Hi there

Having a difficult time with Pulse-GMAW of Ali in greater thicknesses.

Compared to previous happy times where after a very few days I'm
considered the master of the job.

Do not have yet a "model" or "multi-dimensional map" giving a
rationale of where to find the best conditions for new situations with
Pulse.

Previously I've used
* spray transfer for anything >=10m/min wire-feed-speed
* pulse only for thinner low heat demand things like outside-corner
welds sealing end-cap plates onto Al-Si-Mg 6082 extruded Rectangular
Hollow Sections

So I'm trying to Pulse where previously I've used spray.

Thicknesses...
Mostly 5mm (in 5083 (marine Al-Mg) plate)
(* (/ 5 25.4) 16) 3.1496062992125986
which is just under 3/16" plate thickness.
So not great thicknesses (done 1/4" sections to 3/4" plate Ali before)

The machine has two knobs at the wire-feeder.
One increases the thickness it is supposed to be welding on - and it
reports the Amps go up seemingly in proportion.
The other is a "trim" which might be related to Voltage?

I only have a list of welding conditions which worked in specific
cases.
I wish that like eg. doing any spray-transfer I have a "map" of
the "contours" of good conditions and can see from a small test weld
where I am in the "map" and have a very accurate guess of where I need
to be to land on good conditions for a new previously unfamiliar job.

I have seen very good welds where I would be using Pulse anyway, so
don't doubt the machine (well, I've seen others sink into
"anglo-saxon" borrowing it and finding glitches, but anyway...)

I sometimes end up with good welds but fillet sizes bigger than called
for because there simply does not seem to be the fluidity to run beads
at the minimum size.

So - Pulse GMAW Ali (aluminium, aluminum) - anyone point me to a way
of seeing an overarching sense for it?
Build that "multi-dimansional contour map" to know where to look for
the good conditions in any new circumstance?

Thanks in advance

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On 12/17/2021 12:34 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

Hi there

Having a difficult time with Pulse-GMAW of Ali in greater thicknesses.

Compared to previous happy times where after a very few days I'm
considered the master of the job.

Do not have yet a "model" or "multi-dimensional map" giving a
rationale of where to find the best conditions for new situations with
Pulse.

Previously I've used
* spray transfer for anything >=10m/min wire-feed-speed
* pulse only for thinner low heat demand things like outside-corner
welds sealing end-cap plates onto Al-Si-Mg 6082 extruded Rectangular
Hollow Sections

So I'm trying to Pulse where previously I've used spray.

Thicknesses...
Mostly 5mm (in 5083 (marine Al-Mg) plate)
(* (/ 5 25.4) 16) 3.1496062992125986
which is just under 3/16" plate thickness.
So not great thicknesses (done 1/4" sections to 3/4" plate Ali before)

The machine has two knobs at the wire-feeder.
One increases the thickness it is supposed to be welding on - and it
reports the Amps go up seemingly in proportion.
The other is a "trim" which might be related to Voltage?

I only have a list of welding conditions which worked in specific
cases.
I wish that like eg. doing any spray-transfer I have a "map" of
the "contours" of good conditions and can see from a small test weld
where I am in the "map" and have a very accurate guess of where I need
to be to land on good conditions for a new previously unfamiliar job.

I have seen very good welds where I would be using Pulse anyway, so
don't doubt the machine (well, I've seen others sink into
"anglo-saxon" borrowing it and finding glitches, but anyway...)

I sometimes end up with good welds but fillet sizes bigger than called
for because there simply does not seem to be the fluidity to run beads
at the minimum size.

So - Pulse GMAW Ali (aluminium, aluminum) - anyone point me to a way
of seeing an overarching sense for it?
Build that "multi-dimansional contour map" to know where to look for
the good conditions in any new circumstance?

