DorsetStrider
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 12:52 AM |
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Welding Questions
Hiya all.
I've got a SIP handymate gasless mig welder... I've been offered a cheap CO2 bottle so am thinking of modifying it to gas. Is this
possible? and if so what is involved?
Also I have a TIG welder... I was under the impression that with TIG welding you could only use pure argon or helium... but now I'm asking
myself why? Is it possible to use CO2 when TIG welding?
As always any help/advise gratefully received.
Who the f**K tightened this up!
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MikeR
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 01:16 AM |
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gas and gassless use different polarity, if you want to convert you need the polarity switching along with some way of delivering the gas, via a
restriction so you can controll how much, to surround the welding wire.
argon is used to tig weld ali. co2 can be used to (mig) weld steel with co2 / argon mix being the 'best' for steel (this is debatable as
it affects the weld slightly differently to just co2). I'm guessing its the same for tig.
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skinned knuckles
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 09:22 AM |
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for mig welding with gas, you need to reverse the polarity compared to gassless.
for tig welding, only pure argon will do. (for me at least) wether you are welding ali (welding in AC if your machine can) or steel.
IMHO i would choose Tig every time. I have a tig, a mig (gas type) and a stick welder. the latter 2 are just gathering dust.
A man isn't complete until he's married, then he's finished
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NigeEss
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 09:27 AM |
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If you use Co2 with a TIG the tungsten electrode will disintegrate.
Co2/Ar mix give best results for mild steel with MIG but good can be achieved
with pub Co2.
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MakeEverything
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 09:43 AM |
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My SIP welder is a No-Gas welder, but has all the connections for plugging in a small bottle.
Ive used CO2 for TIG, but it does run a bit hot, and the welds finish off black, rather than bright. Not sure on the strength of the weld in
comparison to using Argon, but ive cut a few open and they seem to be strong enough. It may be that by using CO2 the weld becomes more brittle.
As said, i can use my welder with or without gas, and i dont need to change the polarity.
Kindest Regards,
Richard.
...You can make it foolProof, but youll never make it Idiot Proof!...
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Peteff
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 11:14 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by DorsetStrider
Also I have a TIG welder... I was under the impression that with TIG welding you could only use pure argon or helium... but now I'm asking
myself why? Is it possible to use CO2 when TIG welding?
As always any help/advise gratefully received.
Tig needs an inert gas, co2 is not inert. The carbon in the gas will be included in the weld and cause brittleness as well as the tungsten
problems.
I just read this again and thought about it, you are asking yourself why industry buys more expensive pure argon instead of using much cheaper co2 ? I
would ask someone else other than yourself. It might just be a fad or it might be that it is the only thing that works properly. Mr MakeEverything,
remind me not to go near your car if you weld parts using tig + co2. It seems to be strong enough, what do you base that observation on. It seemed
strong enough till I hit that pothole then it just fell off 
[Edited on 24/1/10 by Peteff]
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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MakeEverything
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 11:42 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
Mr MakeEverything, remind me not to go near your car if you weld parts using tig + co2. It seems to be strong enough, what do you base that
observation on. It seemed strong enough till I hit that pothole then it just fell off
[Edited on 24/1/10 by Peteff]
Mr PeteFF, i never said i TIG welded my car, and i based it on some 'Garage' tests, on a piece of test metal that i had welded. Beating
the crap out of it with a 4lb hammer to try and shear the weld, and cutting it open told me that it was doing the job i wanted, though as i also said,
"It may be that by using CO2 the weld becomes more brittle".
You said "I just read this again ", but i suggest you get your eyes checked. 
Kindest Regards,
Richard.
...You can make it foolProof, but youll never make it Idiot Proof!...
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Peteff
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 02:16 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
You said "I just read this again ", but i suggest you get your eyes checked.
If you look at the post I quoted it was from DorsetStrider, should have gone to Specsavers mate  It says "if you welded"
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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MakeEverything
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 02:37 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
You said "I just read this again ", but i suggest you get your eyes checked.
If you look at the post I quoted it was from DorsetStrider, should have gone to Specsavers mate It says "if you welded"
So when you say "Mr MakeEverything, remind me not to go near your car if you weld parts using tig + co2" you actually mean that your
talking to someone else, and referring to a completely different statement?? twat.
Kindest Regards,
Richard.
...You can make it foolProof, but youll never make it Idiot Proof!...
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Peteff
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 03:42 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
You said "I just read this again ", but i suggest you get your eyes checked.
If you look at the post I quoted it was from DorsetStrider, should have gone to Specsavers mate It says "if you welded"
So when you say "Mr MakeEverything, remind me not to go near your car if you weld parts using tig + co2" you actually mean that your
talking to someone else, and referring to a completely different statement?? twat.
Way to go mate, let's start name calling  Read through that again then go get the dictionary and find "if"
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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gazza285
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 04:44 PM |
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Guess somebody's a little touchy today.
DO NOT PUT ON KNOB OR BOLLOCKS!
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DorsetStrider
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 06:06 PM |
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Calm down guys I didn't want to provoke an arguement with this I was just hoping against hope to find a lo(er)cost solution.
Guess it'll be an argon bottle after payday and a gas mig when funds allow. ho hum
one last question... if I tack weld using my gasless mig that wouldn't cause a problem when fully welding with either gas mig or tig would it?
[Edited on 24/1/10 by DorsetStrider]
Who the f**K tightened this up!
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Peteff
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 06:56 PM |
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If you knock the slag off the tacks you should be fine to run over them with tig or mig. There are lower deposit options for the gas if you shop
around like this on ebay. I think the
cylinders are a lower pressure than the mainstream suppliers but for DIY it should be a decent alternative.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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MakeEverything
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| posted on 24/1/10 at 07:18 PM |
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There was a supplier on Ebay called Adams gas that was selling argon cylinders and delivering. I think they have an external site as well, but the
'domestic' stuff seems to have disappeared from it. Might be worth a ring though?
Kindest Regards,
Richard.
...You can make it foolProof, but youll never make it Idiot Proof!...
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