area (travel) actually controls the amperage, which ultimately controls the heat. I've tried explaining this before but it's kind of hard for people to understand. You need to have a high enough deposit rate to have enough flux to cover the puddle, but your travel has to be fast enough so the arc stays in front of the puddle to keep slag from getting stuck. Pretty much with flux core you have to have all your variables correct or it will turn out like crap.

The reason arc welders are set up for constant current is because it's impossible for the operator to maintain a perfectly consistent arc gap just by how fast you shove the stick in. The arc welder will automatically increase/ decrease the voltage as you shove the stick in faster/slower to maintain a consistent arc. You would have wildly inconsistent welds if you tried to weld stick with a constant voltage machine, if you stumbled just a little bit the stick would just short out on the metal (zero resistance), and if you pulled away too fast the arc would go out (open circuit). It still happens at both extremes with a constant amperage machine, but if you notice with higher amperage settings the stick is less likely to completely short out.

The ONLY reason FCAW even works with constant voltage is because the machine puts out a constant amount of wire, which in effect keeps the current semi constant. But at that point things like stick out, gun angle, and travel also effect the current, which is why flux core is such a finicky bitch to weld with. Add the cheapness of the machine in there (not high enough voltage to keep the arc gap correct for a given amount of wire/travel), and you could see why most people hate flux.

[flyboyx]

Only way I'm welding without gas is ARC. Which, honestly now that I've gotten good with it I sometimes prefer it over MIG.

That said, I'm usually welding on 1/4" or thicker. The Mig lays a nicer bead, and is easier to use. I just love arc welding.

I kinda,like the smell of the fumes from arc welding. Unfortunately, i read recently that it probably causes parkinsons.

And, yes, cheap flux core welders are shit. Sometimes they are a necessity for outdoor welding though.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Only way I'm welding without gas is ARC. Which, honestly now that I've gotten good with it I sometimes prefer it over MIG.

That said, I'm usually welding on 1/4" or thicker. The Mig lays a nicer bead, and is easier to use. I just love arc welding.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Well, I came here to let everyone know my newest discovery. I got arc eye again, this time using the plasma cutter without glasses. Got myself pretty good, and in my search for relief I found some eye drops that actually work for the pain. Genteal liquid gel drops. I tried systane gel drops and they didn't work. But the Genteal definitely helped out.







100% CO2- will spatter like a mofo, but it will penetrate way better and can be used to help little 110v machines penetrate thicker steel.



25% CO2/75% Argon (C25)- the standard. Less heat than 100% CO2, less spatter, awesome arc control, fillets will wash out into the base metals without undercut.



15%-5% CO2- with less C02, your arc will get more and more narrow, less penetration, less spatter, and more undercut on 2G positions when welding mild. But that's globular/ short circuit. Spray transfer is a different animal.



Setting up spray transfer you run 25+ volts, lower the wire feed, and increase your stickout to little less than half an inch. The goal is to keep the wire from actually shorting out, but constantly welding. It sounds just like TIG welding. Way more penetration with this method, but you have to lower the amount of CO2 or else the arc gets all crazy. I've used a couple different mixes, 10% CO2, tri mix with helium, 98% Argon 2% Oxygen... Tri-mix worked the best.



100% Argon- Welding mild is not advisable but can be done in a pinch. The arc is super narrow and will wonder all over the place, a lot of times you'll get cold lapping.



100% Argon works great with thin stainless, aluminum, and chromo. Tri-mix (90% helium, 7.5% argon, 2.5% oxygen) is used when you get into thicker material. More heat, more penetration.



Anyways, MIG welding without C25 is not impossible, but it IS impossible to MIG weld aluminum/stainless/chromo with C25.

Let me rephrase its impossible to mig with out some sort of gas. I tried a flux core machine for shits and gigs on my first machine. Not 20 min after i unboxed it. I threw it in the trash thing was a heap without gas and it could have gas attached to it so i went out and bought the lincoln that i have now and have been using for past 3 years.

[flyboyx]

the other day i was in a hurry and needed to mig up a repair on my trailer. i only had a bottle of argon that i use for my tig. it was impossible to stick a weld from underneath, but it did pretty well from over the top.

[4x4_e30]

Well, I came here to let everyone know my newest discovery. I got arc eye again, this time using the plasma cutter without glasses. Got myself pretty good, and in my search for relief I found some eye drops that actually work for the pain. Genteal liquid gel drops. I tried systane gel drops and they didn't work. But the Genteal definitely helped out.

Mig welding without c25 is impossible.

100% CO2- will spatter like a mofo, but it will penetrate way better and can be used to help little 110v machines penetrate thicker steel.

25% CO2/75% Argon (C25)- the standard. Less heat than 100% CO2, less spatter, awesome arc control, fillets will wash out into the base metals without undercut.

15%-5% CO2- with less C02, your arc will get more and more narrow, less penetration, less spatter, and more undercut on 2G positions when welding mild. But that's globular/ short circuit. Spray transfer is a different animal.

Setting up spray transfer you run 25+ volts, lower the wire feed, and increase your stickout to little less than half an inch. The goal is to keep the wire from actually shorting out, but constantly welding. It sounds just like TIG welding. Way more penetration with this method, but you have to lower the amount of CO2 or else the arc gets all crazy. I've used a couple different mixes, 10% CO2, tri mix with helium, 98% Argon 2% Oxygen... Tri-mix worked the best.

100% Argon- Welding mild is not advisable but can be done in a pinch. The arc is super narrow and will wonder all over the place, a lot of times you'll get cold lapping.

100% Argon works great with thin stainless, aluminum, and chromo. Tri-mix (90% helium, 7.5% argon, 2.5% oxygen) is used when you get into thicker material. More heat, more penetration.

Anyways, MIG welding without C25 is not impossible, but it IS impossible to MIG weld aluminum/stainless/chromo with C25.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Mig welding without c25 is impossible.

[marshallnoise]

It's AC I believe.
Variable wire speed
65 and 90 amps for current.

Fabbed up the table frame with it using .035 wire and sheet metal stuff I used .030.

Roger that.

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?54955-Converting-90-amp-AC-welder-to-DC

If you want to take the time to convert it, that's a good read.

[doorman]

Is it a true DC flux core welder? A lot of the cheapies are AC.

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It's AC I believe.
Variable wire speed
65 and 90 amps for current.

Fabbed up the table frame with it using .035 wire and sheet metal stuff I used .030.

[marshallnoise]

Eastwood flux core 90.
They were on closeout after the first of the year for $109.

Is it a true DC flux core welder? A lot of the cheapies are AC.

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[doorman]

I think doing spot welds without using gas is VERY difficult. Which Eastwood welder did you get?

Eastwood flux core 90.
They were on closeout after the first of the year for $109.