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I was bored tonight, nothing to do, so I figured let's see how tough it really is to weld pipe. This is 1.5" sched. 40. nothing fancy, cut with a sawzall (so not straight), beveled with a grinder. done using my Lincoln 140C, set to "J" amps, wire speed 2.5 on my scale. The reasons for this was two fold, first to see how hard it would be. Second, I'm thinking of building a small go kart in the future (Frame out of 3/4 pipe) and figured I should see if I thought it was possible. Comments and constructive critisism welcome. I tacked the piece and it was vertical as I made horizontal welds. I noticed it was really hard to keep the nozzle pointing in the right direction all the time, but when I went with my left (non dominant) hand, it worked easier, go figure. I also thought I should practice with both hands per some advice given in other posts. anyway, on to the pics. The starts are cold and I haven't figured out a good way to go around my tacks. Attached Images
Reply:Forgot to mention .030 wire gas set around 18-20 CFH. Pipe was marked and numbered before cutting so even though it wasn't cut straight, it still lined up nice and tight. Prepped to "Bright and Shiny" using a flap disk. Also, I think it would be easier to go around the tacks if I made them a little smaller.
Reply:Mig on small round pipe can be a PITA. Actually any process on small round pipe is more difficult than say a larger pipe. Thats because you have to change your angle so much faster. If I recall the pipe thickness corectly you are propably running near the limits on that small mig. Thats part of the issue with the cold start. As far as the tacks, you can feather the tacks with a slitting wheel on the grinder to take them down to the minimum required. I'd either grind the edges to a knife edge and use no gap or leave a small land and gap the joint for that type of joint. For standard clusters, I'd just cope them tight and run the fillet using as high a heat setting that machine will run.Keep in mind that tube joints usually require you to weld out of position. Trying to get all the joints so you can weld them horizontal will be a real pain. Get in a bunch of practice in all positions so you can do it easily. You're trying to do some pretty difficult welds... small dia pipe/tube, out of position with a small machine, and then add in other pieces that restrict your movement/access... so expect it's going to take a while to get good at this..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:down hand that, less heat input, less chance of blowing through.
Reply:If you used thinner gauge wire, and set the machine to a crisper arc - or short circuit mode; where you get the sound of frying bacon - These welds are very large; alot of metal being deposited; very wide. You can set a machine to where it runs like a 7018 electrode going uphill, and you are able to pause on each side, fast across the middle, and pause on the other side. Dial the machine in a little better. I have a powermig Welder; Handiest thing in the whole entire world, but I set it until it welds properly, then leaves it - I treat it like a hobbiest Welding machine, but all my experience is in arc and tig, so for setup, I wouldnt be much help with mig. |
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