Anyone have a micro torch?

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 5:54 pm

I am finally ready to finish my dual tailpipe engine which will operate out of phase. I just need a nice small torch capable of fusion welding thin sheet metal and aluminum. Anyone have any recomendations on which one works best? I found this one at harbor freight for $85 which is far cheaper than a Henrob 2000.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... umber=3687

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hinote · Post by **hinote** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 6:01 pm

Eric wrote:I am finally ready to finish my dual tailpipe engine which will operate out of phase. I just need a nice small torch capable of fusion welding thin sheet metal and aluminum. Anyone have any recomendations on which one works best? I found this one at harbor freight for $85 which is far cheaper than a Henrob 2000.

Careful there--see where it says "good for soldering or brazing materials up to 1/8-inch"?

This unit uses propane, which means the flame isn't hot enough to weld with.

Bill H.
Acoustic Propulsion Concepts, Inc.

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 6:17 pm

what about this? the price is right :o)

Tom

Viv · Post by **Viv** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 8:24 pm

If you can gas weld why not TIG weld your engine?

The technique is the same as gas welding but the result is neater plus the running costs are lower.

Viv

Post by **Mike Everman** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 8:34 pm

Viv,
Would you mind giving a one paragraph primer on TIG? I often "have it done", but have never watched or had cause to research it... Consider it my birthday present (44 yesterday). I'm considering what welding setup to buy for home PJ building use, and I'd love to know more about it. I tried to find a welding class at the local college, but get this: all they offer is under-sea welding courses! LOL!

Viv · Post by **Viv** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 8:58 pm

Mike Everman wrote:Viv,
Would you mind giving a one paragraph primer on TIG? I often "have it done", but have never watched or had cause to research it... Consider it my birthday present (44 yesterday). I'm considering what welding setup to buy for home PJ building use, and I'd love to know more about it. I tried to find a welding class at the local college, but get this: all they offer is under-sea welding courses! LOL!

Undersea! how cool is that! do they teach you to swim as well?

As the the short treatis on TIG you do know you are asking a dyslexic for it don't you:-)

Ok I am on a welding course as well so I will have to think about it, what I have found out is that during my early attempts the only thing I did right was to turn the welder on!.

I did everything else wrong, from setting the gas to choosing the filler rod to use.

I will nock up some thing later and post it, watch this space:=)

Viv

Viv · Post by **Viv** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 8:59 pm

Oh yea Happy birthday as well:-)

Viv

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 10:57 pm

If you are welding ferrous metal with a flame, you must use acetylene gas as your fuel. Oxy/Acetylene welding is lots of fun but the equipment is quite expensive and you need a very well ventilated workspace that is devoid of ignitable material. Electric welding apparatus is usually simpler, more affordable, and more compact and can be used indoors without risk of explosion, although you still need plenty of ventilation. Do you really need gas-shielding to make a pulsejet? I'm not sure. I can't see any reason why old-fashioned stick-welding wouldn't get the job done.

Viv · Post by **Viv** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:16 pm

Mike Kirney wrote:If you are welding ferrous metal with a flame, you must use acetylene gas as your fuel. Oxy/Acetylene welding is lots of fun but the equipment is quite expensive and you need a very well ventilated workspace that is devoid of ignitable material. Electric welding apparatus is usually simpler, more affordable, and more compact and can be used indoors without risk of explosion, although you still need plenty of ventilation. Do you really need gas-shielding to make a pulsejet? I'm not sure. I can't see any reason why old-fashioned stick-welding wouldn't get the job done.

Stick welding is ok on the thicker stuff but it is a bit tricky when the material gets thin, but it is the other way round with TIG thin stuff is a doddle but thicker stuff is a pain becouse of the heat input it needs.

I practice on Thin stainless steel .9mm at the welding course, its nice once you get the flow rate set on the gas and are using the correct filler rod.

Viv

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:21 pm

I dont want to spend a lot of money for a tig, and from what I have seen by an very competant professional welder even tig doesnt really work well with anything above 20 gauge stainless... If you can stick weld stuff that thin without burning through please teach me how! I have tried large gas torches, mig, tig, arc (yea i know dosnt quite work) and I think the tig even went down to around 5 amps but it doesnt work. Anyone know how those guys who make the bailey and dynajet engines weld them?

Ventilation and fire hazards are not really an issue. My shop was converted from a foundry to a machine shop. Metal coated walls backed with concrete and a 4 foot diameter industrial ventilation fan...

