Author Topic: Australian Belly Tank  (Read 3165228 times)

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Offline Rex Schimmer

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5550 on: January 29, 2018, 02:00:41 PM »
As I have said before: "TIG is for building race cars, MIG is for building trailers!"
Rex

Not much matters and the rest doesn't matter at all.

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5551 on: January 29, 2018, 02:13:58 PM »
Unfortunately I can't give you any numbers as my equipment is all from the eighties with no digital displays and very simple controls. At the same time I test myself every once in a while by welding the bottom of two pop cans together and at this point I'm still successful. Start with your settings on the low side and then start turning them up until you have enough heat for the job. I always emphasize pressing the pedal slowly and warming the start area gradually until the area starts to puddle. then start to feed the rod and move the puddle forward. Patience and absolute cleanliness are really important in aluminum welding.

Pete

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5552 on: January 29, 2018, 02:19:25 PM »
As I have said before: "TIG is for building race cars, MIG is for building trailers!"

So, what if I was racing a trailer Rex?

John, yes very reasonable. I did a ticket in tig specifically to learn to tig alumimium for the bodywork pn the Spirit of Sunshine. One day i looked into a booth and there was a mig surrounded by aluminium coupons, I had a shot and bought a torch, wire guide and some Al wire for my mig....i do wish I'd persisted because I managed some nice work on exhaust tube and my new multi function induction machine has a tig torch and whaddayaknow I've got some headers to make. No Bob, they're not aluminium.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 02:22:05 PM by Dr Goggles »
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

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Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5553 on: January 29, 2018, 02:31:16 PM »
Unfortunately I can't give you any numbers as my equipment is all from the eighties with no digital displays and very simple controls. At the same time I test myself every once in a while by welding the bottom of two pop cans together and at this point I'm still successful. Start with your settings on the low side and then start turning them up until you have enough heat for the job. I always emphasize pressing the pedal slowly and warming the start area gradually until the area starts to puddle. then start to feed the rod and move the puddle forward. Patience and absolute cleanliness are really important in aluminum welding.

Pete

Amidst the frustration the other day I looked at the front of the welder and all I could see was 888 on the red led display, then I had to squat down and read which tiny light beside the display told which value it was reading that I couldn't see because the sun was shining directly on it. Old welder had a six point power knob and a big pointer on the wire feed.....this thing has continuous value knobs like a modern car stereo, grrrrrr.

There's nothing like adversity to focus my efforts, I'm going to an aluminum supply today to dumper dive their scrap bin and I will win this.

Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

http://thespiritofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.

Offline kiwi belly tank

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5554 on: January 29, 2018, 02:53:44 PM »
As I have said before: "TIG is for building race cars, MIG is for building trailers!"
Apparently I've built some really fast trailers over the years & my new 4WD AA/BFTrailer should be running this year too! :-D
  Sid. :roll:

Offline SaltPeter

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5555 on: January 30, 2018, 10:31:56 PM »
Hey Doc

Sounds like your having fun .....

You might have seen this about setting up MIG for occasional Ally Welding .....

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca/support/process-and-theory/Pages/aluminum-feeding-detail.aspx .... My neighbour said it helped him to do some repairs on his Trucks .....

While I use a TIG for Ally, the thing I was advised to do by the UNITIG Rep (before I got my Foot Control) was pre heating the Job with Ally.... It worked a treat and I still do it on all things Ally ......

(I should have my Bike ready to Start up next week) ....

I'll see you at Lake G .....

Pete

The Mission is to go as fast as possible along on that old Road Less Traveled.

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5556 on: January 31, 2018, 12:31:12 AM »
Pete, show us some pictures of your bike.

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5557 on: January 31, 2018, 01:28:25 AM »
Hey Doc

Sounds like your having fun .....

You might have seen this about setting up MIG for occasional Ally Welding .....

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-ca/support/process-and-theory/Pages/aluminum-feeding-detail.aspx .... My neighbour said it helped him to do some repairs on his Trucks .....

While I use a TIG for Ally, the thing I was advised to do by the UNITIG Rep (before I got my Foot Control) was pre heating the Job with Ally.... It worked a treat and I still do it on all things Ally ......

