Tig welds with my new ghetto back purge assembly!

[usmcruz]

Yep, here you go
The stainless steel magnetic parts dish cost me $4.92, and all I did was rip off the rubber on the bottom, and then rip off the magnet, and all that was left was the dish in this picture. I then drilled two holes, one to accept the tip of the argon hose, and then drilled a smaller hole for the argon gas to vent a little so that dish would blow off once I taped her up on the outside edges to make a airtight seal. The tape holds during the entire weld, and even after your done, it doesnt get hot enough for the tape to seperate. I then folded the dish in half a little, making sure my fold crease ran horizontal to my holes at the top. The reason I put the holes at the top, and why I tape it up that way because argon is a heavy gas, and while I purge, the heavy gas floats to the bottom pushing any oxygen out the top small hole, thus filling the compartment with argon. Here are the pictures.





Here are my welds
This picture here is of the inside of a keg I tig welded yesterday back purging with argon, with a back purging assembly I put together for no more than $10 at walmart.

[usmcruz]

Here is the outside tig welded fittings of the keg



Here is the finished product, a keg built to specs of a sabco kettle without the tri-clover fittings

[man of steel]

good idea buddy looks good,what diameter filler are you useing? your welds are good just add a little more filler to the puddle and your bang on the money ,keep it up

[usmcruz]

Im using a 1/16th tungsten, using a pedal set to a max of 90 amps. The keg metal thickness is 3/32 ", and Im using a 3/32 filler rod. Should I be moving faster?, is that the reason I look really concave?

[man of steel]

no its not about your travel speed bro just add more filler to the joint, you can go over that joint again and just add filler and it would look better too.And you dont need to purge when your root is already closed ,but it looks good

[usmcruz]

no its not about your travel speed bro just add more filler to the joint, you can go over that joint again and just add filler and it would look better too.And you dont need to purge when your root is already closed ,but it looks good

Thank you. I dont understand about the closed root thing. If Im hearing you correctly, I dont need to purge if my parts fit super snug right? How come I get sugaring on the back when running a short bead on a solid piece of stainless? I may be interperating you wrong, sorry in advance.

[jdustu]

Thank you. I dont understand about the closed root thing. If Im hearing you correctly, I dont need to purge if my parts fit super snug right? How come I get sugaring on the back when running a short bead on a solid piece of stainless? I may be interperating you wrong, sorry in advance.

If the backside of the joint is protected from the atmosphere, you don't need to purge it. But it doesn't hurt on something that is thin, if you burn through a little you'll still be protected on the back. If you're getting sugaring on the back of the stainless you're too hot, or too slow, or both. You don't want to burn through the back side.

-Josh

[usmcruz]

If the backside of the joint is protected from the atmosphere, you don't need to purge it. But it doesn't hurt on something that is thin, if you burn through a little you'll still be protected on the back. If you're getting sugaring on the back of the stainless you're too hot, or too slow, or both. You don't want to burn through the back side.

-Josh

Thanks allot buddy, I will try that next time and save my argon. Again thanks for the info, Im learning allot from these boards.

[fendermender]

As a former homebrewer now small vineyard owner and winemaker, that is really cool to me that you can do that.
I still subscribe to a h.b. discussion group and am always seeing people asking "who can weld the fittings to the brew kegs?"
I like your other thread about building the all grain rig.
Randall
AusTex.
p.s. thanks for serving your country !!!!

[fun4now]

usmcruz
he is saying you don't need to back purge when you wash over it to build up the bead. even on a tight fit you better purge. any time the back gets to melting( or close) you need purge. but with the weld done just going back over it with low heat to build up the back side wont get that hot, so no purge is needed.
nice job, and cool purge system. did you use 2 tanks or a splitter and 2 gages off one tank ?? i'm looking to get a T splitter tomorrow so i can run 2 gages off one tank. that way i can use the other tank for Try-MIX and MIG with it.
keep in mind gas is expensive, but not near as expensive as screwing up and having to cut out and start over.
its concave because it needs more filler. i find aluminum to be bad for that, more of a push it in rather than dab with aluminum.
fendermender
As a former home-brewer now small vineyard owner and winemaker
got a simple recipe, i would love to brew up a little wine. did some as a kid with my step mom.some kind of little red berries. seems like we did it in glass with cheese cloth over it. but its been a wile.
i was thinking maybe raspberry or black berry would be cool to brew from.
know of a good book or source on home brew??