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Most of my welding has been flux core due to having a 110v Lincoln and needing penetration. Now that I have a 210v welder, I'm using 100% CO2 since I already had that tank. I ran some horrifying beads yesterday and finally figured out that I hadn't turned the gas on. Duh! Does anyone leave their gas turned on all the time even when the welder is off and welding is over for the day? All my fittings are tight and not leaking, I checked. I wanted to check here before I did that. It's not like a CO2 leak will blow anything up. Otherwise I'm going to have to figure out a way to remember to turn gas on when I start. Being a hobbyist I don't weld every day so it's hard to set up an automatic mental procedure.
Reply:Learn to turn it off/on. It's not that difficult.
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Reply:"All my fittings are tight and not leaking."At the exact second you checked them they were but they won't stay that way!
You will get the hang of turning it on and off pretty quickly.
Reply:Posting as a hobbyist, kind of a no brainier don't ya think ? Forgetting to turn it on, the welder will point that out,
Reply:Maybe tape a note to the welder next to the switch: TURN GAS ON / OFF?
Reply:After a while you'll develop the habit of checking the bottle before and after welding. Things aren't leaking now, but that can change with just a bottle swap and then you'll wind up with an empty tank because of a bad habit. It may not cost much, or cause a problem, but wanting to weld and finding an empty bottle would be pretty annoying!Check out my bench vise website: http://mivise.comMiller Syncrowave 250DXMillermatic 350P with XR AlumaProMiller Regency 200 with 22A feeder and Spoolmatic 3Hobart Champion EliteEverlast PowerTig 210EXT
Reply:Run a practice bead before you start on your project.
Reply:Just make it a habit to turn the gas on and off before touching the power switch on the welder
Reply:Coming back to an empty bottle was extremely frustrating, expensive and time consuming. So I came up with this system :I have a large plastic sign that fits over the valve on the bottle AND the door knob of my shop. I take the sign off the bottle when I turn on the gas and place it over the door knob of the shop. That way I won't forget to turn off the gas before I leave. You can write whatever you want on both sides of the sign to remind you. "Turn on gas" on one side "Turn off gas" on the other.I need to do the same for the big Lincoln TIG-300 so I remember to unplug it. But after I turn it off, I eventually notice a strange humming sound, and after searching for the sound, realize that I forgot to unplug the welder.Last edited by bead-boy; 06-29-2021 at 12:58 PM.Century buzzbox that I learned on 40+ years ago (was Dad's)Crappy Century 110volt mig 70 amp pigeon pooper.Lincoln Idealarc TIG-300
Reply:Make sure to get some Tri-Mix for stainless and leave it turned on if you really have that much money burning a hole in your pocket.
Reply:
Originally Posted by Welder Dave
Make sure to get some Tri-Mix for stainless and leave it turned on if you really have that much money burning a hole in your pocket.
Reply:Eventually hoses WILL breakdown and start to leak, if there's a gauge involved the little tube behind the dial(bourdon tube?) could spring a leak, a fitting could crack or break, solenoid valve could malfunction, something could fall and break a fitting or cut the hose or numerous other things.IMPEACH BIDEN!NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINEGOD HELP AMERICA!Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.We didnt pass it to our children in the bloodstream".RONALD REAGAN
Reply:
Originally Posted by bcguide
Just make it a habit to turn the gas on and off before touching the power switch on the welder
Reply:I release the drive roller each time and pull the trigger to empty gas. Drive mechanism lasts longer that way too.
Reply:One thing that helps me remember to turn off the gas on my TIG machine is that I heard (here, I think) that you want to release the gas behind the solenoid before powering down the TIG. So the SOP is: After finished welding, but before turning off the TIG machine's power, turn off the argon, then hit the pedal to bleed off the argon behind the solenoid (you'll see the ball on the flowmeter suddenly drop to zero), THEN turn off the TIG machine's power.I also use paint pens to put a black mark and a red mark on the valve of my argon bottle...if I can see red from where I normally sit and TIG, then the bottle valve is open/on, but if I see the black stripe on the valve handle, then the argon is turned off. Just another convenience so I can visually verify the valve is closed from across the shop.Syncrowave 250DXMiller 330 A/BPMiller Big Blue 251D
Reply:Ive been know to walk over to the bottle and check to see I shut it off the night before Its always off
. Pretty much Oscars way
But depending on OCD or how many beers I drank last night
.Yuk yuk.
