Custom Fighter Welding School

8587 Views 231 Replies 20 Participants Last post by Smoker, 22 d ago

Smoker

Discussion Starter · Jan 24, 2022

May as well get the welding talk out of my build thread.

This will be a good place to organize my welding projects, show my gear, and post my progress.

Have less than a month before I get into 2 open lab classes. Pretty sure I can do whatever I want, which is TIG welding my custom bikes & parts. Need to learn how first, but I should get my projects in order ASAP and develop a plan.

Even if I don't get good enough to do the finish welding, I need to fabricate and tack together the parts. Looking forward to making some progress on the bikes!

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61 - 80 of 232 Posts

GoodKat

· #61 · Feb 10, 2022

Smoker said:
Couple of beads from tonight.

Was lazy. Didn't draw any lines to follow. Still not too bad.

[Imghttps://i.postimg.cc/g07bzKLg/20220209-224948.jpg/Img]

Better and better! You are awesome, man! Got some mad learning skills!

Reactions: 1

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #62 · Feb 10, 2022

Larry02ACR said:
I assume you watch some of The Fabrication Series on YouTube because of the weld metals online stuff, but if not, this is a great video of his:

Just finished watching it. Thanks.
I knew most of that stuff but was a good review.
For sure, I've seen his video on Zebra Striping Titanium.
I do hate it when they say it'll take years of practice. I'll just do what I can.

Hope things are good with you, Larry!

Reactions: 1

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #63 · Feb 11, 2022

Instructor is funny as hell. Last night he was yelling at Level 11. "CLEAN UP NOW!!! YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO GET OUT OF HERE, OR I WILL FAIL YOU!!!" That was first call with 20 minutes to go. I'm sure he's put up with a lot of crap with the Community College students.

He's got a big heart, and he's treating me very well. Every night he's doing or showing me special stuff. Tonight, I was the only new student TIG welding. I was happy to see a Pirhana III tungsten sharpener. Then he took me to the locked area and showed me a brand new unused Pirhana III. Then, he showed me a brand new unused Miller Aerowave 350. (Holy shit!) Other night after class he brought out a one-off aerospace welding precision purge block machined by a former student. Stunning piece of work.

Reactions: 1

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #64 · Feb 11, 2022

Was going to follow the advice from the video Larry posted. Was going to do the puddle starting exercise, then the torch drill using no filler. I think he was using aluminum because it's easier to see the puddle.

Instructor brought 16 gauge steel and said- "Do it like this." Then he ran a bead using filler. So, no intro stuff. Just start welding. He set up the machine. All I had to do was push the foot pedal and go. Problem was he gave me the wrong filler rod (R-45). Didn't find out 'till half the class was over.

Figured out to back off the pedal (slightly!) after the puddle starts - or move really fast. Had the helmet on shade 11. Couldn't see anything but the arc. Couldn't see what I was welding, or where I was going.

First timer TIG welds:

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XxGRYMMxX

· #65 · Feb 11, 2022

I always engaged my instructors in college and it paid off similarly. Teachers generally LIKE to teach and a student who wants to learn gets better education with more feedback. I used to occasionally run into my welding teacher from college and he was always tellling me to swing by and see xxxx stuff that they had. Kinda wish I'd kept in better touch, its been ages since Ive seen anyone from class or been to school... I miss that stuff.

Reactions: 3

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #66 · Feb 13, 2022

Before I sat down at the TIG for the first time, I asked the instructor-"How do I make awesome dime stacks?" I had noticed he wasn't making circles with the torch ( like o/a). He said- "Try pumping the foot pedal." That was it. Love that detailed instruction!

Middle of the night. Can't sleep. May as well post pics.

New helmet! (Old helmet will be for MIG, Stick, or other dirty work.)

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3

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yantosh

· #67 · Feb 13, 2022

found my end of module weld project from when I was 15, Mother had it in cupboard , gas weld and stick weld

Wood Rectangle Toy Creative arts Art

Wood Rectangle Gas Flooring Composite material

Tire Automotive tire Wood Rectangle Motor vehicle

Food Ingredient Tableware Wood Dish

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4

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Mongoose

· #68 · Feb 13, 2022

as vague as this guy is... i kinda like him.. he knows that explaining something even in great detail wont do as good as a person laying beads and fucking up...

like using chop sticks.. or finishing concrete. just gotta do it.

Reactions: 3

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #69 · Feb 13, 2022 (Edited)

Check out this welding.

The brazed Moto 2 frames are spectacular! One dime at a time.

www.youtube.com/user/stubbycuts

Reactions: 1

XxGRYMMxX

· #70 · Feb 14, 2022

Smoker said:
Before I sat down at the TIG for the first time, I asked the instructor-"How do I make awesome dime stacks?" I had noticed he wasn't making circles with the torch ( like o/a). He said- "Try pumping the foot pedal." That was it. Love that detailed instruction!

Middle of the night. Can't sleep. May as well post pics.

New helmet! (Old helmet will be for MIG, Stick, or other dirty work.)

All those stickers must add some serious HP to that helmet!! I dig the big view screen, wish mine had that much lens.

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #71 · Feb 14, 2022

Since there's no teaching going on in my college class, I need to find the answers on my own. Not always easy.

I watch welding videos sometimes. I notice a lot of guys dip the rod at a fast rate. Since I don't know shit, I'm thinking each time the rod is dipped, it makes a dime. Looking at my first TIG welds, I was dipping fast to make a lot of dimes. Just ended up building up the beads too tall.

So, after thinking about it, I'm guessing that dime stacks are created by the puddle flow.

The time I spent welding was somewhat wasted by not having that knowledge ahead of time. The learning curve could be greatly accelerated with teaching, instead of just doing.

