How does HTP tig compare to miller 200 dx

by Bill Pinder
(Home of Gators FL.)

I just wanted to know if you had a chance to test HTP tig and how does it Compare to Miller 200dx? Thanks
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I have not had a chance to test drive the HTP units but I have heard lots of good things.
I bought their tig dvd which was pretty much an ad for the tig machine.

I believe its made in Italy. and seems to be made from quality components.

one thing to consider...

their business model is to try to help you troubleshoot and fix problems over the phone rather than utilize warranty shops...so if you have a problem and are not up for fixing your own machine , that could be an issue....same thing with Everlast.

Porosity in weld Tig root, 7018 cap

by Jay
(Canada)

Hey,

So i am welding 1 1/4 chrom with tig ER70Sb2L root, and 7018B2l cap and I am having problems with porosity in the weld. The porosity is showing up on the RT in failure levels. Just wondering if you might know where this would be coming from. I have many welders working on this job and the problem is not localized to one welder.

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It is really hard to isolate the problem from my end but here are some ideas...

high moisture in the argon (are you getting whiskers on the tip of the tungsten?)

welder using small cup with too much gas on root.

end of pipes not capped and breeze blowing thru pipe on root causing turbulence and loss of shielding.

too much cleaning of rods. ( a wipe with acetone is usually plenty...some oxidizers could be lost if the copper flashing is sanded off)

not cleaning inside of pipe enough.

using scotchbrite abrasives that leave a residue.

not wiping joint with acetone prior to welding.

thats all I can weigh in without being there...anyone else got anything?

6g trouble

I have a weld test coming up its on 3/4 stainless coupling at the 6g postion . Im having trouble with the botttom of the weld dripping i call it seagul poo . I cant go.any lower temp because the specs for the test has a range of 55 amps to 75 amps any help
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have you tried using a slight weaving motion or a series of small loops with the rod?

stainless stick wants to drip and sag but you have to fight against it.

try using about 70 amps and a tight arc making a series of loops.

you have to be able to hold a tight enough arc to keep the weld metal pushed flat, while at the same time, you have to get moving and not let the heat build up too much.

Its possible- route run welding of ss 316L pipes without purging?..

by Prethyush R
( Mumbai, India)

is there any special electrodes / filler wire available for route run welding of SS 316L pipes without using purging.in my requirement no of joints are very large so it is not economic to use gas purging.also Pipes size ranges varies from 2 inch to 8 inch.
Any special electrodes can serve this purpose? or any method of purging that can be used very economicaly to for route run welding?.
Pls adivise

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Miller electric makes gmaw equipment that is supposed to be able to weld a stainless steel root without purge.

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/articles/RMD-Process-is-Easy-to-Learn

for tig welding, there is a flux called solar flux, that is supposed to allow for tig welding a root without backing purge, but I am not impressed with it.

help finding a auto darking hood with graphics good for flux core

by wes
(burkburnett,TX)

i am trying to find a custom hood that will stand out in the shop i work in.

I love my hoods with the small flip lens but cant find any custom hoods like that.So i have givin up and am trying to find something that will stand up to flux core,stick,mig,and gouging.

Is there anything out there like this or is a hopeless cause tryin to find one.

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I think your best bets are amazon.com, ebay, and cyberweld.com.

fibre metal, and jackson both make old school helmets so you should use those words in your searches

gas question

by Lee
(nebraska)

I'm kinda new to tig welding. Can I use the same gas from mig welding for tig welding?

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No, it wont work.

you will need 100 percent argon for tig welding.

for mig, pure co2 or 75/25 argon/co2 is needed....except for mig aluminum which needs argon.

Cutting Torch Tips

Using an oxy-fuel Cutting Torch...in this case its oxygen and acetylene.

Oxy-fuel safety is a big deal. Of all the welding equipment there is, oxygen acetylene torch equipment training is probably the the most neglected....and this is the stuff most likely to hurt you.

This video and page is not intended to be a complete oxy-fuel safety course...just some tips on safety and how to get a good cut .

The best oxy-fuel safety DVD I have seen is from Smith torch Equipment and if you use oxy-fuel equipment, I highly encourage you to get the DVD and watch it. You can order it from sites like cyberweld, or weldfabulous but you can also get it on Amazon.

Being able to make a good clean cut using an oxygen acetylene Cutting Torch is mostly a matter of using the right size tip, the right gas pressures, and having a steady hand.There are folks who seem to be able to make a good cut no matter what...but the right tip and pressures make all the difference for most.

One size does not fit all when it comes to cutting tips. Use the right size tip for the thickness of metal.

How do you know what the right size tip is?

