Calif Bill wrote:
"NotNow" wrote in message
...
Calif Bill wrote:
"Gene" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:37:57 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

"NotNow" wrote in message
...
Gene wrote:
On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:48:28 -0400, NotNow wrote:

Richard Casady wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:18:03 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

i mean, anybody that can make good quality welds from a generator,
jumper cables and a couple of quarters has my vote.
I took a welding class at the area college. Anyone who can weld
even
with proper gear has my vote. Lets just say I can solder and let it
go
at that.

Casady
You'd think that welding would be welding. But, I grew up welding
with a
Lincoln AC welder. Did it for years on anything that would break on
the
farm. A friend's dad had a DC welder. It took me a whole day to get
to
lay a decent bead with that thing! Whole different animal! Of course
now
days, wire feed welding in different gas atmospheres, welding about
any
kind of metal, etc. Totally different animal.
Except for arc blow, it shouldn't be. Probably wrong polarity or
wrong
rods....
I find it quite a bit different in feel.
Something not set up correct. DC stick welding is a lot easier than AC
to
get the beautiful bead. But may have been the machine. I can TIG weld
aluminum somewhat with a Miller Syncrowave 350. Most other TIG
machines I
can't.

That gets a little more complicated. Gas has to be right, Hi Freq has
to be right, and the tip has to be pointed correctly..... along with
all of the other stuff you have to be concerned with in other electric
welding.

I got a chance to go here for welding (already did their basic and
advanced metal shaping classes) last year.....
http://www.metalcrafttools.com/metalshaping.html

If you are close enough it is a good show....
--

Forté Agent 5.00 Build 1171

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover." - Unknown

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
http://pamandgene.tranquilrefuge.net...at/my_boat.htm


I take some classes at the local JC. They have one of the top welding
courses in the country. They are sponsored by some of the refineries as
they are short certified welders for maintenance and upgrades.
http://www.thecrucible.org/ is a private, non-profit in Oakland where you
can also take classes. Check out their fire show on the website. I have
welded since I was a little kid. Dad owned one of the SF Bay areas major
machine shops. So I had a lot of very good welders to teach me stick.
Most came out of the Richmond shipyards. I can TIG steel and stainless
with most machines, but my aluminum TIG sucks. The Syncrowave 350 seems
to be something I can handle. Most of my aluminum welding is with my
Lincoln 180c and a spool gun. Problem is the power limits some of the
welding thickness I can handle. To weld on the bottom of my boat 3/16"
50xx aluminum, I would have to preheat with a torch. And for the $7k for
a Syncrowave 350 I can hire a welder to repair the bottom if big areas
need welding. Lifting strakes mostly.
Preheating is a pain in the arse if you are using electric. My uncle
acetylene welded, learning that as an aviation machinist in the navy.
Beautiful welds!

Oxy/act will not weld aluminum. But you have to have enough power to weld,
and aluminum transfers lots of heat on large thick sections. Preheat is
necessary with a lower power welder, but there are other problems with lots
of the alloys of aluminum with preheating large areas.


Didn't mean to make it sound like he welded aluminum with acetylene.