TIG Porosity......... resulted in some fun practice welding........

admin

Today I noticed that all of a sudden I was getting bubbles in my tacks on some T joints....... it happened suddenly after a few hours of welding with no issues......I checked the gas...... still 1000 lbs........ I had only used 600 lbs so far by then....... flowmeter working correctly at 20 CFH.........I grabbed the wrench and made sure all of my hoses were tight........I used that same wrench to snap the Tungsten in half so that I could use the stubby back cap instead of the long one.....So I grabbed some scrap 1/4" plate and some quarter wall tube....... cleaned them up and set to fusion welding all the way around to test everything out....... No Porosity.......PICS of my practice....... Attached ImagesPrecision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Since the porosity problem was fixed...... I decided to get some extra practice.......I grabbed some stainless filler and went all the way around once...........Stainless filler makes great colors............PICS....... Attached ImagesLast edited by Fexal; 03-30-2013 at 10:49 PM.Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Then it was back to my 3/32 ER70S-2 for some more practice.....This pass I decided I would try the "walking the cup" thing on one side....... then I just free handed the rest.......... it seemed easier.......The practice is good.......... it helps me see where I need improvement...... and at the end of the day..... it is just scrap that finds a use..........Third Pass PICS....... Attached ImagesPrecision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Is it possible your porosity problem started after sharpening the tungsten?  'Could be the o-ring on the long back cap . . . or you didn't get the cap tight.Dynasty 300DXSmith He/Ar gas mixerMM350PHobart Handler 120Smith LW7, MW5, AW1A
Reply:Possibly...... The long cap gets tight but doesn't sit flush with the torch........ No matter how short the tungsten........The back cap was from my PTA 17 and doesn't seem to work perfectly with the CK 17........That may very well have been the issue and it was allowing air to get sucked in......I think I will get another 9 torch too just to have a small one handy.......Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Fex have you tried 1/16 filler rod? It will flow much nice than 3/32 on something like that
Reply:Now you have a cup for holding all your filler stubs!
Reply:Sometimes with TIG welding Hot rolled the mill scale will cause porosity. Or when running multi-pass just wire brush btwn passes!  Good luck and looking good
Reply:You should know by now that tigging over millscale is a TAKE THE TIME AND DO IT RIGHT!It's things like this that seperates the good from the great.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:You're right....... I should take the time........The uprights had mill scale on them.......For this test piece I sandblasted the tube and polished the parts to be welded with a flapper.......... And the welds had no issues......I'm now thinking that was my entire problem on those other pieces..........Mental note...... Slow the F..... Down........Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:FexalYou said that you used a wrench to snap your tungsten. It is better to cut your tungsten with a grinder. Sometimes when you break or snap the tungesten you will get a hair line crack running the length of the tungeston. You will not notice it untill you are welding and suddenly your ark become eratic and will produce two diffrent heat zones