Mobile TIG 316 welder?

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

If you want to test how good someone is at welding. Really bad welds are easy to see but a good looking weld is not necessarily a good weld with good penetration. Most people work harder at making the welds look good than they do at making good welds.

Find some steel round bar, say 1" or 25mm round, drill a neat fit hole through a 1/4", 6mm mild steel plate (sizes don't matter much but make it a good slide in fit, not fall in fit). Weld it on the flush side only, with the bar flush with the plate then grind the weld flat. Turn the plate over and stand on the plate and wiggle the bar then see if there are cracks on the side you ground.

There should be no cracks. It is common to see cracks before you even wiggle the bar which shows no penetration at all, the weld is just surface build up.

You can keep grinding down to see how much penetration there is.

You do your weld then cut the plate or pipe the you bend it on a mandrel and look for cracks

For higher ratings you take out the same slice and X-ray it looking for voids

For many welding tests you end up grinding out anything that doesn’t look perfect after each pass and start over

Welding tests are separate for plate and for pipe

They include horizontal vertical and overhead and there are separate certificates for each so you could be certified for flat but not the others

Vertical and overhead are the most difficult to pass

[mrcarson]

Tig is glorified gas welding. Thin plate basically.
Me. I use gas for thin material. and MIG for the rest. Stick for heavy 8mm+ steel hull plates on boat.
You need a 8kva minimum genny for decent welding. My first 5kva wouldn't look at it. unless a small Inverter set.
What are u welding?.
I worked with the "stovies" (Stove pipe wenders) on gas pipelines in early '60's. Learnt a lot there.
The most important thing to get your brain around when welding. Is SLOOOOOwww.... Wait for it to build up/fill. and don't try "washing" it till you had some practice.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

You do your weld then cut the plate or pipe the you bend it on a mandrel and look for cracks

For higher ratings you take out the same slice and X-ray it looking for voids

For many welding tests you end up grinding out anything that doesn’t look perfect after each pass and start over

Welding tests are separate for plate and for pipe

They include horizontal vertical and overhead and there are separate certificates for each so you could be certified for flat but not the others

Vertical and overhead are the most difficult to pass

Not pipe...bar.
Pipe is cheating

This is a simple test for the DIY guys, not for any kind of certification, something anyone can do at home - but just for those without their own x-ray machine. It is designed to demonstrate that most of the time welds are not as good as the welders believe regardless of how good they might look.... or maybe they are. It is also a good simple way to check your improvement if you are trying to self improve.

Most DIY and a fair amount of trades will find that once the weld is removed to flush with the surface they have not succeed in much if any significant penetration. It is more common not to get good penetration this way.

I'm not sure where you sit on the welding ability scale but give it a go yourself

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Not pipe...bar.

Pipe is cheating



This is a simple test for the DIY guys, not for any kind of certification, something anyone can do at home - but just for those without their own x-ray machine. It is designed to demonstrate that most of the time welds are not as good as the welders believe regardless of how good they might look.... or maybe they are. It is also a good simple way to check your improvement if you are trying to self improve.



Most DIY and a fair amount of trades will find that once the weld is removed to flush with the surface they have not succeed in much if any significant penetration. It is more common not to get good penetration this way.



I'm not sure where you sit on the welding ability scale but give it a go yourself

Give what a go? Simple bar to plate? Bar to bar? Bar to pipe?
Easy peasy

1/8 inch or 6 inch bar? All the same, manage the heat for penetration and weld pattern for warpage

Grinding to a surface is often done but usually not required

The actual welding process is not difficult but it does take knowledge and skill (practice) to do it right

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I don't know what I don't know.



Can I stick weld 316 stainless and T6061-T6 aluminum? Is that adequate?

Stick welding stainless is not too bad, make sure to fitup several test pieces of the material so you can dial in voltage, amps, position etc before hitting the production pieces.

Aluminum is a lot harder. I don’t know if you can get electrode for that alloy.

Are these weldments intended for ongoing service loads or just for mast erection?

