*******NOOB ALERT*********Help PleASE

[Blackbird455]

Yeah, so ok I forgot to mention that I have an extensive aviation background.
Im so OCD about dissimilar metal contact that I used to make scrapers out of 7075-t6 if that was the alloy that I was scraping, 2024 on 2024 , etc......

I have that "tungsten groove" in my DEDICATED grind wheel,and its only a week old.

Has anyone tried prepping aluminum in the presence of argon?

I'm thinking that a large pyrex dish with a 5 cfm argon flow would slow sown the oxidization progess.............Does anyone do this?

I DO use aluminum foil to create a bowl around some of the thin stainless
..............to keep that nasty ?oxide? from forming on the backside, by pre-flowing with the pedal for about 8-10 seconds.

Anyone else have any tricks or hints?

[Craig in Denver]

Yeah, so ok I forgot to mention that I have an extensive aviation background.

We all have secrets.

Im so OCD about dissimilar metal contact that I used to make scrapers out of 7075-t6 if that was the alloy that I was scraping, 2024 on 2024 , etc......

I have that "tungsten groove" in my DEDICATED grind wheel,and its only a week old.

Has anyone tried prepping aluminum in the presence of argon?

I'm thinking that a large pyrex dish with a 5 cfm argon flow would slow sown the oxidization progess.............Does anyone do this?

If both of these are aluminum questions: When AC welding aluminum, oxidation is not a problem. One half of the wave cleans the oxidation, the other half welds. You do not have to back gas. Since you can't keep it shielded forever, it IS going to oxidize. I have OCD also, many weldors do. This, however, is a waste of energy; unless you're welding up someone's aluminum experimental aircraft. Craftsmanship is highly reqarded, perfect is unnecessary and over-rated. (Unless you work for NASA?)

I DO use aluminum foil to create a bowl around some of the thin stainless
..............to keep that nasty ?oxide? from forming on the backside, by pre-flowing with the pedal for about 8-10 seconds.

I think: You can't just 'pool' argon on the backside of your stainless weld; it needs flow. OBTW: I've never welded stainless.

[fun4now]

think: You can't just 'pool' argon on the backside of your stainless weld; it needs flow. OBTW: I've never welded stainless.
thats what i heard also.

[Jetmekdc-10]

No one has suggested a gas cup/nozzle setup yet. I will never use another of the old style nozzles again. The two most important things I have found while doing thin aluminum is good gas coverage and getting it clean. Practice, Practice, Practice. It will get less frustrating. Good Luck, Adam

[Craig in Denver]

No one has suggested a gas cup/nozzle setup yet.

Neither did you.

I will never use another of the old style nozzles again.

Do you mean a gas lens? Rocky D said that Hi Freq kills gas lens with the vibration on AC. I'm just trying to learn and meant no disrespect.

The two most important things I have found while doing thin aluminum is good gas coverage and getting it clean.

I thunk AC did its own cleaning, goo excepted?

Practice, Practice, Practice. It will get less frustrating. Good Luck, Adam

Amen to that!

[Blackbird455]

Craig In Denver,

Argon is 1.4 times heavier than the smog we breathe daily.

Carbon Dioxide is 1.5 times heavier................................

Ever seen those videos of an industrial site where CO2 has leaked and the cloud of gas is - where- on the floor.

Now ,I never finished college, but I did go, and even here in my shop , in the southern Mississippi delta @ an altitude of 89 MSL, Argon WILL pool, and protect the backside of my .020 stainless.

I'm quite sure the same holds true- maybe even moreso- wayy up there around the 5,000 MSL mark.

Maybe not, you don't know till you try, which , by the way, is how I figured it out...............I wouldn't have said so if I was merely speculating, that is how rumors and urban legends start.

Geez, you guys are going to make me have to start uploading photos and stuff.

[welderman23]

do it do it do it we lika to looka at duh purdy pics

[fun4now]

i understand its heavier than air but pooling may not cover it if its going to leak out as you weld. maybe for a quick weld, i suppose many factors would/could be involved. in general its recommended to to flow the argon, i suppose to insure continuous coverage over longer times.

[Blackbird455]

Hmmmmm............

wonder If'n my arc instability / dying arc can be caused by trying to weld
Alclad aluminum?

[paulrbrown]

Blackbird, you need to go to a smaller tungsten, maybe even a .040, as the arc is hard to start and stabilize with the low amperages you are probably using. Hope this helps, let us see some work, the black soot you see on aluminum is Smut, yes, Smut, it is aluminum oxide so dense that it absorbs light. you will get it always when pulling a mig weld, as far as seeing it on stainless????? don't crank up the argon too much, as it will draw in atmosphere and wreak havoc, if your tungsten is not staying bright, you may have a bad cylinder of argon. Hope this helps, Paul