what's a good setting 2 weld 1/16 tubing onto 3/8 x1 HRS?

[e-z-ride.com]

I have a HH175, running on 25/75% Argon, using 0.035 solid wire.

I want to weld up 3/4" square tubing (9" long) - 0.063" wall
onto 3/8x1x (8" long) hot roll.

Can anyone tell me what :

1) voltage setting ( 1,2,3)
2) wire speed
3) argon pressure

I should start off at so i don't melt a hole through or warp the thin wall tubing when I go to burn it onto the solid bar ?


Thanks for any assistance on this.

[Dan]

To be honest with you, I wouldn t try to MIG weld these two thicknesses together. Your going to have a very difficult time acheiving any kind of penetration into the 3/8" material. When your trying to weld a .063 material and a 3/8" thick material together TIG is the preferred method. And too it is the process that will guarantee a sound weld. Anyway you can increase the wall thickness on the tube. The closer you can get to a .120 wall on the tube the more do able this joint becomes with a MIG.

[e-z-ride.com]

At this point, I don't think I can change the wall thickness, but I can change the 3/8" thick hot roll to a lesser thickness.

Will using 3/16" thick to weld with the 1/16" wall thickness be a better match than a 1/4" thick?

I've TIG on aluminum in the past, but I've never TIG metals before, and wouldn't mind trying TIG to weld 1/16" wall thickness onto 3/8" hot roll. As such, can I set up my HH175 to TIG ? And if so, what type of gas and rod do you think will do the trick for this ?

Thanks for your insight. I appreciate this.

[Guest]

If you can get your wire to weld at the 1 setting go with it. The trick here is gravity. Use it to your advantage. The thick part should be above, then apply the weld metal to the thicker part and let it drip onto the thin. The amount of heat applied to the thick side will be sufficient to cause a weld to the thin, even tho the arc doesn't touch it. If you can't position the heavy metal to the top, then you may just have to do small squirts to make your weld, thus keeping the heat to a minimum. Make your vertical welds downhill.

[Dan]

Originally posted by e-z-ride.com
At this point, I don't think I can change the wall thickness, but I can change the 3/8" thick hot roll to a lesser thickness.

Will using 3/16" thick to weld with the 1/16" wall thickness be a better match than a 1/4" thick?

I've TIG on aluminum in the past, but I've never TIG metals before, and wouldn't mind trying TIG to weld 1/16" wall thickness onto 3/8" hot roll. As such, can I set up my HH175 to TIG ? And if so, what type of gas and rod do you think will do the trick for this ?

Thanks for your insight. I appreciate this.

Dropping the flat bar thickness down to 3/16"should make this a do able joint design. I would drop my wire size down to an .030 or maybe even an .023. Using a smaller diameter wire for joining these two material thicknesses helps increase the penetration that that you will be able to acheive into the 3/16" material.

My starting point for tuning the machine in would be settings that I use for 1/8" material. So this means I would run some test coupons to find my exact setting. A rough estimate for a setting for .030 wire would be voltage setting 3 and 50 to 60 on the wire speed. Test coupons will tell the exact settings.

Sorry your HH 175 can t be used as a TIG machine. Wire feed welders are a Constant voltage power source were as a TIG welder is a Constant Current power source.

TIG welding mild steel is quite a bit easier then TIG welding aluminum. If you want to give it a try, you a can generally rent a TIG machine for under a $100 a month. Of course this is in my area. Gas needed would be 100% argon. Filler metal ER70S-2 or ER70S-6. ER70S-2 is the better choice, but either work.

Important: Don 't forget to remove the mill scale from the hot rolled. This is an oxide. And also it is a barrier that will reduce your penetration because it melts at a high temperature then the base metal.