welding without warping

admin

I weld a lot of thin sheet, aluminum and cold-rolled steel, .125 or less. What are the best ways to avoid warping when welding? I use a 275 Lincoln tig welder. It seems that the more complex the shapes are, the more trouble I have with warping.
Reply:First thing is to clamp stuff down.   Second thing is to make a short weld here.  Skip over there and make a short weld.   Keep them short, and try to keep them seperated.  If you have to,  doa  few welds...go have a coffee break.   Good luckIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:I agree with what txRedneck I also would add a bucket of water and rags soaked on each side of the weld all this and ya should be good
Reply:I'd skip the water myself. I use compressed air.
Reply:I've done it both ways and the air worked better, for my circumstances. Welding a small part at a time really is the best way. Like Tx said, have a beer, oops, coffee break.
Reply:Maybe clamp some heavy material to it to act as a heat sink? This with the air or water/damp rags should do it. Oh, Welcome to the club!
Reply:The water is ok.  The water is ok because on thinner material...except special steels like chromemoly, there is little to no stregth factor that a "brittle" weld will be an issue.  Id still not quench, but as BB mentioned with the rag, you can add water to the rag and it will make a differnce.  Issues will vary,  but generally when people are having real bad warpage due to thin stuff the strength of the joint and the material isnt enough to bother worrying about.  Eihter that or the requirements of the application arent beyond the ability of the material after having been cooled with water.  Stainless applications...pans and such in the food service industry, are common to this sort of problem.  The warping that is.  So yes Ive heard many folks use the damp rag and it has no ill-effect on the strength.  I wouldnt build a trailer or a building cooling iwth a damp rag, but for these thin gauge applications its usually alright.  Good luckIF it Catches...Let it Burn
Reply:You also might want to consider using panel adhesive which is used by many car manufacturers and body shops for manufacture and aftermarket panel replacement. This stuff is incredible and is as good as most welds ( I know, it's hard to believe but I've seen it demonstrated and used it myself). Non-Corrosive and waterproof too.Sometimes a weld is just not appropriate in some situations with the thinner metals. Check it out.... you won't like it.. you'll love it.http://www.lord.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1190http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/e...er/output_html
Reply:i usually "pre bend" my stuffif you make one part and it warps twards the center i'd take a piece of 70-s and clamp it underneeth where the warp is..weld awaywhen cool unclamp...it usually springs back somewhere close to straightand yes i can hold +- .020 on a weldment...no matter how big it is...zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by gocirinoSometimes a weld is just not appropriate in some situations...
Reply:If one has a brake the sheets can be bent with a flange on the edge.  Welding flanged edges stops a lot of distortion.  The more complicated a piece is the better chance you have of locking it together. Be careful with weld sequences, do short welds, a wet rag is always helpful, weld as cold as possible to reduce heating adjacent metal.