Welding techniques for 4130?

On 30 Aug 2003 19:08:53 GMT, onloser (Building The
Perfect Beast) wrote:

Luckily I've got a buddy who is going to build with me and he is a master
welder. I plan on learning a lot from him. As for my experience, well, most
of it is on farm equipment and about all I've ever used oxy/acetylene for was
cutting stuff up. I'm a fair stick welder but I know I've got a lot to learn.
And I'm looking forward to it.

Done properly, do you feel that there is any difference in the quality of weld
produced by oxy/ace vs. TIG? Is the TIG just less hassle or what?

Done properly there is not much difference and both can produce
similar looking welds although it often takes a while to build up the
skills to produce quality looking welds every time.

Dell mentioned that the cost did not bother him. For me, cost is a
huge issue. I don't weld all the time, and once the fuselage was done
the welding dropped off to a bit here and there, maybe once every four
to five months, if that. So having a $1300 rig sitting in the shop
that wasn't being used doesn't make sense to me when the Oxy/Acet
torch welds tubing just fine. Remember, before there was TIG, ALL
fuselages were built using the torch, and none of them pulled apart.

Remember, you are welding a fillet entirely around each joint. When
you do that, you encapsulate the cluster with filler and fused metal.
It's as indesctructable a connection as there is.

TIG has a lot going for it but ease of use when welding a fuselage
isn't one of them. The handle is heavier to hold for long periods
than a torch and you have to have the foot pedal near by to be able to
use it, or you must buy a hand operated trigger. The handle gets hot
after a while unless you have water cooling, which adds weight and
complexity.

A torch setup will cost around $300 new. The gasses aren't expensive
to rent, and besides, you need Argon for the TIG welder too.

The TIG machine is more versatile and is capable of welding thicker
metals with less distortion, if you need to do so.

Corky Scott