Thanks in advance

Again all I can offer is my absolute neophyte experiences. I have zero experience with pulse MIG. I simply can not afford/justify the cost of
a nice pulse MIG rig, and none of the import machines quite meet my
minimal requirements for that. I do have a fairly decent Miller
continuous DC MIG welder with just two electrical adjustments. Well not counting the on/off switch. (I own my own shop doing mostly CNC milling aluminum N STUFF)

I will repeat something I have come to believe. Pulse is primarily to
allow for heat management, (I could certainly be wrong), or to allow the welder(person) to keep up. Thicker aluminum needs a lot of juice or a substantial preheat. By thicker I mean anything thicker than about 5/16
(8mm). I personally found I could run 0.100 (2.54mm) to 1/4 (6.35mm)
aluminum fairly easily (I made welds that stuck) without preheat. It
was mostly a matter of finding the right speed to move the gun, and it
had to move. Thinner was touch and go for blow out for my skill level
(this is where I believe pulse might be helpful) and thicker just
wouldn't weld without preheat.

To me it seems counter intuitive to use pulse for thicker aluminum.
Again. I am open to being wrong.

The magic bullet (so to speak) I have not tried is other gas mixes. I
have three main welding gas bottles. C25 for steel, Argon for MIG
aluminum, and Argon on the AHP200(XXX) TIG. I have heard of helium
being added helping a lot for thicker aluminum, but I have not
researched it at all. Just seen casual mentions on the various YouTube
welding channels. I suppose I should learn more because it might be
helpful to repair minor damage to an aluminum mold instead of scrapping
the part and starting over. Since the minimum plate thickness I
normally use is 1/2 inch (~13mm) I would consider that thicker than I
can repair easily by welding. When I just learning and only making
molds for myself on the old Taig mill I actually did fill in some holes
with MIG, but it was pretty terrible and require multiple retries to get something that "worked."

Maybe there is something in there, but somehow I don't think I've come
anywhere to close to what you already know.

For my applications I thought of pulse as a way to (maybe) make longer
stitches and longer fills when doing stitch and fill welding on aluminum
sheet. Still.. I am open to being wrong. Of course one of the main
reasons for stitch and fill is to lock the pieces to each other and
reduce uneven movement and distortion of the work pieces.

I wish Ernie was still a active on this group. He would have very much
been able to help you.

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Bob - I'm otherwise busy, but on a skim-read I think you are talking a
lot of sense.
I didn't want to be leading - wanted to see the responses coming in -
but if I were to take a guess, you've covered well over 50% of
anything I thought.

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By the way...
Another major contributor to this group, Randy Zimmerman, died in
mid-November.
Bless.
He was in his mid-70's and was spared a lingering demise from what we
call "Motor Neuron Disease" (I think the North American name is ALD).
I owe a lot.
Others may feel the same.
Thoughts with his family.

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Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

On 12/17/2021 12:34 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

Hi there
... ... ...
Thanks in advance

...
... I do have a fairly decent
Miller continuous DC MIG welder with just two electrical adjustments.
Well not counting the on/off switch. ...

I haven't tried Ali with a copper-and-iron GMAW / MIG welding machine.
I suspect a good one would be very good for spray-transfer Ali.
The consistency, and the way that the "operating map" of a
copper-and-iron machine is well known...

I will repeat something I have come to believe. Pulse is primarily to
allow for heat management, ... ...

To me it seems counter intuitive to use pulse for thicker
aluminum. Again. I am open to being wrong.

That is what I am wondering is exactly right, and the main point
behind my entire question?

... not tried is other gas mixes. ... ...

Pure Argon is so much cheaper than any Helium mix.
Only in the USA do you seem to have any affordable and frequent use of
mixes with He.
Here - forget it.
Especially as I have done up to 20mm (3/4") Ali plate with pure Ar and
spray and it gave the "dream spec." welds.

I wish Ernie was still a active on this group. He would have very
much been able to help you.

Indeed.

I've responded back to you because of the considered effort.
I'd like all to be provisional, on seeing if more answers and / or
comment come in. Be ready to benefit from range of wisdoms.

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Late contributor - correction - "motor neurone disease" == "ALS"

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Richard Smith <[email protected]> writes:

Late contributor - correction - "motor neurone disease" == "ALS"

More commonly called "Lou Gehrig's Disease".

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On 12/18/2021 1:34 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

On 12/17/2021 12:34 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

Hi there
... ... ...
Thanks in advance

...
... I do have a fairly decent
Miller continuous DC MIG welder with just two electrical adjustments.
Well not counting the on/off switch. ...