The best way is to consult the manufacturers guide. Smith, Victor, Harris, and other well known makers of cutting torches have plenty of information on tip sizes, oxyfuel safety, and setup shutdown procedures on their websites.

since there are differences in design of cutting torches, there are different settings that work best for each.

here is some good reference material for you if you want to learn all about using a cutting torch...no matter what kind.

just copy and paste into your web browsers address bar.

http://www.smithequipment.com/products/smithcatalog2010.pdf

http://thermadyne.com/IM_Uploads/DocLib_2879_Cutting%20Heating%20Welding%20Guide%20%280056-3260%29__Sept2009.pdf

http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/~/media/Files/PDF/Requested%20Resources/TIPSonCUTTING.ashx

http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/~/media/Files/PDF/Manuals/9505643%20RevC%2004052010.ashx

When you just plain cant get any information for the brand of cutting torch you are using, one way to determine the oxygen pressure is to use a drill index to determine the diameter of the center hole in a cutting tip. Thats the hole where the high velocity stream comes out to make the cut,...all the other holes are called preheat flame holes.

Once you know the drill size for the center hole in the cutting tip, you can use a welding reference book like the one in the video to get a ball park idea for pressure needed to make the cut.

Sometimes one tip might be rated for cutting different thicknesses of metal and therefore, have different pressure settings for thicker metal. I remember a booklet for Smith Cutting torches that listed the same tip size for 3/8" and 1/2" thick metal and listed about 40 psi for the thinner but 50 psi for the thicker metal using the same tip.

The Audel Pocket welding reference was recommended to me by someone so I figured I would buy it and check it out to see if I could recommend it.

Its actually very good. Its a good very small book with lots of charts for amperage settings, cutting torch tip information, electrode selection etc.

and its not very expensive.

When I can, I order used books from Amazon because I dont mind a note or two or bent pages. I make notes anyway and dog ear the pages too.

Anyway, most of the tips are in the video. I think I mentioned something about the drill size being a 1 ....thats what my drill index said and I forgot to mention it was metric...I think that makes it about a #60 if you are not a metric guy.

Hopefully, you got that. Since I also said it was about .040" . Looking for a good torch tip chart that I could share with you led me to this one at the airgas website

.... it looks like I was pushing the limits by cutting 3/4" with that tips but all I know is that it worked fine.

I was using my friends cheap flame tech "victor knock-off" torch but it worked pretty good.

One very important item concerning oxy-fuel safety that I neglected is the fact the high pressure cylinders like oxygen will take off like a rocket if the valve gets knocked off. Sometimes a concrete wall will not even stop them....

So make sure to keep the valve covers on when hauling and its a really good idea to have guards in place around the gauges even when they are not being moved...just in case.

exit cutting torch page and see more on oxy-fuel safety

cwb certication

how does a journeyman welder get CWB certified?

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check these pages out .

http://www.grbwelding.com/content/training/cwb-training.htm

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/communities/mboard/showthread.php?11580-CWB-test

Cutting Torch - How to setup and shutdown an Oxygen and Acetylene Torch

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

What to do with the little shorty rod tips?

by Mike Hoezee
(Michigan)

After a rod gets to 2-3 inches I usually remove it and save my rod tips in the 2-3 inch range for tack welds.

Welders Needed Staffing company posted 10-8-11

by Patti
(Marlow, OK)

We are looking for welders for a tank and vessel fabricating shop. Welders need to have experience in tank and vessel welding with 3-5 years of experience. Need to have experience with ASME codes and blue print reading skills. Must be willing to relocate for a welding shop position.

http://oninstaffing.com/

Max thickness in GTAW

by Nguyen Thanh BInh
(Viet Nam)

Hello!
I have question.
one Welder have two certificates:
1: GTAW; Max thickness: 15.24 mm; F No.: 6/1,2,3,4 ; ....
2: GTAW + SMAW ; Max thickness: GTAW: 8 mm; SMAW: 13.94 mm; F No.: 6/1,2,3,4; ....

So, this welder have weld Max. Thickness for GTAW:=?

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if i understand your question , it seems the max thickness qual for gtaw would be 15.24 mm

maybe someone else understands better and would like to chime in.

