I don't like how some of the things are done on the rear section of frame on my 1931 Model A Coupe project. Some of the welds look really bad and the way they had the coil overs mounted isn't that great and doesn't look all that stable, plus there are parts that are not boxed and The kick-up in the rear wasn't done very well. So I decided to cut the back section off and build a new one from scratch. I bought some 2x3, 3/16" wall thickness rectangle tubing and this morning I started hacking it all up and then I whipped out my new $500 old as crap welder and put the side pieces together. I've never TIG welded at all ever. All I have ever done is some Stick welding way back in about 1987/1990 and some MIG welding with a little 110 volt cheapie welder. I ran a couple of lines on a flat piece of 3/16" the other day testing the welder and today was the very first time I ever tried to actually TIG anything together. Only dipped the Tungsten a couple of times before I go the hang of it. Not perfect by any means, but I was impressed with it for my first time. I was all excited and thought I would share
Nice for the first time, but the weld bead is fairly undercut. You need to dip more rod. You can take a second pass over these existing welds to fill the undercut. The weld bead should be slightly proud of the parent metal.
Yeah, in that last pic, that one side was that way. I made adjustments and got the rest of them looking right and above the heights of the steel. I'll have to go back and build that one up a bit next. It's freakin' hot out there! lol
A friend of mine that used to build chassis for a NHRA pro mod S10 several years ago was telling me about the heat transfer discoloration. I watched him put down some awesome looking TIG weld for a bracket that was to hold the small fuel cell for the nitrous system, and he didn't like the way the heat ring looked so he ground it off and started over.
Looks like a good weld to me,another pass will do it. I was in Houston a week ago ,about 100 degrees. Good luck with your project.
Welds are looking good for a first time tig - When dipping the rod, try about 19 dips in a inch - and when you come to the end of a bead, stomp the peddle real quick and let off gradually so as not to get that little pimple at the end - this is where cracks can start. All you have to do is use the correct size rod,tungstun for the thickness of the material at the right heat range and you'll do just great.Keep it up.
Looks good to me! I've always wanted a chance to TIG steel, did 14 years of aluminum body panel TIG work but the shop never had the equipment for steel TIG work. Someday.........
Thanks. I went back over them again this afternoon and they are built up a bit better. Sweet. I blended the places where I stopped. I tried the slow let-off and that does definitely work and leaves it all sealed up and smooth. I'm using 3/32 2% Thoriated Tungsten and 3/32 ER70S-2 rod on 3/16" mild steel. MY Welder is a HUGE Miller 330A/BP and I am using the middle setting of 3 possible ones. This one is 20 - 250 amps. There is a "finer" tuning knob and I have that at about 60% so with the pedal to the floor it should be around 160 amps. I got me some more practice - I had to split that 2x3 at the end where it meets the old frame because the frame is like 4" there, so I split the end and opened it up and made some triangular pieces and welded them in there. Man, I wanted to learn myself, so I bought this $500 welder and pieced together a water cooler and got a few consumables. I'm in it for only about $600 at this point. 14 years of experience on aluminum, I get you would be awesome on steel quickly!
I also aquired a miller econo tig not lonh ago and also trying to master the weld process. I really like it. Nice welds for the first time by the way.
Your electrode and fill are a little small for 3/16 steel. Try 1/8 for both and it will be easier to fill those undercut welds.
The Jalopy Journal