The harbor freight torch you can use acetylene also, which hopefully would get high enough temperature and flame size to fusion weld very thin stainless and not so thin aluminum.

The henrob torch company claims that you can fusion weld up to 28 gauge, but i have asked some people and they say it really is tough to get anywhere close to that. Plus its around $350 just for the torch. Gas costs really are not that big of a deal since i already have 2 sets of full tanks and with a micro torch they should last a while.

Viv · Post by **Viv** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:21 pm

But having said all that about TIG I do want a MIG to go with it for speed, TIG is so precise for doing fine work but it can be slow.

A MIG will lay down the metal a lot quicker if you have a lot of welding to do and there is the option for the so called gasless MIG.

Gasless MIG uses a flux cored wire so you could look at it as continuos stick welding:-)

Viv

Viv · Post by **Viv** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:32 pm

Eric wrote:I dont want to spend a lot of money for a tig, and from what I have seen by an very competant professional welder even tig doesnt really work well with anything above 20 gauge stainless... If you can stick weld stuff that thin without burning through please teach me how! I have tried large gas torches, mig, tig, arc (yea i know dosnt quite work) and I think the tig even went down to around 5 amps but it doesnt work. Anyone know how those guys who make the bailey and dynajet engines weld them?

Ventilation and fire hazards are not really an issue. My shop was converted from a foundry to a machine shop. Metal coated walls backed with concrete and a 4 foot diameter industrial ventilation fan...

The harbor freight torch you can use acetylene also, which hopefully would get high enough temperature and flame size to fusion weld very thin stainless and not so thin aluminum.

The henrob torch company claims that you can fusion weld up to 28 gauge, but i have asked some people and they say it really is tough to get anywhere close to that. Plus its around $350 just for the torch. Gas costs really are not that big of a deal since i already have 2 sets of full tanks and with a micro torch they should last a while.

Eric, A place I worked at they TIG welded 1.75" 316L stainless plate together for vacuum chambers.

I just wish now that I had paid more attension:-) now I am struggling to learn at my own expense.

20 gauge is fine, I have practiced on mild steel at that thickness and it welds ok at 35 amps with a 1.6mm tungstan.

I will right up something tomorrow about tigging, but I can recomend it and it is not that expensive.

Get a small DC inverter, over here you can get set up for underÂ£250

Stick welding that thin is a bitch! anything over 4mm plate is easy but as soon as you go down to less than 2mm you have to have every thing perfect or you will not get even fusion and you willl get holes.

Most TIG inverters will also double as DC stick welders and if you have not tried DC stick welding you are in for a treat:-)

Viv

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Sun Jan 04, 2004 11:55 pm

Is there not a way to manipulate the voltage, current, and filler metal diameter so that you could "stick weld" thin sheet? I thought that you could DC weld anything provided you had a rough of idea of the resistances involved. My only practical experience with electric welding was when I was 13 and I welded a bit of 1/8" sheet to the shop table at school. Obviously, if you are using one of those big old Lincoln machines with its own 40 hp diesel generator you are gonna burn through your 20 ga. sheet, but what if you rigged some house-current thing with a transformer, rectifier, shunt circuit, etc. ? Perhaps you could start your car, jumper your workpieces to the battery terminals and then hold them close together while somebody revs the engine for you.

Viv · Post by **Viv** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 12:02 am

Mike Kirney wrote:Is there not a way to manipulate the voltage, current, and filler metal diameter so that you could "stick weld" thin sheet? I thought that you could DC weld anything provided you had a rough of idea of the resistances involved. My only practical experience with electric welding was when I was 13 and I welded a bit of 1/8" sheet to the shop table at school. Obviously, if you are using one of those big old Lincoln machines with its own 40 hp diesel generator you are gonna burn through your 20 ga. sheet, but what if you rigged some house-current thing with a transformer, rectifier, shunt circuit, etc. ? Perhaps you could start your car, jumper your workpieces to the battery terminals and then hold them close together while somebody revs the engine for you.

No:-)

Viv

paul skinner · Post by **paul skinner** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 4:34 pm

I like my little Henrob

http://www.cut-like-plasma.com/?durafix

Does everything a Tig can do, for a fraction of the price.

www.pulse-jets.com

Anyone have a micro torch?

Anyone have a micro torch?

Re: Anyone have a micro torch?