[TheForge] TheForge Digest, Vol 100, Issue 13

[Main]

I'be got one of those 110/220 v miller passports w/ 023 & rate it 4 on scale of 1-10 w/ 10 best. 

My first staircase job - I taught myself to TIG in the client's house. It is the out of position that gets me. James

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On May 16, 2012, at 11:00 AM, theforge-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. welds on ironwork (Cindy and James)
>   2. Re: welds on ironwork (Ries Niemi)
> What size wire do you guys do most of your welds on your ironwork?  I mean things like staircases where you are welding balusters to bottom & top rails, scrolls to scrolls, etc. etc.
> 
> I have always used .035 w/ 92/8 mix gas and found it to be a good all purpose wire.  But for finer welds on high-end ironwork ("finer" being defined as joins that will be visible or touched by the client and have to be ground smooth) I find the .035 puts out a little too much metal.  This may be compounded by my training years ago which was in structural welding and those concepts are completely different from artistic or ornamental work.
> 
> I have tried a few rolls of .030 in the past but only found it about like .035.
> 
> I tried .023 in my welder once and could not get it to feed.  It kept balling up after the rollers.  My main shop welder is a Lincoln 215.  I changed the liner for the .023 wire, perhaps I should just have left the .035 liner in place and only changed the tip for the .023.   The Lincoln has a 15' wire cable/stinger.
> 
> I have a TIG setup and use it a lot, but much of this welding is in 1/2" segments and NEVER is easy to get to once I get off the ground level.  Many times I wind up holding the workpiece in place with one hand and sticking it with the other - that doesn't work well w/ TIG, esp. if there happens to be a very large gap to fill.  Also, as you know, much of this work is done out of position, usually on a ladder, and at least 1/2 of all welding is overhead.
> 
> I seem to run in to this problem of too much metal on the piece that has to be removed all the time.  However, when I get finished it looks great, but the grinding/finishing is a real pain.  I'd like to simplify my life.
> 
> Any ideas?
> 
> James
> Paris, TX
> 
> I always tig on site. 
> And 95% of the time in the shop, I tig.
> I use clamps a lot, and generally Tig tack without a filler rod.
> I have both foot pedal and hand control torches, and have been known to silver tape a foot pedal to a ladder, run it with my knee, and, in extreme cases, have someone else run the pedal.
> I just hate cleaning up dingle balls. 
> For mig, I have one machine that is 220 with .035, and then a little one that is 110v with .023, but I find the .023 isnt much better, because the lower amps means bumpier welds. 
> 
> ries
> 
> 
> On May 16, 2012, at 5:27 AM, Cindy and James wrote:
> 
>> What size wire do you guys do most of your welds on your ironwork?  I 
>> mean things like staircases where you are welding balusters to bottom & 
>> top rails, scrolls to scrolls, etc. etc.
>> 
>> I have always used .035 w/ 92/8 mix gas and found it to be a good all 
>> purpose wire.  But for finer welds on high-end ironwork ("finer" being 
>> defined as joins that will be visible or touched by the client and have 
>> to be ground smooth) I find the .035 puts out a little too much metal.  
>> This may be compounded by my training years ago which was in structural 
>> welding and those concepts are completely different from artistic or 
>> ornamental work.
>> 
>> I have tried a few rolls of .030 in the past but only found it about 
>> like .035.
>> 
>> I tried .023 in my welder once and could not get it to feed.  It kept 
>> balling up after the rollers.  My main shop welder is a Lincoln 215.  I 
>> changed the liner for the .023 wire, perhaps I should just have left the 
>> .035 liner in place and only changed the tip for the .023.   The Lincoln 
>> has a 15' wire cable/stinger.
>> 
>> I have a TIG setup and use it a lot, but much of this welding is in 1/2" 
>> segments and NEVER is easy to get to once I get off the ground level.  
>> Many times I wind up holding the workpiece in place with one hand and 
>> sticking it with the other - that doesn't work well w/ TIG, esp. if 
>> there happens to be a very large gap to fill.  Also, as you know, much 
>> of this work is done out of position, usually on a ladder, and at least 
>> 1/2 of all welding is overhead.
>> 
>> I seem to run in to this problem of too much metal on the piece that has 
>> to be removed all the time.  However, when I get finished it looks 
>> great, but the grinding/finishing is a real pain.  I'd like to simplify 
>> my life.
>> 
>> Any ideas?
>> 
>> James
>> Paris, TX
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