Crappy welds and a new helmet

Not that the two are related , I'm just lazy and only wanted to make one post .

welding them with some Invar 42 bare rod . Tried some 312 SS but it was too close to the melting temp of the rods ,and I just ain't that good a welder . The nickel/iron rod works a lot better , but I'm still getting some oxidation in the weld zone . Particulars are 27 amps DCEN with 15 CFH argon flow thru a #7 cup on a gas lens and a 1/16" thoriated tungsten . I've also tried some lanthanated but those didn't seem to work as well . I'm thinking about putting a shield of some kind behind/below the rods (I'm using my lathe as an alignment fixture , and no I'm not running any current thru the spindle bearings) to confine my shield gas and see if that helps .

decided to get set up and do some trial runs . Lit off the torch and the helmet didn't respond ... that one is a HF cheapie , I think I paid about 40 bucks for it on sale . So last night I look at the new HF flier , and there's a Vulcan that looks pretty damn good for $149.95 , especially since there's a 20% off coupon in the flier too but ... turns out that there are exclusions , in print so fine that you literally need a magnifying glass to read it . And anything Vulcan is on the list . So I bought the damn thing anyway . It's a really nice helmet (stock #63749) , multi-range with grind mode and all kinds of adjustments . And all the controls are on the auto-dark cartridge , none on the outside . I almost walked , but considered this unit is supposed to be comparable (specs are anyway) to much more expensive "name brand" helmets . And it works very very well . I'm still a little pissed about the coupon thing , but I guess I'll get over it .

Reply to
Terry Coombs
Loading thread data ...

I've had good luck with shields and MIG welding. I've watched guys on youtube and instagram using aluminum/steel foil to make custom shields for TIG. Some use purge blocks too. They add a Y connector or another flow regulator to feed the purge block. Going by the images posted it works wonders for materials needing shield gas. Remember that Argon is heavier than air and will want to flow downwards.

Another thing to watch for is that you don't have some sort of air flow in the room disrupting your shield gas. One of the guys found the exhaust fan on the welder causing this and another had to shut down the swamp cooler fan. You can use an incense stick to check for drafts.

Yeah, they've been adding those exclusions for sometime now. You need a separate coupon for Vulcan stuff or individual coupon for that helmet. It is well worth checking the coupons listed at this site before you go:

formatting link

I don't see any right now, nor in my personal coupon stash. I'll keep watch though and if I see something pass it on. If I remember correctly they will apply the coupon retroactively and give you a refund. Not sure for how long though...

And thanks for the HF #63749 Helmet review :)

Reply to
Leon Fisk

I'm still getting

A trick is to put a small bright light behind you and hold up the torch and turn on the gas flow. You can see the argon blanket projected on a white surface. See if it looks like a laminar flow smoothly coming out of the torch. If not, something in the gas lens or cup is not working right. A plain torch will show a lot of turbulent mixing of the flow. It is at least possible you have too MUCH gas flow and it is becoming turbulent.

You need to use a gas lens in a very breeze-free environment. Even the cooling fans in the welder can stir up the air enough to defeat the gas lens.

And, of course, leave the torch in position until the post-flow times out to continue to shield the hot parts.

These have cheap button cell batteries in them, that go bad after a while. I usually leave mine in bright light for a few hours before using it, that seems to help. But, if the batteries are dead, you can replace them.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson
**************

I might like having all the controls on the inside. My big complaint about the Lincoln is the shade adjust knob broke off, and the shade no longer adjusts. Its always on he darkest setting now when it trips.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

On Wednesday, July 11, 2018 at 7:56:27 AM UTC-4, Terry Coombs wrote: .

, I

Don't throw your old helmet away. On AliExpress you can buy replacement lens assemblies for about $10 including shipping. It has been some time s ince I got one, so I did a quick seach and found one for $4.21 including s hipping.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

s , I

lens assemblies for about $10 including shipping. It has been some time since I got one, so I did a quick seach and found one for $4.21 including shipping.

If his HF cheapie is like mine the helmet sucks big time. It doesn't sit well on your head and the top rear is wide open. Works great for dingle berries coming in for a visit... You would be better off taking the auto lens out and putting it in a better helmet :)

I saved instructions a while back for fixing the battery problem. Seems to be here now:

formatting link

Looks like there are several youtube videos for same:

formatting link

They don't work well with most inverter TIGs from what I've heard. The arc is too smooth to trip the auto-dark consistently. They work best with gnarly arcs, lots of flickering going on.

Reply to
Leon Fisk

pulse ... when on DC . Welding aluminum on AC seemed to work pretty well though without pulsing .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Yeah, the helmets do need draperies at the back. I keep meaning to pop-rivet a black cloth over the top at the back. Time to write it down on my whiteboard, so I see it every day until done.

I take mine out into the sun for a couple minutes while I set up to weld, and it works flawlessly with the HF inverter TIG welder.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

welding them with some Invar 42 bare rod ."

they held up just fine . Got 18 more to make , should take just a couple or three hours now I got it figgered out .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Kudos.

Get off my lawn!

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Vulcan coupons just came out, your new helmet is one of them. At the bottom of the page they state:

"Original coupon only. No use on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase or without original receipt."

So you should be able to get a price adjustment/refund.

Code: 49408568 for $129.99 until 7/29/18

formatting link

You can view all of them here:

formatting link

Reply to
Leon Fisk

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.