Running a rod too hot

[k0ua]

Pretty funny, you see that a lot in the lumber yards.:laughing:

Are you trying any TIG with that PA 200 yet? I have a PowerTig 200 DX coming this week and I'm climbing the walls over it.

ps, when I go in a plumbing supply, I always talk really low.. don't want anybody to suspect I don't have a license..
and speaking of hot, anybody else have that 'peak life' ad coming up on the side of the page?? 'smokin' hot'

I am TIGing with my PA160.. taking my baby steps, it is different, kinda neat though. I have a loooong way to go

James K0UA

 

[jake98]

I am TIGing with my PA160.. taking my baby steps, it is different, kinda neat though. I have a loooong way to go

James K0UA

I was agonizing over which to get with all the different features, gave up the 120v input I thought would be handy (plus a couple parameter controls), with the I Tig 200? for the AC output of the PowerTig 200. Mark was telling me I might want to try a smaller torch to start with, now I see the little PA 140 comes with a small torch and fits behind the seat, 120v., that may be my next acquisition.. if I ever get paid.

James, you ever talk to K1QQ ? He's an old beer-drinking buddy. KC2BWF

 

[k0ua]

Well I bought a little 17V series torch off of Northern tool, and its power plug is a 3/8 Dinse so it plugs right in to the PA160, and the gas hose is a direct connect to a little regulator (floating ball type) I found on e-bay for $26. I found it all kind of confusing on what parts to get and how it all the torch parts went together, but now after getting one, it all seems so simple. Like everything else, it is " easy if you know how". Finally found a good price locally on an argon cylinder and I was ready to "light it up". Now learning the technique and making pretty welds.. well that is a horse of a different color. But I am working on it and getting better.

James K0UA

 

[Gary Fowler]

Regarding the run me a hot bead issue: The machinist just wanted a deep penetration weld as he was going to machine it out a bit. We had to heat it up red hot and slow cool it to soften it enough for him to machine.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Regarding the run me a hot bead issue: The machinist just wanted a deep penetration weld as he was going to machine it out a bit. We had to heat it up red hot and slow cool it to soften it enough for him to machine.

Musta been a good bit of carbon in the piece.
larry

 

[Gary Fowler]

Actually no, it was an A105 coupling and a piece of cold rolled steel. It was just such a big heat sink the the weld cooled so fast that it super hardened it.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Far as I know low carbon steels wont harden.
larry

 

[Gary Fowler]

The steels wont but the weld will go to a crystalline structure if ran too hot. Then it gets super hard and very brittle.

 

[ramzee1]

I've been accused of welding hot most of my life. Early on I was told if you can't weld good weld hot.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Back a couple of centuries ago when I was welding, we had this old man called him "Alligator Joe" who believed in welding hot. A 350 amp machine wouldnt give him enough amps so he jumped two of them together to get 700 amps capacity to burn a 3/16" 6010 downhill. He would turn them up to about 200 on each machine ( 400 amps) on the filler and you couldnt get within 25 feet of his welding without getting buckshot on you. He couldnt understand how we could beat him welding the same size when we were running 1/8 and 5/32 rods and 150 amps. The more we finished ahead of him the hotter he ran but most of it was just vaporizing or going off as buckshot.