How hard is it to weld Titanium? (Should I braze it instead).

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A friend asked me if I could weld an O2 sensor bung onto a motorcycle exhaust.  The Exhaust is titanium.I have a purging setup so I can 100% purge the backside of the weld.  I do not have a setup for trailing gas.  I might be able to jury rig something.I was thinking a large cup, with plenty of pre and post flow and weld it as if lots of smaller tack welds.I have no idea how thick the material it is.  I have a little bit of a worry that the sheet metal is very thin in comparison to the bung.  I would hate to melt through.No risk of catastrophic weld failure.  Its a track bike, inspected often, and at worst the O2 sensor falls out and hits the road...I would need to get new stainless brushes.  Not sure how hard it would be to clean the inside edge.Found a couple places that could get a pound of Ti filler. .042 thickness.  About right for sheetmetal.Thoughts?Can I braze it?  I'd image that even brazed I risk overheating/contaminating but not as much of a risk.  Silcon bronze rod + TIG.  Probably still purge the backside.  How do I know when the Ti is hot enough?  Does titanium turn red?Biggest worry for me is not much of a chance to practice.  The exhaust comes with some brackets that are not needed and will be cut off - that will give me material to practice on.Con Fuse!Miller Dynasty 350Millermatic 350P-Spoolmatic 30AMiller Multimatic 200Hypertherm PowerMax 1000G3Miller Maxstar 200DX
Reply:You cannot braze Ti, Ti can only be tig welded. Your getting all worked up.. I think you have what it takes to weld Ti.  No need for a trailing cup. Purge the pipe really good, then use a big cup, Ti is sluggish but welds like any other reactive metal. Take your time keep heat input to a minimum and all will be swell Millermatic 211Miller Syncrowave 350lx with cooler and tigrunner Thermal Dynamics cutmaster 811955 National Cylinder Gas O/A setup with original patina
Reply:I found that mig welding titanium was a lot like stainless. It can be mig welded its just not very many people do it. On thin motor cycle exhaust  I would not recommend it.People who I know that tig weld on air craft engine stuff say that tig it is also a lot like stainless.Otherwise Titanium needs to be cleaner than stainless and needs better gas coverage.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:You cannot mig weld Ti, it will crack and ruin the pipe/ exhaust
Reply:I am the same mindset you should purge  the inside use the largest cup you have and go for it.  The only thing I would add is don't weld more than 10 seconds at a time. take a good 10 minute break between runs. and clean clean clean
Reply:Titanium rod is about $100 a lb.   The little scrap I played with from Insaneride showed me that Ti flows really nice.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by That Guy ThereYou cannot mig weld Ti, it will crack and ruin the pipe/ exhaust
Reply:Originally Posted by That Guy ThereYou cannot braze Ti, Ti can only be tig welded. Your getting all worked up.. I think you have what it takes to weld Ti.  No need for a trailing cup. Purge the pipe really good, then use a big cup, Ti is sluggish but welds like any other reactive metal. Take your time keep heat input to a minimum and all will be swell
Reply:quick read on brazing titanium.  http://www.twi-global.com/technical-...nium-to-steel/  http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1499
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeWrong! I tig brazed a Ti exhaust system 2 years ago with Si bronze and it's still fine to this day!
Reply:Tig welding Ti is easy. If you think of it like regular welding and not let it freak you out you will be fine.Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Reply:I love how everyone always jumps right in saying  "you can't weld or braze xyz material with abc process" Uh, no, you CAN weld or brase just abput any weldable material with whichever process you want. Wether it's ecnomical or convient or easy to do so is another question. That being said, if you can TIG stainless than you can TIG titanium, it's all about cleanliness and purge gas. Follow best practices as you would with stainless and you'll be fine. Back purge, big gas lens cup and post purge. You'll do great.Sent from my SCH-I605 using TapatalkLast edited by xryan; 04-15-2016 at 10:55 PM.RyanMiller Multimatic 200 tig/spool gun/wireless remoteMillermatic 350P, Bernard/XR Python gunsMiller Dynasty 350, Coolmate 3.5 & wireless remoteCK WF1 TIG wire feederMiller Spectrum 375 XtremeOptrel e684Miller Digital EliteMiller Weld-Mask
Reply:Everyone'Oh God' - just when there's a good fight - 'I don't have a dog'.Opus
Reply:Con fuse: as I said, tig welding Ti is strongly recommended with Ti filler.