Stick Welding tight spaces

by sean Lord
(Australia)

Hey All i would imagine that most of you boilies may have a laugh but if you get stuck and theres no other way, try shaping the rod... most coatings are flexible enough to shape like for round objects tight spaces you have to take the earth off to see if you can get the rod in just bend the rod to the shape and style of weld technique you like turn it on and weld it you can bend stainless rods to a certain degree some cast iron electrodes can be a pain.

i like BHOLER cast iron so smooth also a good preheating technique if you dont have a rod heater is just strike the steel and hold it (NO ARC Length) till the rod preheats but be warned not all electrodes like to come off again if you dont have a file especially for LOW HYDROGEN electrodes (thats the one that gives you a plastic looking slag coating) you can just tap the end of the electrode on the concrete if your in the dirt have a brick handy that will save you bashing the life out of the eletrode to get it to start again

Best fluid for torch coolers

by Erik
(Montreal, Canada)

Hi,
Coolers for TIG torches need fluid.
What is the best mix?
Importance of distilled water?
Will running with distilled water only ruin the pump because of no lubricants and rust inhibitors?
Can Ethylene Glycol be used with distilled water?
Any good advice is welcome.
Thanks,
Erik

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There is a bunch of discussion on this.

The best and correct thing is to use Coolant specifically designed for tig coolers that has a low mineral content and therefore low conductivity so that high frequency start current will be more efficient.

That said, they price it like liquid gold.

I have been using RV coolant for about a year now in one of my coolers and it it seems to be working fine and has not gelled or become funky.

Its inexpensive and easily available at stores like autozone or northern tool,

Welding a float shoe on P 110 casing

Can you weld on P 110 grade casing? I have 7 5/8" 29.7#/ft p110 casing and want to know if welding on it will cause the casing to crack. I have been told do not weld on this grade of pipe my 30 years in the oilfield. I have not seen any tec data on to weld or not to weld on it. Can you help?

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Its not that you "cant" weld on it. But it will be prone to cracking.

That grade casing has enough carbon and other elements in it to cause it to harden and possibly be brittle from the heat and cooling cycles from welding.

kind of like welding cast iron except not nearly as bad.

depending on the application, it may or may not be ok.

for example, if you were going to use it for a pole for a fence and wanted to weld attachments on it, maybe it would be fine.

you definitely would not want to weld on it and use it for something like a lifting hoist

High Frequency On No Arc Current

by Chris Thomas
(Jonesboro Ar. USA)

Hello everyone new to tig welding and need some help on making tacks. I have a miller 165 diversion that i tried to set up according to the tack like a laser video. My problem is after the first tack or two all i start getting is the high frequency spark and no arc current. If i pull the torch back 3/4 inch or so from sheet metal it will flash up in the cup and then get arc current. I have triple checked my circut and all seems good. The torch is set up as follows 1/16 tungsten with draw blood point and a no4 cup. I am tacking 18 to 22 gauge mild steel vintage auto panels amps around 110 to 140 gas flow 10 to 15 cfh. I can re-grind my tungsten and it will work again once or twice then back to no arc current. I am using pure tungsten and am wondering if this could be the cause. Went today and got 2 percent thoriated have not tried it yet. Any thoughts would be very welcome.

Thanks

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i feel pretty sure the pure tungsten is most if not all of the problem.

i have had the same issue with the new dynasty 200dx even with 2% thor but it was only because of the extremely low 1 amp start capability.

i think things will go much better with the 2% thor. sharpened

can't get the base to puddle

by Harry haithcoat
(St.Louis, missouri)

hi, i have been reading up on tig welding, it's been about 22 yrs sience i did any tig,a friend of mine just bought a Thermal Arc 185tsw ac/dc cc with stick,tig-lift start and hf start. he bought it to repair leaks in auto radiators and aircond parts. his welding with this will be aluminum,he has a miller mig for his steel parts, the problem is i haven't beem around any of these new machines in yrs, my expertise is,gas,stick and mig so setting all these controlls on this machine is a bit challenging so for me refresher course of my memory is needed. the stuff he'll weld is really thin and he thinks that because someone he seen weld pop cans together along with razor blades this should be a piece of cake to saving him alot of money (lolol right) but theres no changing his mind. his son does most of his welding which i taught him to do now they think they can do anything,this machine is over my head, the instruction book is ok but it doesn't really give a clear setting other than page 36, i think the problem for me is i don't know where to set the preflow to initial current to up slope to weld current to down slope and so on well you get the pic.my thinking is to go with a standard setting and leave with a few adjustments for heat,but they don't tell you how to just set it and leave,i don't need pulse i don't think, but to the other problem is the aluminum seems to be contaminated when i try to start a puddle all it does is get hot and droop or just get hot, i tried grinding the material with no success, also i can't remember if i need a different type of tungsten rod or what size 1/16 or 3/32? he has pure argon no helium and i think a 5356 filler rod, but i can't even get a puddle let alone a bead,also it works fine on mild steel, i set it up for that and it worked fine so i must be getting close, but after reading the hand book through 4 times and reading for 2 days on the web and finally coming upon your page i felt it was time to ask someone who knows alot more than me which won't take alot, i have welded almost everything there is with the exception of under water (fear of drowning kept me from that lolol) and when i went to school back in 1972 alot has changed so please any info would be much appreciated, thank you for just listening to me go on and on, and out of all the web sites yours is in the top 2 of my reading keep up the good work, sounds like you help a lot of people,us welders must stick lolol together,thank you, harry

