Made a first attempt last night, sort of rushed with my 5 yo daughter as audience. It went about as well as could be expected.
To be fair, I tried welding two pieces of very different thickness together. I'll snap a pic later.
66 Dart GT HT Whatsitgonnabe?
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To be fair, I tried welding two pieces of very different thickness together. I'll snap a pic later.
Easy peasy! Steel exhaust tubing, 1.5 mm thick, 60 amps, no filler.
Oh, and this was my first attempt ...
And practice makes perfect! Nice job on the tubing!
Fixed half of it at least. It really is a lot like gas welding. The vertical plate here is twice as thick as the horizontal one. And I didn't bother to clean it up and I dipped the carbide after I started on the really bad part pretty quickly.
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Thanks Don! It's coming back to me. I think it's 25 years since I welded ...
Hey, this is fun! There used to be a 1/2" hole there! 
I had to quit. It was getting misty in there ...
ScampMike
Despicable Damn Yankee
nice stuff Anders! ya side winder.... - I thought you had never welded before... that tube looks like you've been doing it professionally!
Aww ... You're too kind.
I'll admit I'm pleased and surprised. But I think it is actually the first time I ever weld on virgin material. I've only ever worked with rusted, painted and/or dirty steel. And the welder is pretty good, I believe. HF start is fantastic! Approach metal, push button - presto! - Arc!
This really makes me think I could actually weld my own headers! I need to buy some tube bends!
And it was my first time TIG welding.
I found this on Blocket, 5000 SEK. When I went to buy the gas, they had a Migatronic 130 amp AC/DC welder there for 4000 something + tax. Same price, lower amp but AC. Not sure It has HF start but I think that was a great deal!
I got the perfect excuse to test my welder today. The driver's side front coil spring on our Audi A4 broke the other day. I already have the spring (ordered two whe the other one broke last year) but I also knew I was in for some serious trouble getting the bolt that holds the upper control arms out. It seizes in the aluminum spindle like you wouldn't believe.
So I needed a press to get it out. And it turns out there was this contraption on the front clip I got from Ulf that I could use.
It was a foot steering wheel assembly added the the Swedish agent. The original owner apparently had a stroke, I believe, so they had this chain assembly added to the steering column.
A little oxy/acetylene heat and the plate material was "straight".
I used my brand new welding magnets to hold the bushing in place.
I used 220 amps initially but turned it down to 200.
That goes over the bolt head. Now all I needed to add was the threaded part.
I used the shaft from the same assembly, 19 mm diameter, and drilled it out to accept an M14x1.5 fine pitch center bolt from the CV joint I replaced a while back. Nice and strong. I had to add a slice of the plate material to make the two align, though.
A couple of attempts then they aligned well enough.
I burned trough the hollowed out rod so I turned it down to 150 amps. That was just right. After test fitment I had to move the thread back about 3/8" and grind off some of the bushing so I could get it in place with the seized bolt sticking out.
Ta-daa!
And here it is in action!. It turned out to be weakened enough by that big hole to bend under load, but I'll try to stiffen it up today.
So I needed a press to get it out. And it turns out there was this contraption on the front clip I got from Ulf that I could use.
It was a foot steering wheel assembly added the the Swedish agent. The original owner apparently had a stroke, I believe, so they had this chain assembly added to the steering column.
A little oxy/acetylene heat and the plate material was "straight".
I used my brand new welding magnets to hold the bushing in place.
I used 220 amps initially but turned it down to 200.
That goes over the bolt head. Now all I needed to add was the threaded part.
I used the shaft from the same assembly, 19 mm diameter, and drilled it out to accept an M14x1.5 fine pitch center bolt from the CV joint I replaced a while back. Nice and strong. I had to add a slice of the plate material to make the two align, though.
A couple of attempts then they aligned well enough.
I burned trough the hollowed out rod so I turned it down to 150 amps. That was just right. After test fitment I had to move the thread back about 3/8" and grind off some of the bushing so I could get it in place with the seized bolt sticking out.
Ta-daa!
And here it is in action!. It turned out to be weakened enough by that big hole to bend under load, but I'll try to stiffen it up today.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
That is one really pretty weld! - Hard to believe it's your first day with the tig!
Thanks, John! Well, like I said, I think it was the first time ever I welded virgin material.
And I chose the prettiest section for the pic, naturally.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
Thanks, John! Well, like I said, I think it was the first time ever I welded virgin material.
And I chose the prettiest section for the pic, naturally.
I haven't tried to tig steel yet with our new welder but my results with aluminum don't look anywhere near that good yet. I'm jealous.
Aluminum isn't on the menu for me, I'm afraid, and it requires more settings to get it right, if I'm not misinformed. Conducts heat much better, too. I can't see how it could be anything but more difficult than welding steel.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
Maybe so but I'll definitely be smiling if I can get my early steel tig welds to look as nice as the result you got with that tubing.
It could be my machine but it was really easy. No filler, just a tight gap fused with what I assume was the right current setting. And a nice, newly sharpened Tungsten.Maybe so but I'll definitely be smiling if I can get my early steel tig welds to look as nice as the result you got with that tubing.
Everyone else is still sleeping so I thin I'll sneak down and see if I can fix that new tool of mine.
I want one!
I hope you get one some day then, Ray, because this is fun!
Well, filling up that hole and adding reinforcement was fun but it got me nowhere closer to my goal.
The bolt is really stuck in there. I tried tightening the bolt really hard and then adding heat and baning but all I managed to do was get the washer to rotate freely on the head side. The tool still bent.
I need to start over and make something that goes on both sides so it won't bend. Maybe even buy fresh material ... Not really in the mood right now with all the failing.
But a couple of the welds turned out really nice!
Well, filling up that hole and adding reinforcement was fun but it got me nowhere closer to my goal.
The bolt is really stuck in there. I tried tightening the bolt really hard and then adding heat and baning but all I managed to do was get the washer to rotate freely on the head side. The tool still bent.
I need to start over and make something that goes on both sides so it won't bend. Maybe even buy fresh material ... Not really in the mood right now with all the failing.
But a couple of the welds turned out really nice!
Hey @moparmat2000! Look what I fished out of a vat just now!
^^ This was rusty in the bottom of this pic.
There is goo, almost like rust on the clamping ring and M/C lid, almost like it isn't done yet. It doesn't look quite like rust, though, more like some caked crud. I've brushed the parts with ordinary detergent for the washing machine.
A lot of it look like the parts just came out of the press!
^^ This was rusty in the bottom of this pic.
There is goo, almost like rust on the clamping ring and M/C lid, almost like it isn't done yet. It doesn't look quite like rust, though, more like some caked crud. I've brushed the parts with ordinary detergent for the washing machine.
A lot of it look like the parts just came out of the press!
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