(I should have my Bike ready to Start up next week) ....

I'll see you at Lake G .....

Pete



See Pete I've not had any trouble in the past. Welded the body on the car, made our last manifold, seat, heat guards blah blah blah..get a new welder it all is forgotten.
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

http://thespiritofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.

Offline ggl205

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5558 on: January 31, 2018, 09:19:57 AM »
You guys are very encouraging and have motivated me to get back to practicing alloy TIG welding. Pre heat or putting heat into the weldable substrate via a low amp arc, appears to be a fundamental first step.

Now, wire feed aluminum TIG welding is another animal. I have that equipment but never tried it. I guess I would have to torch heat the substrate prior to striking an arc but what temp is best? I could use a temp pencil to get the preheat right.

Thank you all for the welding lessons.

John
« Last Edit: January 31, 2018, 09:24:07 AM by ggl205 »

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5559 on: January 31, 2018, 11:17:45 AM »
Don't even try to use the wire feed tig until you're really comfortable with conventional tig. There are too many things happening at once with the auto feed system to be successful.

Pete

Offline salt27

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5560 on: January 31, 2018, 01:25:56 PM »
See Pete I've not had any trouble in the past. Welded the body on the car, made our last manifold, seat, heat guards blah blah blah..get a new welder it all is forgotten.

And the "old welder" is where?

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5561 on: January 31, 2018, 02:12:03 PM »
Jeez Don, pay attention. Just as I was finishing building a smoker here I noticed it was getting a little stuttery, in hindsight it had also started throwing the circuit breakerer in the shed. I took it down to the big smoke to the manufacturer for a service. Yeah, I know, "manufacturing" means make not sell, well they "pit them together" there out of components made in low cost jurisdictions, how's that? Anyway, they told me the repair guy wasn't back for a fortnight and there was already a big backlog (and you know that if there's a shortcut I'm on it)....so I left it for repair, and bought a new fancy one. I'm an idiot.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2018, 02:17:00 PM by Dr Goggles »
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

http://thespiritofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5562 on: January 31, 2018, 02:16:32 PM »
You guys are very encouraging and have motivated me to get back to practicing alloy TIG welding. Pre heat or putting heat into the weldable substrate via a low amp arc, appears to be a fundamental first step.

Now, wire feed aluminum TIG welding is another animal. I have that equipment but never tried it. I guess I would have to torch heat the substrate prior to striking an arc but what temp is best? I could use a temp pencil to get the preheat right.

Thank you all for the welding lessons.

John

Preheat is useful but if you're welding stuff that's paper thin you can't use that luxury. Your only friends are cleanliness, good trigger control and maintaining an even distance and torch angle.
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

http://thespiritofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.

Offline salt27

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5563 on: January 31, 2018, 02:36:14 PM »
My Dad left to me an old WW2 era AC arc welder with ratty leads, small but has to weigh 150 honest pounds (68 kg to you James).

Over the years I have built several trailers, cars, motorcycles, ect. with it and my welds weren't pretty but few to no failures.

I go and buy a new Miller Tig/ac dc stick welder thinking how much better my welds were going to be and it was like I have never welded before, in a bad way.

It took a while, to figure it out, my tig is not great but my stick welding is at least back to where it was.

Thank god for Gus (my son) he's got a pretty good handle on the tig. (are you listening Stainless).

James, you're not alone.  

  Don

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Australian Belly Tank
« Reply #5564 on: January 31, 2018, 03:01:56 PM »
Me too....

I have an arc-welder in the shed that dad bought when I was 11 or 12. I learnt to weld bicycle frame, he concentrated on making holes and flux inclusions. So I see you failed to pass on both your defective welding gene and the beer gene?

Today I rush headlong into another area of inexpertise. I may or may not report back after my fibreglassing ( see how I spelt that?) foray in order to make the nascelles to accommodate the heads of the Chev. I have more than a few friends with decent mould making/glassing credentials who I have studiously avoided, we'll see how it goes.
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

http://thespiritofsunshine.blogspot.com/

Current Australian E/GL record holder at 215.041mph

THE LUCKIEST MAN IN SLOW BUSINESS.