Question for the TIG people?

admin

Recently I was reading a thread about tig welding inside the port of an aluminum engine head. Some concern was expressed regarding the ability to see what you would be doing in this small space with the torch far enough in to weld in such a small space.    Would it be possible to place the head in say one of those cheap sand blast cabinets and purge the cabinet with argon so that you could either use a very small cup to maintain some tungsten cooling or none at all to improve the visibility in the confined space?    Would it work? be a practical solution? Why or why not?I don't tig yet so it is just curiosity.---Meltedmetal
Reply:Welding Aluminum does some damage to the are via the heat affected zone. I would say a lot if not most of the time one would need to heat treat the aluminum after the weld as the aluminum anneals. So to answer your question, yes, you could weld in an argon tank for better visibility but the chances of it being a successful weld in terms of it fixing the intended problem are small at best.Regards,RobGreat Basin WeldingInstagramBlue weldersRed weldersMy luscious Table DIY TIG Torch cooler
Reply:I've welded plenty of combustion chambers up and never had a issue. Mostly hot rod harley stuff.
Reply:I would say extended cup, and lots of tungsten stickout. Then feed your rod along the body of the cup. Yeah it is a pain, but doable.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:You can get a Pyrex (clear glass) cupTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by Robert HallWelding Aluminum does some damage to the are via the heat affected zone. I would say a lot if not most of the time one would need to heat treat the aluminum after the weld as the aluminum anneals. So to answer your question, yes, you could weld in an argon tank for better visibility but the chances of it being a successful weld in terms of it fixing the intended problem are small at best.
Reply:Originally Posted by soutthpawYou can get a Pyrex (clear glass) cup
Reply:Originally Posted by MeltedmetalI can see where that should improve visibility with Shovelon's method and I guess you would eventually learn to cope with the parallax error. I guess part of what I'm asking is does the tungsten need the argon envelope flowing over it to form a stable arc and I guess cool the tungsten or is it sufficient to just be in an argon atmosphere? That is to say does the current of argon in normal tig welding help to stabilize the arc or is it only shielding and possibly cooling?Thanks to you both.---Meltedmetal
Reply:When welding in the ports themselves sometimes you can just turn up the gas and pull the tungsten way WAY out and get r done.12v battery, jumper cables, and a 6013.I only have a facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/VPT/244788508917829
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonSure you can have the tungsten in an argon atmosphere. But you will be outside I hope. Unless your face is right against the window you will be hard pressed to see what you are doing. Really I think you should look at a better cup/torch combo.