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harry,

I did a series of pages and videos on tig welding settings. here at this link

tig settings videos

you should be able to watch them all in about an hour.

if you still need help, email me directly thru my contact page. here

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/contact-us-private.html

Steel weld pool is 'drawn' up onto the tungsten.

by John Fennell
(Hereford, United Kingdom. )

Hi there, may I first congratulate you on having the best welding information and resources website I have ever seen, it is truly brilliant! Now my question seems to be rather obscure, as I haven't found anyone else asking it online but here goes. I am teaching myself to TIG weld-with the aid of many YouTube videos, including some of your own, but I always have trouble with the weld pool literally being drawn up onto the tungsten. I use a 12 month old Lincoln Invertec 160, with a lanthanated tungsten and am trying to weld general steel between 1/8-1/4" thick. I did some TIG at my local college and didn't have the same problem to the degree I have on my own unit but there does definitely seem to be something wrong with my technique. I have done quite a lot of MMA and MIG in agricultural repairs, I took to gas welding like a duck to water but seem to be struggling with TIG. Hopefully I'm making a silly mistake but have tried holding the torch higher/lower than 1/4" from the puddle, fiddled with the current and gas flow to no avail. I try to use a little over 1/4" stickout which I was told by a lecturer at my local college was a good starting point.

Would really appreciate any help you can possibly give me,
Thanks, John.

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sometimes when using an amperage that is close to the maximum for a given dia electrode, it seems like the puddle jumps on but I think its the tip of the electrode actually melting and causing a momentary short.

other problems arise from coatings that outgas onto the electrode.

thanks,

jody

getting the perfect gap

by biggins
(reddirt ok)

i have been welding for only about 6 years and have found the the steel ruler out of an adjustable square gives me a perfect gap for welding pipe of any size whether I'm 6010 or even mig welding the root.

low tech emergency rod oven

If your low hydrogen rods gets damp and you dont have a rod oven, tack a plate over one end of scrap pipe long enough to cover the rods, then warm it up with your torch. Heavy wall pipe is the best, holds the heat longer.

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From Jody,

if you are doing code work, its best get a portable rod oven.

My tig welder has only high frequency only, what's wrong?

by Jay
(Longview WA usa)

I have had my Linde (L-tech)250 amp TIG welder for about 25 years and it is a wonderful machine. recently i tried to weld some mild steel and accidentally hit the tig/stick with my knee without realizing it. the amperage control was set to maximum and i use a foot control. when i started to weld (the welder started the weld at full power and then lost power. now i can only get high frequency. Since it was set on stick welding and the control was set at maximum power i assume i burned something out. I checked the welding power lead for continuity and it checks out ok any ideas what my problem is?
Jay

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I have used the same welder before and it was sweet.

It does sound like you may have fried a board or something.

I am not a welder repair guy and you will probably need to take it in to a local welder repair shop to get it fixed.

the not so happy news it that it might be expensive.

anyone else got any ideas?

puddle watch

by Chas
(Arkansas)

im going through welding school now and my biggest issue was watching my arc not my puddle its kinda hard to get used to but makes it a lot easier!

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I remember back to my days in welding school.

watch the puddle, watch the puddle...
thats good advice when you are learning.

when you get more experience it will become second nature and there will be times where you wont need to watch the puddle so closely.

similar to driving a car, you need to watch where you are going, the car in front of you, but also, watch for curves ahead, and brake lights...all the while traveling at a speed that allows you to be in control

Miller Maxstar 91 CC DC Inverter Welding Power Source

The proper way to set up a Miller Maxstar 91 to weld
aluminum

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A miller maxtar 91 is a DC only machine.
It will not weld aluminum effectively.

selecting the right rod for aluminum and steel fence fabrication also right amperage

My dad just purchase a lincoln 225 arc welder and I would like to know what rod we need to weld those square pipes sold at homedepot they're about 1" and hollow inside and we plan to stick em to a 2" side bar with the same thickness.

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for steel, I would choose a 6011 rod. probably 3/32 diameter because the wall thickness on what you describe is probably only about .063"

for aluminum, unless you have done quite a bit of stick welding, its gonna be a lot more difficult than the steel.
I would recommend going to a local welding supply and buying a small qty of aluminum stick rod and give them a try before you jump into anything.