I haven't tried Ali with a copper-and-iron GMAW / MIG welding machine.
I suspect a good one would be very good for spray-transfer Ali.
The consistency, and the way that the "operating map" of a
copper-and-iron machine is well known...

The Miller 212 is setup with dual bottles, dual regulators, dual
solenoids, and dual stingers. There is a regular mig gun on one, and a
spool gun on the other. It was always intended to be used for both
steel and aluminum. Its easy to switch too. Set down one stinger and
pick up the other. In theory I could have the work piece clamp on the
table and switch from steel welding to aluminum welding that easily if
the settings where close enough. I'm not very good with it, but if I
take a practice run on some scrap I can usually meet my minimal
specification.

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On 12/20/2021 12:45 PM, Richard Smith wrote:

Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

...
...

I wanted to be open-minded and watch independent response come in.

I think this group just doesn't have many experts such as yourself any
longer. I believe Ernie has a Facebook page where he still shares his expertise, but based on responses to my own queries there are only a few
here on Usenet still willing to help. When I was first really trying to
get over the hump so I could chicken poop some metal together and dry
the poop before it fell apart I would post exact problems here and often
have a handful of very close overlapping recipes to start from.
Current, settings, wire feed, gun speed, etc. I think that day is
past. Now if I have a technical problem with a weld I'll check the
usual YouTube video experts (Weld.com & Welding Tips & Tricks are both
good) to see if they have something that overlaps what I want to do, and
then I'll ask a carefully crafted question on the Miller Welds forum.
Internet welders are an independent lot (like Internet machinists) and
often refuse to answer the question you actually asked.



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Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

...
...

I wanted to be open-minded and watch independent response come in.

Okay, my thought is

"Where, compared to spray, pulse allows you to have spray-like
characteristics while keeping the arc intensity and fluidity down,
when you are trying to find ways of making pulse give you spray-like
fluidity you need in this application, why are you using pulse and not
using spray?"

That's another way of saying what you said in your first response,
isn't it?

Additional points
* spray is very smooth - no perturbation of the weld pool
(no spatter; smoother weld bead finish; better control; etc.)
* simpler equipment
* very finely tunable
* very easy to comprehend what the adjustments do
* transportable between welding machines - spray is a fundamental mode
entirely governed by the Laws of the Universe, and barely by the
characteristics of the welding machine (?)

That's a genuine question, everyone.

I can't try spray because of the "house style" conventions, else I'd
know the answer already...

Just stating the obvious - when pulse is what you need because the job
needs a lower arc-energy than spray can go down to (thin,
outside-corner, etc.), pulse is a blessing with no criticism possible
(?).

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Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

On 12/20/2021 12:45 PM, Richard Smith wrote:

Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

...
...

I wanted to be open-minded and watch independent response come in.

I think this group just doesn't have many experts such as yourself any longer. I believe Ernie has a Facebook page where he still shares his expertise, but based on responses to my own queries there are only a few
here on Usenet still willing to help. When I was first really trying to
get over the hump so I could chicken poop some metal together and dry
the poop before it fell apart I would post exact problems here and often
have a handful of very close overlapping recipes to start from.
Current, settings, wire feed, gun speed, etc. I think that day is
past. Now if I have a technical problem with a weld I'll check the
usual YouTube video experts (Weld.com & Welding Tips & Tricks are both
good) to see if they have something that overlaps what I want to do, and
then I'll ask a carefully crafted question on the Miller Welds forum. Internet welders are an independent lot (like Internet machinists) and
often refuse to answer the question you actually asked.

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This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

Thanks for the hints.
I try to post questions of s.e.j.w. first, to give it a chance of
enduring.
But yes, I have posted and got nothing.
r.c.m. (rec.crafts.metalworking) has more active welders.
I'll look in those forums.

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"Richard Smith" wrote in message news:[email protected]...

I try to post questions of s.e.j.w. first, to give it a chance of
enduring.
But yes, I have posted and got nothing.
r.c.m. (rec.crafts.metalworking) has more active welders.
I'll look in those forums.

----------------------

I try to help when I can, but my MIG welding skill is barely adequate to let
an old car and truck pass inspection. I've heard that manual and writing
skill occur together even less often in Britain than in America.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2MKhm99hgpBrV79K47Mycbh/persian-poets-need-not-apply-29-march-2002

-jsw

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