Titanium welding help please

Make a new one out of 6061..

I once certified on Titianium while in the U.S.A.F. At that time certification was done in a closed box flooded with argon. Later a friend who was stationed at another base doing repairs to air conditioning and pressurization ducts - these would have been tubes from say 6 inches to a foot in diameter and approximately 0.015" thick

- told me that they did these without a chamber by plugging both ends of the tube with sponge plugs, and inserting a flow line from a argon flow gage. The outside, from which the welding, was done was protected by the argon flow from the torch.

As an aside, for certification any color change, on either side of the tags, was reason for rejection.

-- John B.

You might try one of those oven "brown and serve" bags pumped with Argon as a shield.

BobH

I wonder if the various protective coatings for hardening cutting tools might help. I've had good luck with a thin layer of Ivory soap.

jsw

If the part is cosmetic only then why worry so much about purging. You can simply wrap the piece in aluminum foil to channel argon around the whole part.

Aluminum foil, aluminum foil tape, and small diameter stainless hydraulic tubing are the essential back-purging ingredients.

I have spent many many hours welding stainless pipe and tube, purging by folding aluminum foil so it is 4 layers thick, wrapping it over the end of the tube and securing it with either foil tape or a spring clamp made from stainless TIG rod.

Use small stainless hydraulic tube to pipe the argon in so you don't melt your gas hose. Hydraulic tube can be bent again and again, so it can be used many times.

Thanks Everyone for the replies. Especially the useful ones. I'll use Ernie's idea about aluminum foil. It should be really easy to set up for just one part. I also liked the idea of the bag but the foil will be easiest and since I have a practice piece I'll know if it's working by watching for color change. Eric