Newbie MIG question.

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Hi all, I'm new here and just have a quick question regarding my newly purchased MIG welder.I was planning to get a reel of fibre optic cable and create some glass art using my welder. My question, is what amperage and wire speed will be required to weld 1/4" thick glass plate?Also would normal CO2 be ok to use or would I require a more specialised gas, like Argon?Thanks
Reply:Welcome to the fourm Mogojoe90.  I am not sure on your question.  Do you want to weld 1/4 inch glass with your wore feed using fiber optic cable for your consumable?CharlieCharlie
Reply:Thanks for the quick reply Charlie Yep I think you've described what I'm trying to achieve. Can you give me an idea of setting etc?Thanks
Reply:{Hi all, I'm new here and just have a quick question regarding my newly purchased MIG welder.I was planning to get a reel of fiber optic cable and create some glass art using my welder. My question, is what amperage and wire speed will be required to weld 1/4" thick glass plate?Also would normal CO2 be ok to use or would I require a more specialized gas, like Argon? }HUH?? Do you have any concept of that you’re talking about?First how do you plan to weld GLASS a non-conductor, pass a current through it?Next, do you know the dimensions of the fiber strands in a cable? The cables are measured in Microns, 125/62.5, 125/50 and 125/8. Each fiber is encased in a jacket similar to that used for # 22 gauge phone wire about 250 um. The outer cladding is 125 um in diameter and the inner glass core is 62.5, 50, 8 microns in diameter. To put these numbers in prospective, we’re talking the thickness of a human hair or less. How do you plan to strip the outer jacket from the fiber?Fiber is manufactured as indoor cable, tight buffered and outdoor cable, loose tube with silicon jell fill. Go think it over.http://www.arcelect.com/fibercable.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiberhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/fiber-optic.htm/printable
Reply:you can NOT weld glass with a MIG or any other type of electric welderidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:I think you'll need to use Neon for your shielding gas otherwise you'll end up with a very brittle weld. Also, don't forget you will need a spool gun kit or else the fiber won't feed properly through your liner. You could try a teflon liner but people have mixed results.Do you have a 110v machine or one of the new 28.8v cordless units?edit: sighhh I had high hopes for this thread... You guys take stuff too seriously.. GG mongo, classic... MIG with Fiber Optic I love it.. GGAW? lolLast edited by mello*vip; 11-17-2009 at 04:36 PM."hope for the best, prepare for the worst"Some of my equipment:Miller Millermatic 140Miller Syncrowave 200Lincoln PowerMIG 215
Reply:Originally Posted by prop-doctoryou can NOT weld glass with a MIG or any other type of electric welder
Reply:I've fooled around with glass a little.  To weld (melt, fuse together) glass, you'll need a flame torch (propane, butane, mapp, etc).   Heat untill very red hot and keep the heat on it while working with it.  Also, wear eye and face protection, the stuff shatters and will inject your skin with millions of tiny fragments when it goes.  Not fun at all.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Right, think I've got the picture there...Yep I suppose glass being a non-conductor would make it a bit difficult now you mention it.So if I was to use glass with a high lead content, would it work then? Or should I use my Dads old Optical Time Domain Reflectomiter thingy that he has in his shed down the back of his garden??? I sure he said he was using that to fix a chip in his windshield the other day.Thanks again
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33I've fooled around with glass a little.  To weld (melt, fuse together) glass, you'll need a flame torch (propane, butane, mapp, etc).   Heat untill very red hot and keep the heat on it while working with it.  Also, wear eye and face protection, the stuff shatters and will inject your skin with millions of tiny fragments when it goes.  Not fun at all.
Reply:kool .... thanks  for the info transitbut i do know he can NOT weld glass with his migidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:Originally Posted by transitWorking with glass sculpture would be very different than working with a glass fiber the size if this dot  .  poof and its gone.
Reply:FYILead glass also known as “crystal glass” has nothing to do with crystals. Basically glass is silicon, white beach sand, it’s not a crystal like salt or diamond, and it’s like ice a super cooled liquid, over time it will flow. Ordinary window glass may appear to be clear, however try looking through it on edge and it looks green which is caused by dissolved iron in the glass. Lead crystal glass has lead dissolved in it making it heavy and sparkle, it’s also softer than normal glass scratching easily, and its non conductive. As a mater of fact, the standoffs holding the high voltage cables are glass. Considering how long the edge of glass is in a fiber cable is, it has to be super pure to be that clear to carry light. Glass that is colored has various elements dissolved in it. Iron-green, sodium- orange, cobalt-blue or yellow, red-cesium. The different color glass has different melting temperatures making glass blowing and sculptured figurines tricky to work with. Glass is one of the few materials that is chemically stable from most caustic things like acid and lye. Some acids and lye will attack glass, but very few.
Reply:Shouldn't be a problem. Just hook it up and go. Turn the wire feed speed way up. Don't need gas with that.
Reply:Depends on the flux capacitor in your machine. It must be rated at a minimum of 3.2 gigawatts in order to achieve the harmonic frequency required to excite the molecular structure of the glass crystals in a sufficient fashion. That will create the required heat needed for fusing the glass pieces together.Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC (Sold)Miller Dialarc 250HFMiller MM251Miller MM200 (Sold)Miller MM130Miller Spot WelderVictor O/A rigMiller Spoolmatic 1 (Sold)
Reply:Originally Posted by bratkid63Depends on the flux capacitor in your machine. It must be rated at a minimum of 3.2 gigawatts in order to achieve the harmonic frequency required to excite the molecular structure of the glass crystals in a sufficient fashion. That will create the required heat needed for fusing the glass pieces together.
Reply:Originally Posted by bratkid63Depends on the flux capacitor in your machine. It must be rated at a minimum of 3.2 gigawatts in order to achieve the harmonic frequency required to excite the molecular structure of the glass crystals in a sufficient fashion. That will create the required heat needed for fusing the glass pieces together.
Reply:Actually you can use copper rod to weld glass. Go to the hardware and get a copper grounding round. Attach rod to glass part, set outside, wait for thunderstorm, let lightening do the work!Ranger 250 GXTSmith Gas Axe