I need to read more.

Was thinking about trying to pump the pedal tonight. But, why learn to weld like that if I have a pulse setting on the TIG at home, and at school? Could help me learn better control with the foot pedal, but that's not why I'm doing it. Just looking for techniques to get better looking welds.

Will try to maximize my torch time. Had to walk to the tungsten grinder 4 times in the last class. Tonight, I'm taking a box of 10, and will sharpen them all on the Piranha before starting.

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shinyribs

· #72 · Feb 14, 2022

Dime stacks make great Instagram posts, but not necessarily the best joint. I mean, to stack dimes, you literally have to lay one tiny cold weld on top of another. I'm not saying it can't be plenty strong, but focus on fusing the joint properly now. You can doll up the bead profile later.

I'll be glad if I ever get good enough to stop dipping tungstens. So fucking annoying, but it's part of the game. To alleviate the temptation of soldiering thru with a dirty tungsten ( which works exactly never) I just sit down with a fistful of tungstens sharpened up and ready to rock. I don't stress about it wasting time that way since I know if I dip one and can reach over, swap it out and be rocking again in a few seconds. Funny enough, that alone helps a lot. Purely mental, but whatever works.

That and comfortable gloves helped me more than anything.

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CK 187

· #73 · Feb 15, 2022

shinyribs said:
Dime stacks make great Instagram posts, but not necessarily the best joint. I mean, to stack dimes, you literally have to lay one tiny cold weld on top of another. I'm not saying it can't be plenty strong, but focus on fusing the joint properly now. You can doll up the bead profile later.

I'll be glad if I ever get good enough to stop dipping tungstens. So fucking annoying, but it's part of the game. To alleviate the temptation of soldiering thru with a dirty tungsten ( which works exactly never) I just sit down with a fistful of tungstens sharpened up and ready to rock. I don't stress about it wasting time that way since I know if I dip one and can reach over, swap it out and be rocking again in a few seconds. Funny enough, that alone helps a lot. Purely mental, but whatever works.

That and comfortable gloves helped me more than anything.

Good stuff right there. I'm the same way. Freshen up some spares and have them handy. Doesn't matter how long you've done it, you'll still dip or contaminate it

When I first learned to Tig I was taught how to walk the cup first and "lay" weld rather than dip before I was floating. Even now all these years later when I get the rate chance to sit down at a rig I will occasionally rest the cup out of habit. I was doing it at the shop in Charlotte one day and my BIL was watching and he had never tried it before. Now this is a guy that builds race cars all day everyday for the better part of 20 years. Now he walks it all the time

shinyribs

· #74 · Feb 15, 2022

I've never tried walking the cup. Always assumed it was harder to control, but I've got no reason for that. Huh. I might have to give it a shot.

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #75 · Feb 16, 2022 (Edited)

Last night was quite shocking!

Never used a welding table, before this class. Minimal instruction and supervision in class has its advantages and disadvantages.

Been welding all my coupons on the table. Last night, I stuck the tungsten in the puddle. At first, I didn't know it was stuck. I lifted up on the torch and the 16ga steel coupon came off the table. Pedal was still on. Filler hand was still resting on the grounded table.

Yeah. Shocked the fuck out of me. Just saw black and sounded to me like an explosion. Opened my eyes after a second, and I was sitting straight up and the torch, with the coupon stuck to it, was up against my shield. At least it blew my foot off the pedal.

So, my new policy is when using a welding table, clamp down the piece.

Reactions: 3

CK 187

· #76 · Feb 16, 2022

Smoker said:
Last night was quite shocking!

Never used a welding table, before this class. Minimal instruction and supervision in class has its advantages and disadvantages.

Been welding all my coupons on the table. Last night, I stuck the tungsten in the puddle. At first, I didn't know it was stuck. I lifted up on the torch and the 16ga steel coupon came off the table. Pedal was still on. Filler hand was still resting on the grounded table.

Yeah. Shocked the fuck out of me. Just saw black and sounded to me like an explosion. Opened my eyes after a second, and I was sitting straight up and the torch, with the coupon stuck to it, was up against my shield. At least it blew my foot off the pedal.

So, my new policy is when using a welding table, clamp down the piece.

Snap crackle pop

XxGRYMMxX

· #77 · Feb 16, 2022

Smoker said:
Last night was quite shocking!

Never used a welding table, before this class. Minimal instruction and supervision in class has its advantages and disadvantages.

Been welding all my coupons on the table. Last night, I stuck the tungsten in the puddle. At first, I didn't know it was stuck. I lifted up on the torch and the 16ga steel coupon came off the table. Pedal was still on. Filler hand was still resting on the grounded table.

Yeah. Shocked the fuck out of me. Just saw black and sounded to me like an explosion. Opened my eyes after a second, and I was sitting straight up and the torch, with the coupon stuck to it, was up against my shield. At least it blew my foot off the pedal.

So, my new policy is when using a welding table, clamp down the piece.

POKE!! that sucks man,... I hate getting shocked.

Smoker

Discussion Starter · #78 · Feb 16, 2022

Last night I tried pumping the pedal.

Then, I couldn't stop, and pumped it the rest of the night.

Anything that looked like dime stacks before was more by accident.

These dimes were from pumping the pedal. Much more satisfying.

Will switch into pulse mode when I get some more practice in manual mode.

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shinyribs

· #79 · Feb 16, 2022

I've only ever been shocked using a tig. It's the sole reason I started wearing gloves. When you get zapped you are guaranteed to stab the tungsten 😂

Reactions: 1

yantosh

· #80 · Feb 17, 2022

watched my apprentice get a rod stuck with stick welding, watched him panic while it went red and started curling into a coil.... good times

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61 - 80 of 232 Posts