.Miller 211Hypertherm PM 451961 Lincoln Idealarc 250HTP 221 True Wisdom only comes from Pain.
Reply:
Originally Posted by Woznme
I release the drive roller each time and pull the trigger to empty gas. Drive mechanism lasts longer that way too.
Reply:I know the problem. I put a laminated card by my door that says:“Turn off air compressor, turn off gas, turn off heat/air, and turn off lights.”Now my problem is remembering to read the card!Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:
Originally Posted by wb4rt
I know the problem. I put a laminated card by my door that says:“Turn off air compressor, turn off gas, turn off heat/air, and turn off lights.”Now my problem is remembering to read the card!
Reply:I turn it all the way on/open before starting (unless I forget) and all the way off/tight when done (I haven't forgotten to turn it off since I started the process). The last time I forgot to turn it on, I was being lazy plug welding "braces" into an old pickup bed. I had cleaned the liner off prior with a flap disc and didn't care too much as it was a temporary band aid fix. While welding, I thought- "dang,this is messy, welding clean metal sure is a lot "cleaner"..".. Out of 6 welds, I didn't catch on until the last two... I also like to do as others mentioned, unplugging the unit to avoid any surges. And leaving an air compressor on that has a slow bleed somewhere is expensive if you don't come back for a while.
Reply:
Originally Posted by N2 Welding
I don’t go as far as to release the drive rollers but I do turn off the 50Amp breaker and unplug the machine after turning off the gas, purging out the gun and turning the machine off. I unplug it so no angry random power pixies have their way with the machine unexpectedly. All it takes is a car crashing into a teli pole etc and whamo cablambo your $hit’s shotto.
Reply:
Originally Posted by G-ManBart
Or a nearby lightning strike. Had that happen as a kid and electronics were randomly dying in the house for a couple of months.
Reply:It’s funny, I turn the gas off at the end of the day when I shut down. Sometimes in the morning I look at the gauges and they are right where they were when I shut it off, but sometimes they are flat. I figure it is the seat in the gas valve in the welder that is the variable and sometimes it just doesn’t shut off 100%.
Reply:
Originally Posted by N2 Welding
I don’t go as far as to release the drive rollers but I do turn off the 50Amp breaker and unplug the machine after turning off the gas, purging out the gun and turning the machine off. I unplug it so no angry random power pixies have their way with the machine unexpectedly. All it takes is a car crashing into a teli pole etc and whamo cablambo your $hit’s shotto.
Reply:
Originally Posted by N2 Welding
I had it happen to a TV back in the 90sI've known me to check 3 times before leaving the workshop that all my gas bottles are closed...I've also struck a few arcs without any gas, you fast realise
Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.
Reply:
Originally Posted by N2 Welding
I had it happen to a TV back in the 90’s
Reply:Haha, what a great topic. I'm going to bet many of the welders here have lost a tank of gas a time or two. Experience is the best teacher, and when you go to weld something, and find a open valve and an empty tank you sure kick yourself in the butt for it, and start getting in the habit of checking the valves. I often do when I walk by my cutting rig or welder, just to make sure.STILL gets me once in a great while, but now I have backup tanks of everything.
Reply:
Originally Posted by Poleframer
...start getting in the habit of checking the valves. I often do when I walk by my cutting rig ...
Reply:
Originally Posted by LanceR
in the habit of turning the gas on before the welder and off before the welder. Best regards to all,
Reply:
Originally Posted by Poleframer
Haha, what a great topic. I'm going to bet many of the welders here have lost a tank of gas a time or two. Experience is the best teacher, and when you go to weld something, and find a open valve and an empty tank you sure kick yourself in the butt for it, and start getting in the habit of checking the valves. I often do when I walk by my cutting rig or welder, just to make sure.STILL gets me once in a great while, but now I have backup tanks of everything.
Reply:I hang my helmet on the tank valve. Easy to remember to turn it on and off that way. But I still check it 1,000 times to ensure it is off.
