I have something to aspire to (TIG)

[Ralph LoGrasso]

How about a few pics of nice welds, to pick up this forum a bit?

I hope to someday be able to TIG weld like this. Matt just sent me these pics through AIM. I hope he doesn't mine me posting . . I think Matt may be a robot, the welds are too perfect.

Enjoy:



(Click on pics for full size versions to see the welds)

[MrQuick]

yeah those are nice, I would like to see some of his work up close. Check around your area for welding classes definatly a skill to pick up on. I've been welding for 3 years now and Iam self taught...hope to take a coarse and get certified so I can start doing it for real. I should be picking up my 180SD next month so it will be sooner than later. get on it Ralph, you know Im gonna be bugging you

[Ralph LoGrasso]

I've been on the lookout for a TIG for a while now. I can't come across anything around here for what I want to spend. I'm self taught on the MIG, I've had my Snap-On MIG for about a year now(bought it used(got a great deal on it)), used it to mini-tub Fantom. I'll probably (almost definitely) take some classes on TIG, unless I find myself in NorCal anytime soon, where I'll force Matt to teach me everything he knows.

[68protouring454]

Ralph,, matt is no joke, i just picked up a lincoln 175 square wave tig last thurs, it is different then mig, i am no expert as i have tig'd for 5 days but with ALOT of matts help and being a constant pita i can weld steel pretty decent, alum just takes more time and you have to be more consistant with your procedure as the weld will change very easily, as the alum heats up alot more and will drop out, anyways i just wanted to pipe in and say THANKS TO Matt for his help, i wish i could duct tape him to a chair in my shop for a month or two and make him tell me all his tig secrets. i will post some picks of my tig welds later, but now we have something to aspire to with his welds up top, damn those should be in a museum
jake

[parsonsj]

Gorgeous welds! Was the tube rotated by a machine? Or was it all done by hand?
jp

[Matt@RFR]

Those were done on my home built positioning table.

[parsonsj]

Hey Matt,

Nice work. But I don't understand your answer. My tube welds are usually kinda square since I have to stop and start as I move the tube around. I saw a video where the welder used a machine to rotate the tube underneath the torch, resulting in welds that look almost as good as yours.

jp

[Matt@RFR]

Thanks very much for the kind words John!!

Attached are pictures of the positioning table that I built. I used a 90V DC gear motor (I was given 5 of them) but I wouldn't use them again. I'm thinking about building another one, and here's what I would do...

Use the smallest 115V AC gear motor I can get my hands on. That would cut down on cost, overall size, and amount and cost of electronics to control the motor. Unless you're doing some REALLY odd shaped piece, you won't need much power to swing it, especially after you gear the thing down far enough to be usable. (check out the gear ratio on mine!!)

Use a smaller chuck. A 3"-4" 4 jaw scroll back chuck would be perfect. 4 Jaw so you can grip square stuff. Mine is a 6" and is just too heavy for my likeing. Besides, anything over 4"dia presents very little problem welding around. And you can allways adapt up to work with larger pieces. If I'm welding a round tank that has an outlet in the center of one or both ends, I'll make an adapter that I can chuck up and screw the tank onto the adapter via whatever weld bung is there.

Mount the motor upside down from the way I have mine so most of the weight is on the fulcrum, not the chuck. That was probably the worst mistake I made on this one.

And remember kids, if you're gonna use that positioning table to weld aluminum, you'll need an earth ground!! Electric motors do some weird stuff when in close proximety to constant-on high freq!

[68protouring454]

matt, looks like a nice peice, where is the best place to find the parts?? , anything other then the table have to be fabbed up?? what kind of foot pedal do you use?? or don't you??
thanks for all the help , your are a great welder and guy, thanks
jake

[Matt@RFR]

The quick pin, bearings and nylon gears came out of MSC, the motor, like I said, was given to me and the electronics I can't help you on...My Dad ordered it and wired it. I know jack about AC wiring, and even less jack about electronics.

Everything else I made. They don't neccessarily have to swivel like mine does, but it does come in handy every once in awhile. However, it really adds to the overall size of the thing.

[MoeBawlz]

All I can say is wow... Where did you learn to weld like that? And how long have you been welding?

[F70t/a]

Damn thats some nice welding matt!!! How long have you been tig welding? I been doing it for about 11 months and still learning more stuff everyday

[Matt@RFR]

Thanks a bunch guys!! (We need an embarrassed smiley) I'm completely self taught with a TIG, and been doing it for about 3 years, and have been fabricating for about 10 years now.

[F70t/a]

You should make video tapes matt and sell them!!!

[MuscleRodz]

Matt, you must have been born just to weld. Some got the touch, others never will. Anytime you see welding like that, you want to show it off rather than cover it up.

Mike

[Matt@RFR]

LOL...thanks guys!!

Dave, I've actually thought about making some semi-short videos and putting them on my website, but I don't have a digital video camera...plus knowone has been able to tell me if the hi freq will screw with the camera or not. Don't wanna rent one or borrow one just to blow the thing up!!

Mike, I think you're right, I just don't say it because it sounds like bragging to me. I'm a drummer (usedtacould anyway), so the rythym helps a bunch. I just picked welding up very naturally.
Same thing with machining and metals in general...just comes naturally.

[wendell]

those welds are great looking. Would Matt be willing to post the settings that you used? Id be real interested as I am starting to spend more time behind my torch now that its getting cold. Also, Matt would you be able to critique a weld if I posted a picture?

Not to get off topic but since I'm hear... Walked into the root cellar of an old barn this weekend. 69 z-28 and a 68 RS both w/ a about 20 years of dust and rat sh#t on them. The RS looked like it was diven off the lot and into the barn. "Sorry, not for sale"... the quest continues.

[Matt@RFR]

That was 3/4" x .120 DOM with tube adapters on both ends (left and right hand), and the nut was a 5/8-18 jam nut, bored to 3/4" to fit over the tube to be used as an adjuster.

-90 amps DC- (I think...)
-15cfh through #7 cup
-1/16" 2% thoriated tungsten
-.045" filler
-pulse off


I can usually tell a lot about what's going on if you post pictures, and I'd be happy to take a look. Just keep in mind, though, that a lot of your technique is very personal, and what works for me might not work for you.

If you post pictures, let me know what the material is and your settings, as well as material prep.

[wendell]

Sounds good, I'll get some pics this week. You are one hell of a resource for this board.

[primate]

And remember kids, if you're gonna use that positioning table to weld aluminum, you'll need an earth ground!! Electric motors do some weird stuff when in close proximety to constant-on high freq!

thats the truth. when i weld at work, the portable phone i carry on me so i dont kill myself running across the shop when it rings makes some wild noises sometimes...then again, sometimes it wont even ring....

those are beautiful welds.