THe NAC Lots-O-BFG KO2 Thread

[MoparManiac]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

What's wrong with using the tack tack tack method?

U-bolt clamps are awesome...band clamps SUCK. My muffler was ready to fall off my truck. One light pull and the muffler + tailpipe all came right off.

 

[vetteboy]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

They make stainless MIG wire, by the way...

And TIG can only do aluminum if you have an AC unit.

I dunno if 'slag' is the word you're looking for...MIG doesn't generate slag either. Avoiding excess filler and spatter are what makes it clean (as well as oxyfuel). Slag is the junk that's left after arc welding.


Spool gun will do aluminum but you need a different gas (pure argon instead of CO2/Ar mix). And it feeds fast as hell, which is why the control of a TIG is preferred. Spool guns work better in a production environment though.

 

[kastein]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

isn't TIG easier to avoid porous welds with? It also means you can control the weld better, feedrate and heat separate.

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Nothing wrong with that method at all, it works.

U-bolt clamps definitely work the best out of any clamp for an exhaust, no doubt about that. I've used my fair share of them.

I'd just prefer that most/all of my exhaust system be welded together. I'll probably have a clamp holding the rear portion it on at the flex coupling and it will be welded from there back and from the flex coupling up to the header.

 

[RCman]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

I'm pretty sure Bill just welded up his exhaust on his. It's not like ours are driving through salt everyday.

I did. But welded some on the corners and slip fit welded the others. Not perfect TIG precision but pretty decent for a MIG. As some of you made fun of me for I even pressure tested it for leaks, got none.

A couple joints seen here:

 

[Dundy]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

What's wrong with using the tack tack tack method?

U-bolt clamps are awesome...band clamps SUCK. My muffler was ready to fall off my truck. One light pull and the muffler + tailpipe all came right off.

YOUR band clamp sucked. It was too loose. When they work they're pretty awesome.

 

[MoparManiac]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

YOUR band clamp sucked. It was too loose. When they work they're pretty awesome.

They're gay, end of story.

And Bill...yes we did make fun of you for that .

But you'll probably make fun of me when mine is done because it will leak everywhere.

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

They make stainless MIG wire, by the way...

And TIG can only do aluminum if you have an AC unit.

I dunno if 'slag' is the word you're looking for...MIG doesn't generate slag either. Avoiding excess filler and spatter are what makes it clean (as well as oxyfuel). Slag is the junk that's left after arc welding.


Spool gun will do aluminum but you need a different gas (pure argon instead of CO2/Ar mix). And it feeds fast as hell, which is why the control of a TIG is preferred. Spool guns work better in a production environment though.

That's good that you didn't have a problem with the thin part, but I'm sure it warped some. For something like that it's not super critical. The biggest benefit for welding stainless with TIG vs MIG is that SS mig wire is so friggin expensive. But on the other hand, one roll of SS mig wire is cheaper than a TIG setup. And for only a few uses SS wire might be the way to go.

I thought I heard something about aluminum needing AC for TIG, but I didn't want to throw it out there because I remembered my stick needing DC to weld aluminum.

You're right - I was looking for the word spatter.

Doesn't the spool gun with aluminum kinda weld like poo? Or is it just that you have to feed it so fast like with aluminum stick welding? I know they're not very cheap, either...

 

[MoparManiac]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Nothing wrong with that method at all, it works.

U-bolt clamps definitely work the best out of any clamp for an exhaust, no doubt about that. I've used my fair share of them.

I'd just prefer that most/all of my exhaust system be welded together. I'll probably have a clamp holding the rear portion it on at the flex coupling and it will be welded from there back and from the flex coupling up to the header.

I don't blame you.

I'd just want a few flanges in there rather than clamps so I could unbolt sections of it if I have to.

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

I agree that flanges > clamps. I'd be ok with that in mine too.

 

[RCman]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

What's wrong with using the tack tack tack method?

I don't like it.

Have fun: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=526617

And Bill...yes we did make fun of you for that .

Whatever took like 5 min with two cardboard tube ends and an NPT fitting.

Doesn't the spool gun with aluminum kinda weld like poo? Or is it just that you have to feed it so fast like with aluminum stick welding? I know they're not very cheap, either...

No you NEED a spool gun because the wire is to soft to feed down a liner. It can work without it in a pinch, but it is better with.

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Ken, porous welds are very easy to get in TIG welding if the material isn't prepped well or isn't of good quality. We had problems with porous welds on our SMV car at umass because some of the aluminum we used was super cheap and had tons of other crap in there.

 

[vetteboy]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

I was typing when you posted that.

And 'friggin expensive' = $20-$30 for a 2-lb spool.

In the right application you can get decent welds with a spool gun. The right application is *not* small detail work. I used one to weld an aluminum I-beam the entire length of the bed on a flatbed after the existing one wore through the flange on one side of the beam. In that case, where you're blasting a 2-3" weld every 6" on both sides of a 16-foot beam, TIG would make me want to punch babies, and the truck would have been down even longer.

I'll see if I have some pics on my drive at home.

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

No you NEED a spool gun because the wire is to soft to feed down a liner. It can work without it in a pinch, but it is better with.

I've heard that before. Doesn't it kink in the liner and that's why it needs to be pulled and not pushed? I was more getting at the act of MIG welding aluminum at all, not necessarily with a spool gun or not...

 

[MoparManiac]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

I meant tack tack tack for sheetmetal work (what I plan to do when I bob the bed on the MJ).

 

[vetteboy]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

No you NEED a spool gun because the wire is to soft to feed down a liner. It can work without it in a pinch, but it is better with.

I had very marginal results push-feeding through a regular MIG with a brand new teflon liner. Had to keep the liner as straight as possible. I think you're also supposed to use a different drive wheel, I forget...we abandoned that idea very quickly and got the spool gun instead.

The MIG we have is pretty badass though...Hobart BetaMIG 210. Has built-in controls for both the standard gun and a spool gun, with separate gas inputs as well. Just switch to whatever one you want and leave them both setup all the time.

 

[RCman]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

I meant tack tack tack for sheetmetal work (what I plan to do when I bob the bed on the MJ).

Well in that case you have to unless you want it to look like this bridge, but you are jumping around anyway so it isn't really the "tack tack tack method":

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

I was typing when you posted that.

And 'friggin expensive' = $20-$30 for a 2-lb spool.

In the right application you can get decent welds with a spool gun. The right application is *not* small detail work. I used one to weld an aluminum I-beam the entire length of the bed on a flatbed after the existing one wore through the flange on one side of the beam. In that case, where you're blasting a 2-3" weld every 6" on both sides of a 16-foot beam, TIG would make me want to punch babies, and the truck would have been down even longer.

I'll see if I have some pics on my drive at home.

Ah

Yeah, to me, $20-30 is expensive for a 2lb spool. You can get an 11lb spool of 6150 (I think that's the #, but I might be wrong) for the same price.

That would be one long day of tig welding.

 

[asp]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

Colin should test out his MJ going 90mph over this bridge.

 

[Begster]

Re: THe NAC Lots-O-Post Thread

My fascination with TIG, it is the only type of welding I know how to do. I learned on TIG, and after getting used to all the control, clean welds, and ability to see what is going on with what you are doing, I just can't do MIG. I tried at Ross's when we all had that "fabricating party" last April, and I even have a few MIG welds on Adam's winch mount.

I just like it, I'm a little bit of a creature of habit, I learn something and usually like to stick with that.

TIG can weld more exotic materials as well. I learned because our BAJA SAE car was a chromoly chassis, and TIG is the best method for welding chromoly.