Stack of dimes?

[Wheels]

Thanks Andy
I think my photography could use some help also.

[illuzion]

Great welds Andy! I am shooting for what you refer to as "common spacing" nothing too exotic. I'm going to try to find some time next week to mess with it. My thing is, I usually end up with a continuious bead that looks like it came off a wire feed more so than that "stacked tig" effect. I think it has largely to do with my filler applicaiton as I seem to add more continuiously than to dab it in, and even after I add filler, I have a natural tendency to "work it" into the puddle with the torch before advancing, as opposed to just dabbing and advancing.
illuzion

[arcdawg]

dug this up

this is for the guy who wanted to see dimes !!

yer welcome

dawg

[Rocky D]

The initial question was in dealing with steel, however, since it has evolved to aluminum, I feel I need to add to something that was left out. Penetration. In aluminum as shown by Andy, it appeared that there was no penetration on the butt welds. To qualify myself, I have been a heliarc weldor and inspector for 38 years in aircraft. Anyway, with aluminum it's not so easy to acheive 100% penetration....guys tend to take off with it as soon as a puddle appears. The technique involved in getting the penetration is either lots of heat, in which drop through and holes appear seemingly out of nowhere. or pushing the rod through carefully so as not the have a piece of rod sticking through the backside.

In these pics I did some scrap diamond plate...you'll notice that the bead doesn't appear too high on the plate and the penetration on the bachside has a fitup line appearance through the center of the weld...this is normal...this weld would probably go through x-ray just fine. Without such penetration, the weld is extremely weak to a root bend. Hope this helps.

Also the "C" weave will not gain you anything except maybe keyholing. The motion that is commonly used is a back and forth motion in line with the weld direction. A stack of dimes is a natural occurance, more noticably in aluminum. I also throw in a stainless lap weld and a titanium butt.

[magnum21]

Hawk

when TIGing, i'm right handed and if i use your technique from right to left, what's it matter if i have torch go clockwise or counter-clockwise??

[HAWK]

Magnum21,

CCW is my preference. I mostly use a swirling motion only to create the puddle. I mentioned the deliberate C to exaggerate the stacked bead. Once the puddle is formed just add filler, move forward with the torch, add filler, move forward, etc. The stack will come with practice. The distance between stacks depends on how far you move the torch forward each time you add filler.

I am right handed and weld right to left or left to right as the job requires. Just get comfortable and practice.

[HAWK]

Rocky D,

Nice Ti butt weld. Is is atmospheric with trailing shield?

[Rocky D]

Rocky D,

Nice Ti butt weld. Is is atmospheric with trailing shield?

No. I only use a trailing cup on an automatic, like a Jetline. This was done in a Purge Chamber, or Inert Atmosphere Chamber. This is what they look like. Gas in continually fed in to obtain a positive pressure, and escapes out the top. This one I built....I don't know if there is a suplier for these, we always had to build them ourselves. There was about 10 of them in the plant where I worked.