Reply:I would weld it with pulse if you have the option. It'll minimize the heat input and look pretty sweet.
Reply:Best part about titanium welding is the colors.Stainless can look pretty cool, but titanium welds can look almost like tie dye.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welder
Reply:Originally Posted by mad welder 4Best part about titanium welding is the colors.Stainless can look pretty cool, but titanium welds can look almost like tie dye.
Reply:Originally Posted by mad welder 4Best part about titanium welding is the colors.Stainless can look pretty cool, but titanium welds can look almost like tie dye.
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawTitanium rod is about $100 a lb.   The little scrap I played with from Insaneride showed me that Ti flows really nice.
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawTitanium rod is about $100 a lb.   The little scrap I played with from Insaneride showed me that Ti flows really nice.
Reply:The white fish food is titanium dioxide.Mike ZanconatoZanconato Custom Cycles @mzank on Instagram
Reply:A trailing shield is nice, but not necessary. This was a large gas lens and 12 cup. Just don't outrun your coverage.Titanium by Mike Zanconato, on FlickrCleanliness is Godliness when it comes to titanium. Even the oil from a fingerprint can pop a rainbow.Mike ZanconatoZanconato Custom Cycles @mzank on Instagram
Reply:Travis working some Ti grade 2 on 4" sch 40 pipe,"Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:I remember seeing a welding event video (youtube) where a company is selling little table top purge "tents" that looked like nothing more than little boxes made out of plastic sheeting, PVC tube and some long sleeved rubber chemical gloves. Seems it would be a pretty small investment to "correctly" weld some Ti.Precision TIG 225MillerMatic 250Powermax 35XPPowermax 65TM 4X4 w/ water tableLagun FTV1Monarch 10EEJD2 M3 with hydro conversion
Reply:White flake is titanium oxide.old Miller spectrum 625 Lincoln SP-135 T, CO2+0.025 wireMiller model 250 and WP-18V torchCraftsman 100amp AC/DC and WP-17V torchCentury 115-004 HF arc stabilizerHome made 4 transformer spot welderHome made alternator welderOriginally Posted by 1967martiI remember seeing a welding event video (youtube) where a company is selling little table top purge "tents" that looked like nothing more than little boxes made out of plastic sheeting, PVC tube and some long sleeved rubber chemical gloves. Seems it would be a pretty small investment to "correctly" weld some Ti.
Reply:This was from a welding company, one that you normally buy aftermarket torches from but I can't seem to find it again... weld.dot.com has a video that shows them using a modified mini sand blasting cabinet:  Precision TIG 225MillerMatic 250Powermax 35XPPowermax 65TM 4X4 w/ water tableLagun FTV1Monarch 10EEJD2 M3 with hydro conversion
Reply:Originally Posted by 1967martiI remember seeing a welding event video (youtube) where a company is selling little table top purge "tents" that looked like nothing more than little boxes made out of plastic sheeting, PVC tube and some long sleeved rubber chemical gloves. Seems it would be a pretty small investment to "correctly" weld some Ti.
Reply:Ti is super easy to weld. I have welded on it daily (aerospace parts) for the past 20 plus years. A real chamber is best but can be done in a DIY "chamber". Possibly on a table purging the inside of the exhaust and lots of gas running thru the torch. Just make sure you purge for longer than you think is good.  I would imagine the exhaust is very thin. I would start at 60-70 amps focusing most the heat on the bung. You can go up in amps from there. Good luck. Here is one of our newest chambers being installed. Last edited by TRENT; 04-21-2016 at 12:10 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by 1967martiThis was from a welding company, one that you normally buy aftermarket torches from but I can't seem to find it again... weld.dot.com has a video that shows them using a modified mini sand blasting cabinet:
Reply:Just make sure that you stab the puddle with the filler wire.  Ti magnetizes when an arc is established and your wire will stick to the part if it touches parent material and many times you have to break the arc to get loose.Two turn tables and a microphone.