Welding Helmet Mod

[JohnB]

I learned O&A welding in my father's shop using
simple & small welding goggles.

When I started construction of the O&O I opted for Tig
to learn a new (for me) technology.That meant learning to use a larger tig welding helmet, so
when i noted a suggestion for reducingthe helmet size I was interested.I removed the lower 3 3/4" helmet chin area all around
(looks like a lemon wedge) and replaced thiswith worn Jean Dinem Fabric.& alum pop rivits.
Advantages as I found them:
1. The smaller helmet is easier to move around inside the
airframe.
2. Best advantage is you can get your head & helmet
turned further down & more on top of weldbecause removed helmet chin area no longer restricts your
movement.
3. When you move the helmet up to reposition for welding,
the before helmet chin extensionis is nolonger bang'g in to the airframe.
4. When you take the helmet off to lay it down on a table 
it does not tend to roll over scratching the clear
protective welding lens, eg my helmet tended to do about
helmet chin point.
5. To date I have found no disavantages.
6. IMO, Tig airframe welders should consider this
idea.wrb


Guys , I picked this up off the Tailwind Forum and Randall Bray was kind enough to let me repost.  I have modified one of my hods and it works GREAT, much easier to get your head inside the fuselage when finish welding the clusters.   I used some scrap leather instead but I think I'll replace it with two layers of denim.

LO&SLO    John Bolding

[Nical]

When I tig welded my LX fuselage last fall, the number one hassle was the helmet. This suggestion is a fine idea. Sigh. Also, there was a post about the 1/16 Italian Eros 70 copper free rod. Recently I bought some to try out. It is beautiful stuff. It flows marvelously. I would attach a picture but don't know how. Sigh again. Anyhow it has become the filler rod of choice around here.
   Nick L

[JohnB]

OK fess up, I need to try this rod.   Where is it available?    THANKS   John Bolding

[Nical]

PM me and I will send you a sample.
   Nick L

[okdonn]

John, I bought it at Amazon - "INETIG COPPER FREE ER70S-6 1/16 x 36-Inch in 10-Pound Tube".
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089VZPK2

[JLee]

What would be wrong with mig welding if the person is very strong in that area

[Dan_]

There is nothing wrong with it per se.  There are many problems with it however that do not meet the eye when used by the average bear.

Basically it is very easy to make the tubing brittle, and it is very easy to have cold lap, and lack of penetration.


If you are that good a weldor why are you not wanting to gas weld it..?  

If you must use mig...  

First and formost PRE-HEAT the tubing before you fire up on it...  

ALSO, get .028 wire, use high argon content gas mix, get a 220 volt machine and never ever plug it into an extension cord.

Have you read the article attached below written by Budd Davission..?

Another is posted on his web site... Zen and the art of the weld puddle.

P.S.
Both of these files have been added to the download section...

[JLee]

Those are great articles! The reason why i was asking besides curiosity is because i know several builders and kit makers use mig (american champion, kitfox,maule, and others)  i prefer mig due to the speed of it but i understand we arent racing here!! Thanks for the articles

[Dan_]

i prefer mig due to the speed of it but i understand we arent racing here!!

There is Zen in that Oxy-Acet puddle.  
It could be the way the heat and surface tension rides herd on the puddle, or it could be breathing the fumes...

[scottiniowa]

There are so many things involved with the differences between gas, tig and mig welded  frames, that it would be hard to cover in a forum. (but have often been covered or attempted to be done) 

But as Dan pointed out, just a few post ago, the very fact of brittle tubing becoming the problem is perhaps the most prevalent reason.  But I would like to dive into this a bit more- because I often find, the NON-believers, here it but never hear the reason why.

OK, lets look at the process differences.

• gas welding- we heat and manipulate the puddle, using control of the heat and rod to do so.  And yes, what we use for the rod, is one of the choices we make.
• Tig welding- (think of above, but just a little quicker and perhaps a bit more control, but more expensive on all but the fill rod level)  we heat and manipulate the puddle, using control of the heat and rod to do so.  And yes, what we use for the rod, is one of the choices we make.  If that looked like a repeat, it was intended to be so.  These two methods can be argues in many directions but it generally comes down to these few things.
• MIG welding- What wire, what temp, how long, what method...Did you really pull the trigger weld for 2 seconds and move on? so many details...can it be done? of course! Is it is the same as welding a trailer frame of mild steel, not in the least.  (think simply, have you MIG welded .035 material of chro-moly before) or- would you welded a .035 material the same as .250 material... again, NO.  

All that being said, are there aircraft companies doing this?  yes.  Are they doing this using the same methods for welding trailer frames or 1018 steel, NO

I have done many talks on this, and every single person that says they can do it perfect for the first time, without never having done practice, would get little credit in my book. Just not the same.  Often when pressed on the subject they start out saying- " well you know, I am a good welder, and I just weld up like I usually do"  and then asked -and what that might that be?   Gets pretty quiet.   Again, it can be done, just not they way 90% of the folks describe or think they can.

[JLee]

I knew this was a touchy subject! Scott you are correct it is a totally different process than a trailer. I have welded .035 chromoly a great deal with good results so far. I use the same wire and setup as used at maule , took a little while to get used to the technique tho. I was more curious as to why people are so much against it but after reading several post I understand that it would be easy for a person who can build a trailer to mistakenly think it's the same when it's a totally different animal!

[Tom XL-7]

Let's use dissimilar thicknesses as an example. Something heavy with a large heat sink say .125 and some  .035 tube.
There is something very comforting in the ability to see inside the puddle. For you non welders , I am serious. There is a pool of molten metal and as a gas welder I have a #5 face shield which is nothing more than cheap sunglasses. But this pool is clear, not translucent,  clear with a few little impurities swirling on the surface. I can adjust the heat going to the cold side  or backing off with just pointing the torch in real time. No knobs to twist. The key  is I can see that I am melting and penetrating both parent metals.
 My first experience with mig was " Look you can write your name with it". Useful to identify an excavator bucket I'm sure. But there was no idea of weld quality.
 I was duly impressed and walked away knowing I had seen the future. The options at the time were stick and some hyper-expensive mystical process called Heli-Arc. They could weld alum. with that.-Amazing.
  I am not bad mouthing Mig.  But It is that torch that you can control so effectively that makes Tig and gas the preferred methods for homebuilding aircraft. 
 Tom XL-7

[scottiniowa]

I knew this was a touchy subject! Scott you are correct it is a totally different process than a trailer. I have welded .035 chromoly a great deal with good results so far. I use the same wire and setup as used at maule , took a little while to get used to the technique tho. I was more curious as to why people are so much against it but after reading several post I understand that it would be easy for a person who can build a trailer to mistakenly think it's the same when it's a totally different animal!

JLee,  not touchy for me. When the whole story is told- such as your statement, "[font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', 'Liberation Sans', 'Nimbus Sans L', Arial, sans-serif]I use the same wire and setup as used at maule , took a little while to get used to the technique tho. " [/font]
That completely changes the context of the general MIG questions.  see below or many other post on this.

And to answer the second part-  I was more curious as to why people are so much against it but after reading several post I understand that it would be easy for a person who can build a trailer to mistakenly think it's the same when it's a totally different animal!
That would simply be, most don't put the details in the question, thus allowing many to guess and rightfully so, that this is a general MIG welding question on airframes.

Just like students asking me to "teach them to weld" I would often (always) have to ask,  weld what? with what?  Completely different are answers depending on the answers to questions.

[JLee]

Very true!!