What is the smallest weld you ever needed to make?

[Mike W]

I had a 8-32 screw sheared off in a gear. I was first going to tig weld a washer to it but had problems with the washer getting hot but not the screw. So I then took the mig and took careful aim. That welded the washer to the screw. I was planning on welding a nut to the washer but I was able to just turn the washer and got the screw out.

[eric75]

You may already have me beat, but the smallest weld I ever did was a repair on the clip for an old Remingon 511 (Scoremaster) .22 rifle. Made from stamped sheetmetal, it had tabs that fit through slots, and then mushroomed over to hold it together. After years of use it was in need of a few tack welds with the TIG the hold the tabs from pulling through. The welds had to be flush on the outside, while not projecting onto the inside either. Also they had to look really nice, just in case anyone ever looks at the the repair.

I've heard of people welding razor blades together. I tried it, and couldn't do it. I think the trick there is in having a good machine, a good fixture, and some .040 or smaller tungsten.

I have read about a shop that TIG welds while looking through a microscope. Don't know how they hold the torch, but it is a manual process.

[HAWK]

I have TIG welded .0040" thickness x 8mm width electropolished hastalloy ribbon with a butt and a lap joint. I used a Dynasty 200DX, .010" thoriated tungsten, DC, with foot pedal-machine set at 3 amps, fusion welded with a 1/2" x 12" carbon plate and a 1" x 8" x .125" copper strip for backing materials.

[Mike W]

I have heard the name hastalloy somewhere before. What was that used for Hawk? That is definitely thin stuff to weld.

[dyn88]

occasionally I get letter punches to weld. The letters are .125 high although te he appearance is noncriticle, they get edm machined in later. Ive also welded two beer cans together for giggles.

[HAWK]

Mike,

Hastealloy is used in applications from chemical resistance to superconductors. The ribbon I had is utilized in electrical signal transmission research. Welding it together was a "can it be done" type of project.

[wrench3047]

mountain dew cans

My brother in votech welded the bottoms of mountain dew cans together. I didn't see it but said they had to make a cyl from flat al 1/2 the thickness of the side of an al can 8 in tall.

[bigwelder]

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I've heard of people welding razor blades together. I tried it, and couldn't do it. I think the trick there is in having a good machine, a good fixture, and some .040 or smaller tungsten.

.

no what u need is to be a really good mig welder

[stinkinlincoln]

I did an outside corner weld on the sharp side of two razor blades. I overlapped the edges slightly and pulse tigged them without filler. I used a maxstar. I can't remember the tungsten size but I'm sure it was bigger than .040. I clamped the two blades to the outside of a piece of clean angle iron. About 20 pulses per second. Very low amperage of course. The angle iron sinks a lot of heat and keeps you from burning through. Razor blades are about .011 thick. It really wasn't that difficult. Hawk's .004 hastalloy sounds way harder.