If it’s for erection and the welds are in non-critical areas you can mismatch the weld metal.

https://www.airgas.com/Welding-Produ...ion%3AE316L-16


Edit: apparently you can stick weld that aluminum alloy.
https://www.thefabricator.com/thewel...-5356-or-4043r

https://www.amazon.com/Hobart-H72284.../dp/B00012X8P6

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

Give what a go? Simple bar to plate? Bar to bar? Bar to pipe?
Easy peasy

1/8 inch or 6 inch bar? All the same, manage the heat for penetration and weld pattern for warpage

Grinding to a surface is often done but usually not required it is required in my test, that is the purpose

The actual welding process is not difficult but it does take knowledge and skill (practice) to do it right

Originally Posted by Dave_S

Find some steel round bar, say 1" or 25mm round, drill a neat fit hole through a 1/4", 6mm mild steel plate (sizes don't matter much but make it a good slide in fit, not fall in fit). Weld it on the flush side only, with the bar flush with the plate then grind the weld flat

"give what a go?" Give the test a go, it's what we've been talking about, it was set out in my first post (above), the post from which you challenged the validity of my test.

Welding is a trade not a few YouTube videos worth of learning. YouTube is fine for DIY at home or on the boat but we are talking about pretty serious consequences structural joins in the OP.

You say...."Easy peasy".......I'm saying it is not :-)
It's a good way to determine if someone is a welder or just good at making the weld look good. It is also a good way to test your own skills.

Maybe you are a master boilermaker, or maybe you are not, but I challenge you to run this test. The rules are the same as I do at work before hiring someone. Run 3 welds, setup/change the machine anyway they like, prepare the job, no time limit, then choose which weld I grind back. No need to report back, I might not believe you:-)

We actually run the test with a 3mm plate tabbed through a 6mm plate with a tight tap in fit because that's what a fair amount of our work is. And we grind flush.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

"give what a go?" Give the test a go, it's what we've been talking about, it was set out in my first post (above), the post from which you challenged the validity of my test.

Welding is a trade not a few YouTube videos worth of learning. YouTube is fine for DIY at home or on the boat but we are talking about pretty serious consequences structural joins in the OP.

You say...."Easy peasy".......I'm saying it is not :-)
It's a good way to determine if someone is a welder or just good at making the weld look good. It is also a good way to test your own skills.

Maybe you are a master boilermaker, or maybe you are not, but I challenge you to run this test. The rules are the same as I do at work before hiring someone. Run 3 welds, setup/change the machine anyway they like, prepare the job, no time limit, then choose which weld I grind back. No need to report back, I might not believe you:-)

We actually run the test with a 3mm plate tabbed through a 6mm plate with a tight tap in fit because that's what a fair amount of our work is. And we grind flush.

Actually I was a boilermaker in a previous life ;-) and worked with the apprentice program

Shipyards in Norfolk VA

We used to hand the candidate a machine setup incorrectly for the test

[like-a-child]

Chotu,
Lizzotte's Welding on Tyrone in St. Pete does mobile service. Maybe you could contact them and consider an ICW trip up near Madeira each.

[Q Xopa]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

Give what a go? Simple bar to plate? Bar to bar? Bar to pipe?
Easy peasy

1/8 inch or 6 inch bar? All the same, manage the heat for penetration and weld pattern for warpage

Grinding to a surface is often done but usually not required

The actual welding process is not difficult but it does take knowledge and skill (practice) to do it right

Agree that it is 'easy'. All you need is the 'skill'.

The difficult part is the time and effort required to get that skill.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Q Xopa

Agree that it is 'easy'. All you need is the 'skill'.

The difficult part is the time and effort required to get that skill.

Well I admit to spending a few years at it but maybe I’m just a slow learner

[mrcarson]

You can do a short basic welders class at night school. Buy a second hand shield. Go to a welders shop and ask if you can watch for a while.
It IS a skilled trade.... but a lotof us pick up enuff to get by without them pulling apart or slag filled.
Patience and a steady hand is the thing ALWAYS practice b4 touching any job. Slow enuff. Not too hot or snotty. =fast or not enuff amp's. There r a few good instruction books on net. look.CIG do a very good basic one. and don't try to get too technical with rods or metals. I always glue them together with 316 rods. (SOme will say no no.) But I've never had my chainplates pull off steel hulls (incl a cyclone up in Q land yrs agoor several boat trlrs fall apart yet. S/S always gives a smooth run. Good penetration and little slag inclusion. Just get amps right and slooooow. with even gap from materials. WAIT for the rod material to fill the area you r in.

[AA3JY]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Does anyone here know how to use a TIG welder?

Or does anyone hear know of a welder that will drive to the West Coast of Florida? Around the Fort Myers and Naples area?

I have been trying to get someone to do welding since February.

I’m on my fifth fabrication company now and they are still doing nothing. Even though they said they would get right to work.

I cannot get my rig up without some welding being done.

I will pay anything. Thank you.

Yes..I have used a mobile welder whose location was from the Jacksonville area…recommendation get an example of his work as well as references before work begins..