Tig welding project

[usmcruz]

Well these kegs are part of an electric microbrewery Im constructing for a gentlemen in my brew club. Id just figured Id post my tig welds. Keep in mind this is my first time ever welding such thin metal, especially stainless steel this thin. I think the thickness is a 1/16 of an inch thick or 3/32.

[usmcruz]

Here are more pictures

[usmcruz]

yet more pictures



By the way that solar flux is a b$tch to get off, Im thinking of messing with the fiber backing tape instead, what do you guys think?

[fabricator]

Where are you putting the solar flux?

[Laiky]

i back gas with argon, solar flux when you can't. Since its a tank it should be pretty easy to back gas and much cleaner too.

[usmcruz]

Where are you putting the solar flux?

I put the solar flux on the backside of the weld inside of the keg. I agree back purging would be better, but I dont have the money for another tank. Is there a way to incorporate a splitter into the hose i have now?

[Anti-GMAW]

Yup. Put a Y conector after the regulator and turn your gas flow up a tad more. About 10 - 15 cfh higher on the flowmeter ought to do it.just remember to clean any welds that come in contact with the beer with nitric acid or it may taste like rust.

[Bert]

Pretty darn good for a 1st timer!!! Looks like it fused enough!!! Wait till the test and see how it holds up!!!!!!!

[usmcruz]

Yup. Put a Y conector after the regulator and turn your gas flow up a tad more. About 10 - 15 cfh higher on the flowmeter ought to do it.just remember to clean any welds that come in contact with the beer with nitric acid or it may taste like rust.

Thanks buddy I will do that, but as for the Nitric acid, couldnt I scrub the welds with Barkeepers friends which is supposed to restore the stainless steels protective layer. By the way Barkeepers friend is made for stainless steel.



Thanks Bert, but the tests are out, all of my fittings dont leak except for the patch I tig welded where the owner of the kegs cut a whole into the keg. I made the patch with a 2 inch piece of stainless steel flat bar. Where I went wrong is grind the patches to try to blend them into the keg, and it caused a stress fracture. I went to tig weld the fracture and she opened up on me and I got drop thru .

I got a question for you all, how do you avoid the golf ***** on the inside of the keg on a normal tig weld. Even when I turn the heat down, the back side of the weld gets these small golf ***** like extra metal shot out the back, but the weld on the front looks ok. I even turned down my heat to 50 amps, I just dont understand it. Im welding directly on the outside of the keg and not a joint so I believe I dont need to back flush it, or is this my problem. Here is a picture,

Outside of the weld before cleanup


Inside of the keg of the same tig weld. The middle of the patch you can see where the holes in the keg were. Im gonna grind them and blend them out to the patch.



I want you guys to be critical of me. Even though I went to 7 months of school, Im by no means an expert. I want you to all be critical so that I know what the **** Im doing wrong so that I dont repeat the same mistakes in the future.

[Fishy Jim]

It's stainless... You need to back purge it, or use the paste. That's oxidation.