Avoiding warping.

admin

Do you guys ever run cold towels over an area that you were welding.  I am using some 16 gauge mild cold rolled steel and tigging up to 80-90 volts on start up. Normally it's a weld and wait game.  Thought cold water would help minimize warping.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:I weld stainless for a living - heat control is crucial. I've tried [just about] everything there is. From shop air, to water, to argon, to backing plates, you name it, I've probably tried it. I will say that the water trick really doesn't work very well at all. Last time I tried the wet towel approach, it ended up with having bits of the towel burnt into the metal. And it honestly did noting for heat control. I've done the wet news paper soak when doing replacement body panels on cars and that does a really good job at cooling and controlling warping. Best advice with thin stuff is to use a backer if possible. I have a bunch of aluminum piece that I can clamp up to make a heat sink. Works really well to dissipate heat. Also try running a touch hotter, and a bit faster. That will help your heat issues more so that you might think. Just today I was able to weld 14ga stainless at 250 amps using a "laywire" technique and just moving like crazy. Beads all came out silver to salmon in color and no burn through. Pedal was floored and dial at 250
Reply:I have tried it.  No luck.Your biggest enemy is the area immediately around the weld, (spot, or stringer bead).You may be able to keep the surrounding area cool, but the point of the weld will still expand.When using large sheets, I try to make the panel float.  Meaning no direct weld on the panel.I recently built a large fire pit hood that had 6 sides.  Each panel was trapezoid shaped. About 30" at the base and 10" at the top.The panels float against the main frame and a 5/8" flat bar on the outside.
Reply:Thanks I'll try both ideas.  Not used to the light gauge.  I mostly did heavy plateSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Reply:Have you considered different directions of your welds, including back stepping?Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.