3/8th Aluminum with my PM205

[www]

Thanks guys. I have made some progress with grounding to the work rather than the table and clamping to spacers which lift my work off the table. Not sure if pictures will show my progress but thanks I feel like I am heading in the right direction anyways.

Jakeru, good tip on checking amp numbers with the head turn. I may find an assistant to help out on that one.

I am having a tough time with only welding one side of my work as when I let everything cool down and unclamp my work the two outer pieces welded to the middle part curl up a bit, its hard to keep it flat, maybe its because I am laying one huge bead in there all at once?

[performance]

I would say that yes, laying a large, hot bead all at once will do that. You can either run multiple passes or negate the warping by prebowing the plate so that once the weld cools, it cools flat.

[www]

Mark I will try multiple passes as you recomend. Thanks for this!

[WaWelder]

Hello all,
Sorry for jumping in with a question on your thread WWW, but all the talk of cleaning vs penetration on the balance knob has me interested. I have the 250 EX, I am guessing the knobs are the same, Which way is cleaning and which way is penetration? Also does any one know if the arc force adjustment works on tig, or just on stick?

[performance]

WaWelder,

I am not sure if you have, but if you haven't download the manual, please go to the website and look at the big red button on the right hand side and click manuals and download it.

If you look at the welder on AC balance, there is a + and - sign. The + is on the right. Positive polarity. The - is on the left. Negative Polarity. To increase cleaning, you add more + by turning it clockwise, toward the right. We are oriented as % + or % of cleaning action. Typically you are only going to need about 30% +.

[www]

Hello all,
Sorry for jumping in with a question on your thread WWW, but all the talk of cleaning vs penetration on the balance knob has me interested. I have the 250 EX, I am guessing the knobs are the same, Which way is cleaning and which way is penetration? Also does any one know if the arc force adjustment works on tig, or just on stick?

Hi WaWelder
I am pretty sure the arc force adjustment is for stick only. Atleast that is how I read into what the manual is saying.............wayne

[performance]

OOps. Missed that one. There isn't any value in arc force for tig really,and it is inactive for tig.

[www]

Mike would you have any tips for tacking aluminum while holding the work with one hand. I guess where I would be a bit stumped on something like this is without being able to add rod? I guess there is an ideal method for this so you don't just put holes in the work. The next post I make will show progress of what I need to do today on the project and its a 2" x 3/16" plate rim onto the top edge of the 3/8" main frame. It will need to be angled up and holding and tacking would come in handy. As I am not comfortable with the tacking with out using rod I will be making up some sort of a clamping jig I guess so I will post some pics later on if things go good.

[sportbike]

You can tack without the rod, just be sure you weld overt op of the tack with the filler. An autogeneous weld (weld with just the base metal) can be done on many materials, but with aluminum, especially 6061, the weld will crack if it is not diluted with an appropriate filler alloy. That said, it will not hurt to tack it without filler, and then weld over it with filler.

With the thickness of the parts you are working with, you will probably be best suited to make a few very small tacks without filler, then go back over and make the tacks larger with filler, then go over with the actual weld.

John

[performance]

WWW,
There are some nice assistants that you can buy. Bessey is a good company that has many adjustable clamps and jigs that help in hold about anything. Strong hand tools, is another. They first came into the market with knock Bessey clamps, but they have rapidly advanced into about any type holder, and clamp imaginable. If you need something held, you can do it with one of these "assistants". Not cheap but beats hiring someone to come in and hold it for you.

[everlastsupport]

Mike would you have any tips for tacking aluminum while holding the work with one hand. I guess where I would be a bit stumped on something like this is without being able to add rod? I guess there is an ideal method for this so you don't just put holes in the work. The next post I make will show progress of what I need to do today on the project and its a 2" x 3/16" plate rim onto the top edge of the 3/8" main frame. It will need to be angled up and holding and tacking would come in handy. As I am not comfortable with the tacking with out using rod I will be making up some sort of a clamping jig I guess so I will post some pics later on if things go good.

See Sportbike's post #26. You do not need filler to tack with the TIG, you can melt the 2 piece together. Go light in case you have to move it.

[jakeru]

IME, autogenous welding on 6061 aluminum, including tack welding without filler rod, will give a really crack-sensitive weld. It only takes a small dab of filler to make a strong tack, but you'll need both hands free to do this.

It sounds like you could use a "third hand" (AKA "welder's finger") to hold your parts still for two handed (TIG+filler rod) tack welding. They are a huge time saver for jigging up small parts; see attached pic.

[eide]

Cool project, good luck! I really don't like "reverse" bend parts for the post weld shape because it's so hit and miss. But, when I have a multiple run I will usually weld the first one up and see how much it moved, then adjust the others accordingly. There's always a little bending and pounding, but this limits the majority of it to the first piece.