Do you guys MIG weld your pulsejets?

[NickC]

have any of you ever MIG welded a pulsejet? was it stainless? what is the thinnest gauge of stainless any of you guys have successfully MIG welded?

[mrsteve79915]

i have mig welded 26 gauge sheet metal...... but it freaking was toooooo hard having to fill holes and stuff......... took a long time.... with thicker metal you have a better chance of being structurally sound... very important when your pipes glow white~~~ the thicker the better.... 16 gauge requires you to use a special electric sheer to handle the job.. or else you will wind up with blisters all over... i would say probably 20 gauge would be good to start... then when you have learned to build and successfully run for example a valveless pulse jet.... then upgrade to the good metal ss only after you have saved your patterns... and can now duplicate the results on high dollar metal http://videos.streetfire.net/video/1923 ... a3463a.htm

[NickC]

will 20 gauge stainless last, like as long as 18 gauge, in a vpj?

[hinote]

will 20 gauge stainless last, like as long as 18 gauge, in a vpj?

I've used 20 ga 304 in several recent projects, with great success. It's lasting longer than I expected.

My M15E SS upgrade motor, and my M8E/M16E "Phoenix" rebuild, are doing well with substantial operation at high temps.

[NickC]

on your M15E what gauge is your bend? it handled that bright yellow glow so that would be good index of durability.

[hinote]

on your M15E what gauge is your bend? it handled that bright yellow glow so that would be good index of durability.

All u-bends used on my motors have been 16-gauge (0.065 inches). That includes the latest parts to be used on my large M11E project , under construction.

[Irvine.J]

Hi, moving house atm ya'all, hope all is well.
I have aquired a CIG Transarc Easywelder 40-160 Amp Stick welder. I couldn't find any posts for the amperages for this kind of stick welder. I have never welded.

I'd just like to know for steel / stainless steel what amperage should i use?

I attempted from 40 to 48, got a few sparks and it stuck alot, nothing looked like a weld though :D. (I am PRACTICING on random objects in the garage, milo tins, cans, bolts etc with 2mm rods) Set right down the bottom of its amperage range, as per the instructions for the 2mm rods. I figure i need more power.(goes to 160) I am reluctant to crank it up without consultation, figure best just to check with experienced individuals. Thanks for your time.
Regards.
47

[marksteamnz]

Give CIG or BOC a ring.
Your stick welder with 2mm rods is fine for 2mm steel up. You must use the correct rods for the material ie ss rods for ss.
If you get the smallest diameter rods you can find 1.5mm?) and practice a lot you can easily weld 1.6mm steel with an Stick/arc welder. Welding thinner than that with an arc welder is really hard.
Practice running weld beads on a chunk of mild steel, once you can make a good bead try sticking some thing togeather.
Your library or welding supplier will have books on basic arc welding.

Hi, moving house atm ya'all, hope all is well.
I have aquired a CIG Transarc Easywelder 40-160 Amp Stick welder. I couldn't find any posts for the amperages for this kind of stick welder. I have never welded.

I'd just like to know for steel / stainless steel what amperage should i use?

I attempted from 40 to 48, got a few sparks and it stuck alot, nothing looked like a weld though :D. (I am PRACTICING on random objects in the garage, milo tins, cans, bolts etc with 2mm rods) Set right down the bottom of its amperage range, as per the instructions for the 2mm rods. I figure i need more power.(goes to 160) I am reluctant to crank it up without consultation, figure best just to check with experienced individuals. Thanks for your time.
Regards.
47

[multispool]

My pulse jets are not intended as flight engines so I make them out of any stainless I can get. 0.8mm seems to be the most common scrap and weldes easily with MIG. The thinnest I've welded is 0.5mm and it's difficult!
Would recommend TIG on 0.5 and thinner...

[Irvine.J]

I have located a stainless steel supplier who can sell
0.7mm and 0.9mm stailess in the #4 or 2B Finish. I believe the gauge thickness is 20 and 22 guage respectively. Is the 0.9 (20 gauge) hard to hand roll? Moreso difficult then the mildsteel? I want to build two long lasting flight engines, I think the 22 guage is the go, but the welder may burn holes in it. Can anyone clear this up for me?

Will I need solar flux if using a mig with SS wire?

[Irvine.J]

Well guys, Im thinking of selling the the MIG welder I have here as it is gasless and can't do stainless steel, and upgrading to a tig welder. In reading up on the TIG, it says you can do butt welds without a filler rod. True/false?

I have .55mm 304 stainless sheets here (25/26guage), but can't decide between a gas MIG or TIG. Whats the minimum size filler rods can I get?
I can't see why I can't use the solid Gas mig wire as filler material either at .6mm. If i'm wrong correct me.

Simply, I don't have a jig, so I'll need 2 free hands for the TIG, and a free foot/hand/mutation to hold the pipes and cones in place. With the gas Mig I'll still have a free hand, I just don't know. TIG vs MIG anyone? Tigs are more expensive but with selling the one I have here shouldn't be too bad.

This is the one i'm looking at, 8 hours to go I'd appreciate some feedback especially if it sucks.
http://tinyurl.com/2b666h

[Irvine.J]

I'm a proud new owner of one of these... sweet!
http://tinyurl.com/2dmvqz

Stainless steel PJ's in thing gauge here we come!
Anyone wanna suggest plain tungsten or Thorium etc electrodes for PJ specific welding?

[Irvine.J]

Hmm, this welder can do aluminium can't it being an inverter?!

Is this what I'm after for welding 25 (0.55mm) gauge?
http://tinyurl.com/2pynq3
.2" ceriated tungsten rod 7" long.
Start off about 20 amps? minimum I can go to is 10.
No footswitch,
about 6/8 cubic feet per hour.

I'm also thinking either helixed .6mm SS solid mig wire (or possibly 0.8mm) if I can't find any 0.8 or 1mm rods.

If anything mentioned above is wrong/bad let me know, there have been considerable posts that I have ready, but a final check would be appreciated.

[El-Kablooey]

Looks like it's DC only. It is possible to weld very thin Al with DCEN, but it is difficult, and not good practice. 2% thoriated tungstens are all you will ever need. Stainless that thin will need around 15 amps, and a quick hand. You can get filler wire for TIG down to .040, maybe thinner.

You will find that stainless is easy to weld, it is making everything fit perfectly that is tough. With thin SS, everything must fit up perfectly, with no gaps. If there is a slight gap, you will end up with a big hole.

TIG is fun though, you will enjoy it. Good luck!


Hey, don't buy that .020" tungsten, that's a little thin. I use some .040" sometimes, but 1/16" are fine for most situations.