Anyone using this welder?

[Mike Everman]

It's kind of new, but thinking about getting one...

[Viv]

It's kind of new, but thinking about getting one...

Back to telaphic links then mike?

Or is your new tag line "sometimes forgetfull, often wrong, never unsure":-)

Viv

[Mike Everman]

Ha ha, oops:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 70261&rd=1

[Viv]

Ha ha, oops:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 70261&rd=1

Thats a perfect little package, very nice, 5 amps is perfect too:-)

Viv

[hinote]

Thats a perfect little package, very nice, 5 amps is perfect too:-)

Viv

Mike, that's the very same unit I'm using, as recommended by my brother the welding expert. I love it--in fact, I just got through with another session, using it to weld-up my current project.

Mike, look at your e-mail.

Bill H.
Acoustic Propulsion Concepts


".......some day soon we'll be flying airplanes powered by pulsejets."

[Mike Everman]

thanks. thought it looked good at the welding shop. Nice and small. Now I have to figure how to lay my hands on a discretionary $1,300! Looks like next summer or so. The Henrob is working well until I can pony up.

[skyfrog]

Nice machine, nice price.

[Mike Kirney]

Sort of off-topic, but is it just me or have those Henrobs come way down in price since last year? Maybe its just the exchange rate fluctuation but it seems to me that they are like half the price they were the last time I looked. By the way, are you going to hang on to your Henrob Mike or will we see it on E-Bay sooner or later?

[Mike Everman]

I'll probably sell the Henrob when I get the TIG. I'm trying now to figure out what to sell so I can get it sooner rather than later.

[hinote]

I'll probably sell the Henrob when I get the TIG. I'm trying now to figure out what to sell so I can get it sooner rather than later.

Mike--I don't know if you've ever tried TIG.

When I got mine home and out of the box, I was anxious to give it a first try.

The result?: I told myself, why did I buy this?--I can't even begin to do what I want with it. It took weeks of practice to get close to welding something useful, and I'm still not satisfied with my skill level, although I'm producing useful results now.

It takes a LOT of practice, and patience, to get your skills developed enough to be able to put some useful parts together.

The point is, you're going to waste some time and money getting up to speed--plan on it.

OTOH--once acquired, there's no finer method of welding

Bill H.
Acoustic Propulsion Concepts

".......some day soon we'll be flying airplanes powered by pulsejets."

[Mark]

Hi Bill,
As not having had any experience in Tigging, what is the skill precisely? Is it anything more than moving too fast or too slow? Or is it the distance from the weld or the way you hold your mouth? I have only welded way back when in high school and the shop teacher took a hammer to our 90 degree welds and if he could bend them flat without the seam separating, it was a good weld. Pretty primitive experience I know, just forming a decent puddle. A lot of tool work is dependent on how you hold your work, I wonder how much is dependent on the holding device to wick away heat or form a smooth seam?
Mark

[hinote]

A lot of tool work is dependent on how you hold your work, I wonder how much is dependent on the holding device to wick away heat or form a smooth seam?
Mark

Very perceptive statement; that's one of the big issues--but only one of many.

It's sure been nice for Yrs Trly to have a great teacher as a brother. No substitute for experience looking over your shoulder.

Bill H.
Acoustic Propulsion Concepts

".......some day soon we'll be flying airplanes powered by pulsejets."

[Viv]

TIG rules

Rule one, only use a clean grinding wheel to sharpen the tungsten
Rule two, never use a dirty grinding wheel to sharpen the tungsten
Rule three, always sharpen the point with the tungsten pointing at the wheel, never sideways to the wheel.
Rule four, use one wheel only for grinding tungstens so it does not get contaminated!
Rule five, dont contaminate the tip and if you do dont carry on! stop and resharpen it.
Repeat rules one through five as required:-)

Dont turn the gas too high, dont weld were there are drafts, dont carry on if you touch down or dip the point in the weld pool! resharpen the point.

Cover the back of the weld with backing tape or flush with argon.

clean all surfaces! bright shiny metal, no grease or oils, no rust or dirt or crap!

Get the right filler wire!!!!!!!! get the right size filler wire!!!!!!!! on .8mm to 1mm use a small gap it some times helps depending on the material, .5mm seems to work well on some stainless, filler wire should be the same size as the metal you are welding if possible.

Get an auto mask that is adjustable, well worth being able to see properly! dont buy a cheap one as they will not work properly under strip lights, adjustable dimming is cool, makes a big differance when welding thin stuff.

Get a nice book for angles and other stuff but follow the above as its the simple stuff they never say.

Light brown oxide deposits around the weld area means one of the above is not being done, this is the one they dont tell you about:-)

The tip of the point should not melt! back off the current or increase your gap, you should be able to strike a perfect stable arc on a low setting that is not hot enough to melt the metal, then gradually increase the current to get the weld pool going.

Strike an ark and heat both peaces of metal evenly untill the edges start to melt then dip the rod in to bridge the gap, once you have a bridge carry on with the heat but move forward a little, surface tenshion will pull the bridge forward a bit, dip the rod in again, repeat untill you get to the end:-)

Viv