Learning to TIG weld:

[FrankenMech]

I think a lot of the GFI requirements are BS. When I last had an electrical inspection I installed GFI outlets to please the inspector then removed some of them. Some applications are OK. Some appliances like room AC units now come with a GFI plug on the cord itself which is OK as long as the plug is not a PITA.

ARC fault breakers are also required by the new codes in some locations. That was an example of a patent holder getting their equipment written into the code which was total BS. The NEC in some cases is totally corrupt but some parts can be used. I usually refer to older versions of the NEC to avoid the political crap in new versions and to stay away from what I can only describe as a 'dumming down' of the code in order to 'simplify' it.

I feel that the UL regulations are largely meaningless and much prefer to see the CSA or the old VDE stamp on electrical equipment. I haven't checked out the newer European standards yet.

PRC has always had BS regulations and laws. That is why they are having rolling blackouts and fires. Their situation is totally political and I don't have any sympathy for the people that live there. Similar to coastal areas and the desert water problems. Politics is depleting the underground water resources of KansASS too and I don't have any sympathy for the farmers either.

I am getting old and very grumpy.

BTW did the TIG welder have a sticker or seal that said 'no user serviceable parts inside'...

[90GTVert]

Sept 29, 2020 6:10:52 GMT -5 oldgeek said:

Also learned something totally unrelated, but interesting. By law new construction in California requires car charging receptacles to be placed in garages or within the parking area. Just another good reason........

Their gov just signed something to ban the sale of all gas cars and trucks by 2035 and to begin trying to phase them out so those receptacles will probably be pretty handy over there. I think you also have to include solar panels on all new construction now.

[FrankenMech]

The trouble with mandating charging outlets and solar panels, etc is that technology changes rapidly in some industries and those mandated installations will be obsolete in 10 years. Remember pre-wiring houses for internet, telephone, or speakers 10-20 years ago? All that expensive wiring is obsolete now. It is better to wire or install technology when it is needed, not before.

[oldgeek]

The replacement welder arrived. A quick look and it appears to be brand new. It even has all of the accessories including the torch. That is really a surprise because I have read other reviews that said they received only a replacement welder. There has been no contact from them since I spoke to them for the second time Saturday afternoon. I have no idea if they plan on sending me a replacement power supply for the first welder or not. I think asking them about it would seem a bit ungrateful at this point, so I will probably wait and see if they make contact.

Extremely hard day at work today. There is no way I am lugging that thing over to Scootopia tonight, hopefully tomorrow Ill feel better.

[oldgeek]

I had some time late afternoon today, so I grabbed the replacement welder from the house and took it over to Scootopia. I unboxed it and got it set up. The torch parts recommended for use on aluminum I ordered last week also arrived yesterday. So I decided to set the torch and welder up for aluminum and go for it. To my relief the welder did not blow up or anything like that when I hit the pedal. It actually went fairly well, without a doubt due to all the videos I have been watching about TIG. These are my first efforts. The black marks are where I dipped the tungsten in the weld pool (bad) and there were a few more times I stuck the filler rod to the tungsten (also bad). I can tell I will be going through a lot of tungsten! The aluminum I practiced on was old and oxidized, the welder can be adjusted to overcome some of that, but I have not gotten far enough to know how yet. I did not have a lot of time to work with it today, I have some other obligations to fulfill tonight and I need to rest up for a big job we have to do tomorrow.

[ApeShit70]

Aluminum is easy, just have to use the foot peddle more. Or if you have a pulse setting putit on low like2 per second just dab dab dab and do it consistently. And clean aluminum is a lot easier to weld then dirty. SNd it down and then use alcohol to clean it afterwards.

[oldgeek]

I spent some time this evening practicing aluminum welds. I think I am starting to get the hang of it, those damm youtubers all make it look so easy LOl!

[FrankenMech]

Practice, practice, practice...

[ApeShit70]

Wish I lived close enough to show you. Once you get it you get it! If you know what I mean.

[oldgeek]

I had two practice sessions today and I just finished off my first bottle of Argon. I am satisfied with my progress so far, it is about as tough to weld aluminum as I thought it would be
I have found that about 1/2 of your effort goes into preparation, as in cutting, cleaning and fit-up. The other half is mostly machine settings and skill. For me it is more fun than frustration and that is a very good thing because I get frustrated easily. If things are consistently going wrong you have to step back and trouble shoot. Sometimes its best to walk away from it and just watch some tube videos about TIG welding, there are hundreds of them! I will eventually list some that helped me out.
This is my latest work. In the first two pictures one of the welds is an outside corner weld and the other is a butt joint. The last picture is just laying a bead on the thin edge of the end.

[jloi]

that box looks awesome to me . looks well done

[oldgeek]

Oct 24, 2020 15:04:46 GMT -5 jloi said:

that box looks awesome to me . looks well done

Thanks, I actually am enjoying it, its rather addictive. I am also finding out about different aluminum ALLOYS, I didn't realize there were so many and that the weldability of them varies. I think the stuff I have been practicing with is in the 3XXX series. Last night I realized I had some thin 5052 sheet laying around so I gave it a try. It does not seem to like the 4043 filler rods I tried using, so I need to pick up some of the 5356 filler rods and give them a try.

[jloi]

I welded once or twice . I think it was 8th or 9th grade "shop" class .
in later years I had a acetylene torch in my hands once or twice - for cutting .

[ApeShit70]

Do you have a pulse setting on your machine? If so set it to 1.5-2 pulses per second. Feed rod in every pulse. That should give you a rythim. And then you will be a professional! Lol

[oldgeek]

Here is some practice on .050" 5052 plate. I wanted to see how well it could be formed for the rounded portion of the tank for my build. It may be a bit thin to use for making the fuel tank, I think some .09" would be just right though.