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Post by bobthebuilder on Jan 29, 2012 13:03:31 GMT -5
Which method of welding is recommended and why?
Gas, TIG, or MIG?
The above refers to the welding of 4130 tubing on the fuselage.
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Post by raceair on Jan 29, 2012 13:30:48 GMT -5
For building one airframe, Ox- Acetylene is the recommended choice.....It's learnable, and the equipment is reasonable to purchase.....If the budget allows it, TIG is great....Takes a bit more time to learn, but fine, controlled beads are beautiful to look at. I do not recommend MIG to anyone building a light walled 4130 structure.....In my opinion, it's high speed, and low quality.....If you are building one airframe, you don't need high speed welding.....Ed
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Post by bobthebuilder on Jan 29, 2012 15:40:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the response Ed,
What sort of finish can be expected with Ox- Acetylene? Beautiful, or well .... ok?
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Post by n3480h on Jan 29, 2012 16:40:16 GMT -5
I found this to be very helpful when learning OA welding: www.airbum.com/articles/ArticleZenWelding.htmlBud has a number of good articles on his site related to homebuilt aircraft, and he has a great article in last month's EAA Sport Aviation magazine. There is also quite a bit about OA on U-Tube, but some is not too good, so be selective. I started by buying the OA equipment and a bag of 4130 tube drops from Aircraft spruce. I think I went through two medium sized tanks of gas while learning before I felt competent to weld. My son helped too. He's certified in most methods. If you know anyone who is good at OA, ask for help to learn. Tom
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hans
Full Member
Posts: 166
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Post by hans on Jan 29, 2012 16:53:44 GMT -5
Hi Tom & others,
do you happen to know equally nice references about TIG-welding? I have a DC inverter that I'd like to put to good use one day....
cheers Hans
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Post by raceair on Jan 29, 2012 18:50:25 GMT -5
An Ox-acetylene weld bead can be beautiful, if done by a pro. Some of the welders who worked for Taylorcraft and Piper in the 1940's were artists. The weld beads were uniform, and reasonably large. I would say 1/4" to 5/16" on large tubes.... TIG will produce a much narrower bead, and this is where the concentration is needed....Ed
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Post by n3480h on Jan 29, 2012 22:24:30 GMT -5
Happy birthday Hans! Unfortunately, all I know about TIG is how to spell it. Tom
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hans
Full Member
Posts: 166
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Post by hans on Jan 30, 2012 13:57:18 GMT -5
Happy birthday Hans! Unfortunately, all I know about TIG is how to spell it. Tom Thanks Tom!
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