Yeah I left it on one time overnight and didn.t lose the whole tank, but it was enough to make me watch more closely...-DaveXMT304 with: 22A Feeder, or HF251 Hi Freq DC TIG air cooled
Reply:Storing your in use tanks near your lightswitch and/or door is a good reminder also. I try to park whatever tanks have hoses attached near the main light switch at the end of the day.This only works if you put your stuff up at the end of the day (I don't always, especially those marathon days). If they are the last things you see before you leave you are much more likely to check and close them.Great tip n2, though now I'll have to remember not to forget my soapy water!Last edited by SlowBlues; 07-01-2021 at 08:45 AM.
Reply:
Originally Posted by SlowBlues
Great tip n2, though now I'll have to remember not to forget my soapy water!
Reply:
Originally Posted by Lis2323
Apparently urine with high level alcohol content works in a pinch.
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Reply:
Originally Posted by LanceR
Shoot, a year ago last week lightning hit my wife's Buick Lacrosse while it was sitting on our driveway. It melted every fuse and relay block and fried every computer in the car. After the dealer spent a few hours checking and declared it DOA it USAA sent me a check for it and hauled it away. Remarkably, the Buick was next to my Expedition and our camper neither of which had any issues. And there wasn't a mark on the car or the ground under the car but it sure stank of fried electronics. USAA gave us darn good service. We had the check two days after it was determined to be "totaled" and they gave us credit for a few upgrades and recent new tires, four corner brake job from the hubs out etc.I use a fused disconnect for the welder receptacles and am in the habit of turning the gas on before the welder and off before the welder. I have though forgotten to go down into the far end of the basement, where my 6-1/2 HP compressor is, to turn that off on occasion. It sits right under our bedroom and reminds me in the middle of the night sometimes. I need to rig a starter in the garage for the compressor.....Best regards to all,
Reply:
Originally Posted by Kelvin
Me too. I check the O/A bottles a LOT. I also take a good whiff for garlic smell before I throw the lightswitch in the shop.
Reply:To me, acetylene smells like garlic. I love garlic, I just don't like to ride it to MACH 8.YMMV.
Reply:Thank you all. Sorry for late response, just got out of the hospital from a heart attack. Very interesting thread to see how others deal with this. I'm going to make a small laminated card and tape it where it hangs over the welder switch and says "Turn gas on/off". Can't turn the welder on/off without the card getting in the way.Another question brought up by someone in this thread: so is flipping the breaker off good enough to keep lightning or a surge from frying your welder? Obviously unplugging it would work but wondered about the breaker possibility.
Reply:
Originally Posted by JD1
Thank you all. Sorry for late response, just got out of the hospital from a heart attack. Very interesting thread to see how others deal with this. I'm going to make a small laminated card and tape it where it hangs over the welder switch and says "Turn gas on/off". Can't turn the welder on/off without the card getting in the way.Another question brought up by someone in this thread: so is flipping the breaker off good enough to keep lightning or a surge from frying your welder? Obviously unplugging it would work but wondered about the breaker possibility.
Reply:
Originally Posted by G-ManBart
Lightning does weird things, can jump gaps and probably induce voltage after the breaker. If the machine is unplugged there really isn't any way for current to get to it, so that's what I do.
Reply:Didn't read all the replies but very simple and probably mentioned.Think GAS and turn GAS on first and then shut it off first when your done. No problems and then you can't forget. I am gonna use the welder. The welder runs on GAS turn the GAS on. Never leave your system turned on.Went dirt biking today. First ride forgot to turn the gas on. Boy did she fall flat on her face when the carb went dry. Glad we were trail riding the woods you can get seriously hurt on the track if bike shuts down coming off a jump.Last edited by danielplace; 07-03-2021 at 09:50 PM.
Reply:I always turn it off. Once you get into the habit it's really not that hard to turn it off. If it is leak free currently i'd still make a habit of shutting it off, on the chance you do forget you shouldn't lose any but good habit to get into.I tend to unplug my welders too just in case of lightening, maybe a false worry?
