MIG Wire

[Paul Seaman]

Hawk:
I've used bare wire and it does finish nice but with mine not being in a production environment I decided to go copper covered for the corrosion resistance. My Airgas guys educated me on the pluses and minuses before I decided and it has done real well for me so far.

I've heard of Tri-mix on SS but usually not for AL, let me know how it goes, I thought of doing some SS counters and the cost of the gas change over is prohibitative for me right now. I was given a 5 # spool of SS inershield that can run on 75/25 but havent tried it yet either. Too many projects, storm damage, and the truck's being difficult, Not a spare minute for fun, except for late evening here!

Peace,

[HAWK]

pj,

It is a stainless mix: 90he/7.5ar/2.5co2. I do not understand the co2 content however small it may be, but will be starting a client's job in about an hour and will use this gas unless a quick test disappoints me. I'll let you know.

The copper coat has its place as well as bare wire. I live in a heavy air humidity hanging enviroment. Yesterday I walked to the truck and had to sit on towels. In a 100 yards I was literally sopped with clothes stuck to me from the humidity. The bare wire in 44lbs only last me 2-3 days so it smokes up quick.

[klsm54]

I will be anxious to see how that mix works as a Tig gas HAWK. I have some S/S mig customers that use it, for mig, but have never seen it tried on tig. But, as you say, one can never know, unless........

[HAWK]

Originally posted by klsm54
I will be anxious to see how that mix works as a Tig gas HAWK. I have some S/S mig customers that use it, for mig, but have never seen it tried on tig. But, as you say, one can never know, unless........

klsm54,

I don't understand why it would be used at a shielding gas for GTAW due to the reactive gas content (CO2).A little whine and the whole thing starts: I asked a local dealer, one I deal with regulary, to check my D200DX on a loadbank and scope. I felt like it was performing poorly. I brought the machine in and the service department insisted it was operator error and or improper shielding gas. Long story short: The machine was sick: Miller took care of all under warranty. The little Dynasty is actually better than new!

After I received the newly repaired Dynasty the dealer insisted I try the tri-mix that a local marine dealer uses with the Syncrowave 250 for anodized aluminum. He only had a 100 or so machines. It is a small operation in newly constructed 100,000 square foot building I have an 80CF bottle and ran a few short test early this morning. So far I am not getting anything that resembles a bead. I have tried 3003, 6061T-6511, and a few other base alloys. For fillers I tested 1100, 4043, 5356, and 4047.
The only thing I can figure is I don't know the trick or it simply does not work. I can always hook it to my 12RC and ALT to short arc stainless. I like to spray ss with 98ar/2o2. I even like for short arc with a variable inductance or tapped slope machine (what's that? where did they go?)

The anodized I ran today worked well with argon, 285PPS with a 50% peak amperage time and the background set at 40%. The 300DX was set at 300 amps, but the pedal was no where near that. The material was .125" x .750" anodized aluminum angle. All it took was scratching with a scribe and striking the arc. I also did without removing the anodized coating to start the arc, but starts were hard and somewhat erratic.

I will try a few more things Monday to see if the gas can be used for TIG. The dealer info may be wrong-not intentionally of course.

[klsm54]

Hawk,

It sounds like your dealer might have either gotten confused, or was given some bad information. I, like you, wondered how that mix would work with the CO2 in it. Trust me, it doesn't take much contamination in a cylinder of Argon to show up on an aluminum tig weld. (Experience speaking.. )

"Variable inductance or tapped slope machine"....If someone woulk make an old Linde 450 SVI machine again, I could sell a truckload of them. I have a very large S/S customer, that makes cookers for the food, drug and cosmetic industry, that still buys these old behemoths when they find them at auctions. I have had Blue, Yellow and Red showcasing their best alternatives to them, but NOTHING will please them like an old green SVI machine for stainless mig welding...

[HAWK]

klsm54,

So far I am only getting wide craters with black corrosion. The craters are deep. I am sure this is from the carbon dioxide gas content. I drove by this facility and looked it over the best I could, but was not invited into the welding areas. They have a large argon tower and a number of 300CF helium bottles running to a mixing station. The plant manager told me they were using 25% argon and 75% helium mixed at the plant. He also told me they use a tri-mix in a brown bottle with an orange splotch marking. That's like the sample bottle I have. I saw some stainless tubing in the corner outside the building for a boat tower. I bet they are migging it with this gas. So far I have only proven my original thoughts: It won't work!

[klsm54]

Originally posted by HAWK
klsm54,

So far I am only getting wide craters with black corrosion. The craters are deep. I am sure this is from the carbon dioxide gas content.

Exactly what I have always been taught, would happen if you used a gas with CO2 in it to weld aluminum.

Sounds like you have got their gas usage figured out.

[HAWK]

Originally posted by klsm54
Hawk,


"Variable inductance or tapped slope machine"....If someone woulk make an old Linde 450 SVI machine again, I could sell a truckload of them. I have a very large S/S customer, that makes cookers for the food, drug and cosmetic industry, that still buys these old behemoths when they find them at auctions. I have had Blue, Yellow and Red showcasing their best alternatives to them, but NOTHING will please them like an old green SVI machine for stainless mig welding...

Variable inductance is nice, but not the same at slope. I welded with a CP252TS that came out of Hendrick's a few years ago. I put a very fancy latest and greatest TA wire feeder on it (don't remember the model). I used the Ferromax plus gas from Airgas before they canned that line. No pun. That was the best welding GMAW powersource I have used in a long time. It was killer on short arc and the finished beads looked like uphill GTAW. The spray was fantastic. You could blow a .250"x6" coupon in a very few seconds with cherry penetration to the back side just as soon as you pulled back on the stick out and went into into spray. The arc was so hot and clean. I can't describe it. If you have NOT welded with a TS252 3 phase machine, you are missing out. That had something to do with the gas, but I used this machine for several weeks on 92ar/8co2 before the Ferromax gas. The TS is great. I used to weld with a variable slope machine. It was a Miller. Model #??? Been too long! That was a killer machine!!! THe XMTs and other newer HOT ROD boxes are great too, but no comparison to arc quality on those golden oldies. Apples and oranges: slope versus inductance. It all depends on what type machine you are used to using.

On the down hill side the old VS and TS critters draw tons of power, seem to weigh tons, and take up tons of space. ...now the uphill. the newer variable inductance inverters deliver the capability to control the arc in nearly every way. They are small and light, pack lots amps of per pound, 1 and 3 phase autoline on many of the Millers, capable of pulse via accessories (60M or Optima).