Tig wire that has a flux...

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Has anyone ever used tig wire that has a flux coating on it so that you do not have to purge while welding stainless steal pipe or tubing?Jonesy
Reply:Once had the displeasure of using TGX flux core wire Because half the wire is flux you (obviously) have feed more wire than you'd think but it still kept catching me out! It (for me anyways) would take a bit of getting used to. The pool is different too as you've got slag to deal with. Dipping at each side seemed to help but i didn't get to play around with it for long enough to get a grip on itAny particular reason why you can't use solar flux if purging is out?
Reply:Tell me about the Solar Flux?  Im just looking  for alternitives for not stick weld stainless steel.   I  am certified to weld stainless pipe...I just hate it...Roots kill me...I grind out twice what I put in and they always look bad cosmetically...even if they do Shoot good!!We can't use tapes do to what goes through the lines that we weld on.   The real chore will be getting my bosses to buy some so we can try it out!!Jonesy
Reply:Jonesy..Get ahold of pipefitter..He is the master of what your looking for..Search some of his posts.....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:Depending on what goes through the pipes, you may not be able to use that flux cored tig wire either....it will leave slag on the inside of the root, which will eventually come loose.  It may also have a chemical reaction, depending on the usage of the pipe.In pharmaceutical piping, they are often concerned about even getting a blue color inside the pipe, because it can cause a chemical reaction.  BPE specs I have welded to in the past said that a "light straw" color was acceptable on the root, but no blue color at all.
Reply:I know so what you are talking about!!    They are so anal about slag and color...but for me...its one step at a time...I personally don't do as much of the pharmicutical work as my pals but most of there work is orbital welding though we all passed our fusion testsJonesy
Reply:I believe gentlemen he is referring to this product:http://products.esabna.com/EN/home/f...tainless_steelI use this stuff extensively and it does in fact give outstanding results (without a purge) but requires a high degree of skill to work with. I should mention there is NO code procedure outlined for this product (so says my boss).As for slag on the inside, I use an air chisel after the root is complete to break it off (very noisy). But the heat of consecutive passes also serves to remove flux from the inside too. Concern was mentioned in a previous thread about cover passes contaminating (sugaring) the root. If this is done quickly and with minimal heat there is no problem. It can and does pass x-ray, and with much practice looks great too (on the inside).ElvisWLast edited by ElvisW; 05-24-2008 at 01:01 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jonesy70I know so what you are talking about!!    They are so anal about slag and color...but for me...its one step at a time...I personally don't do as much of the pharmicutical work as my pals but most of there work is orbital welding though we all passed our fusion tests
Reply:No is not really for the tubing and small schedual pipe that I'm interested in this process for...all of our pharm work is purgedJonesy
Reply:OK, now i'm confused (don't think i'm the only one either)Jonesy, if i got this right you're currently using stick and want to switch to TIG for personal reasons?The slag from TGX wire is apparently easy to remove (didn't happen for me after the mess i made with it ), some tapping is all that's supposedly required. It should be removable with the current methods used. Set up is about the same as for a conventional purged TIG root. I doubt that the stuff is cheap! Have a play around with google, IIRC 'Kobelco' (sp?) is the manufacturer 'Solar flux type b' is the other possibility. It's a powder that you mix with methanol and 'paint on' the ID of the pipe during fitting. The only time i've used it, it was done WITHOUT a root gap- knife edge with a larger included angle on the bevel. Elvis, am i missing something? Your link is to SMAW electrodes
Reply:Yes it is for personal reasons...I don't mean to confuse anyone...Stick welding stainless is, for me, very difficult...it takes me a very long time to get roots in to make them exceptable and the caps just look ugly....can I do them...yes...I just hate them...our pharmacutical work is mostly orbital welding and hand fusion or one pass welding...I got side tracked with that part of the thread...my apoligies...to goal is to try to get away from stick welding stainless pipe...that is why I was looking into the flux cored tig wire...I was able to contact my local supply house to get prices...I also talked to a sales guy that I am friends with and he is going to see if he can get me a sample pack to try...I will let you all know what happens and how I do...If i can weld it sucessfully, i can take it to my bosses and show them and maybe get them to try it!The solar flux...that is a paste that you put inside the joint?...That I have seen but have never used...I believe, at another company that I worked for, they used it on stainless duct work...I would have used the consumable porcelian strips...but I believe it was a cost issue with them at the time...not a hundred percent sure to be honest.I hope that clears this up Jonesy
Reply:I called 3 diffrent locations about this rod...They want $90 per pound....so my desire to try this wire is on hold for now...untill I can get my company to buy some...oh wellJonesy
Reply:ooops....I looked at the pic and didn't read the description! I did this in my TIG thread as well. Got these numbers off the tubes at work.ESAB ALL-STATE 316L FC 3/32PART # 69606460and for 308....ESABALL-STATE 308L FC 3/32PART # 69601460This product doesn't show up on the ESAB website unless I am doing something wrong.PS...yes it is costly but if you compare purge cost/time and know how to use this rod then it is certainly a money/time saverElvisLast edited by ElvisW; 06-02-2008 at 05:44 PM.
Reply:That's less than i thought TGX would cost (especially when everything else is factored in, as Elvis stated)What service are we talking about? the residue from Solar flux is somewhat tenacious- may or may not be an issue. It has it's idosyncrasies too- i've heard stories about guys mixing it with a dash of yacht varnish to stop it falling off the butt if it's allowed to dry out too much! More info here... http://www.solarflux.com/Pages/Menu.htmlFor that matter can you just switch process because you want to or would the procedure need to be requalified?
Reply:Oh No...It would be the beginning of a long road of procedures and qualifing and so on and so forth...A couple of years back I was assigned to a maintance position and plant assist with my company...I had free reign of the weld shop...I was there only welder...So I had free access to the sales people and samples that they left...So I got alot of time to play and the plant would order just about anything that I wanted (I got alot of toys that way and alot of speciallty welding wire)...I was able to introduce a couple of wires to my company...especially since I had time to learn how it ran...That would have been my hope with this fluxcored tig wire...As I said earlier on...I can stick weld stainless, I just hate it and I was looking for a possible easier alternitiveJonesy