Reply:I guess while this thread is wandering around a little I'd bring up another practice that I see a lot of welders follow, that I call bunk on.Some people swear by backing off the adjusting screws on their oxy acet rigs. I guess if you typically adjust differently every time, but I usually leave them be, unless I need a bit more for thick steel.I usually hear the reasoning go something like "the diaphram will wear out, or get streached" if you dont. BSLook at a mig or tig regulator with a flow meter. Internally they are the same as an oxygen regulator. But the regulator is set for a fixed psi, while the flow meter (tube with the ball) adjusts for flow. The pressure adjusting screw is fixed (for 50 psi, usually), same screw used to adjust the pressure on the other regulators.I've replaced the diaphrams on several regulators now, air compressor regulators work the same way. Once they get so old, the rubber eventually cracks from age, not from improper adjustment.I learned this from a really nice regulator given me, was going through a LOT of argon. Soap test didnt show anything, the holes around the front cover were too big to form bubbles, wasnt till I listened close for the hiss of gas.
Reply:
Originally Posted by Poleframer
I guess while this thread is wandering around a little I'd bring up another practice that I see a lot of welders follow, that I call bunk on.Some people swear by backing off the adjusting screws on their oxy acet rigs. I guess if you typically adjust differently every time, but I usually leave them be, unless I need a bit more for thick steel.I usually hear the reasoning go something like "the diaphram will wear out, or get streached" if you dont. BSLook at a mig or tig regulator with a flow meter. Internally they are the same as an oxygen regulator. But the regulator is set for a fixed psi, while the flow meter (tube with the ball) adjusts for flow. The pressure adjusting screw is fixed (for 50 psi, usually), same screw used to adjust the pressure on the other regulators.I've replaced the diaphrams on several regulators now, air compressor regulators work the same way. Once they get so old, the rubber eventually cracks from age, not from improper adjustment.I learned this from a really nice regulator given me, was going through a LOT of argon. Soap test didnt show anything, the holes around the front cover were too big to form bubbles, wasnt till I listened close for the hiss of gas.
Reply:For years they said to shut the acetylene off first which makes sense. You shut off the source of fuel. Now some are saying to shut the oxygen off first because you can see if you any (acetylene) leaks. I thought stuff like Snoop is for testing for leaks. Now they are also saying you shouldn't crack a cylinder for a second to blow any dirt out before you attach the regulator. Must be some bored safety police with too much time on their hands. As far as loosening the adjusting screws, I don't think it's a bad idea if you you use your torch intermittently. Diaphragms do wear out and having them under pressure or stretched may cause them to deteriorate faster. I think the recommendation to loosen them comes from an actual accident(s) but could have been decades ago. I've seen gauges blown from opening a high pressure cylinder too fast. I always open cylinders real slow till I see the gauge start to move but have seen a lot of guys just walk over and crank it open. That might be a factor in recommending the reg's. are backed off.
Reply:
Originally Posted by Welder Dave
For years they said to shut the acetylene off first which makes sense. You shut off the source of fuel. Now some are saying to shut the oxygen off first because you can see if you any (acetylene) leaks. I thought stuff like Snoop is for testing for leaks. Now they are also saying you shouldn't crack a cylinder for a second to blow any dirt out before you attach the regulator. Must be some bored safety police with too much time on their hands. As far as loosening the adjusting screws, I don't think it's a bad idea if you you use your torch intermittently. Diaphragms do wear out and having them under pressure or stretched may cause them to deteriorate faster. I think the recommendation to loosen them comes from an actual accident(s) but could have been decades ago. I've seen gauges blown from opening a high pressure cylinder too fast. I always open cylinders real slow till I see the gauge start to move but have seen a lot of guys just walk over and crank it open. That might be a factor in recommending the reg's. are backed off.
Reply:
Originally Posted by Welder Dave
I've seen gauges blown from opening a high pressure cylinder too fast. I always open cylinders real slow till I see the gauge start to move but have seen a lot of guys just walk over and crank it open. That might be a factor in recommending the reg's. are backed off.
Reply:I see as this tread also mentions. air compressors, I would add my experience. During a very cold snap the pump froze and the motor burnt itself out trying to start it. As for the cylinders I would never leave them open, even for a short time. But I never close the gauges. I have never had any trouble with any of them.
Reply:
Originally Posted by M J D
I get the backing off with regs. I use mine almost daily and always knew about gauges or regs coming apart from opening too fast. As for cracking the valve first, Ive seen way too much crap get in the open cylinder threads that I figure it's a must do. I'm sure it's safety police behind a lot of that crap that's been done forever |
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发表于 2021-9-1 23:17:47