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Which Welding process?

2K views 34 replies 16 participants last post by  m-dub 
#1 ·
Alrighty then,
Im attending Suny Delhi in NY and majoring in welding technology and also taking metallurgy and such.Iv already passed the Stick and Oxy and MIG, but yet to touch TIG.

I still have much to learn about different metal characteristics and welding processes, but as of right now i am just playing around in a 3D CAD program i have to see what suspension designs and sh1t like that, TIG SEEMS to be the craze, but i heard on some sites that oxyacetylene will do the job too? for me oxy is quite easy and fun, but is the tensile strength high enough to pass for a mild steel downhill mountain bike frame?
Im also looking at which material to use- if I use one of the allimunum alloy series, I will use most likely MIG it (ugly welds i know, but for a first handmade frame, why not)

Im not planning on officially trying to create a downhill anytime soon at all, as said before i still have lots to learn, but hopefully some smartys on this site can steer me in the right direction with which material, and which welding process

gracias

p.s.. suspension design is another issue :D
 
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#4 ·
I just got out of school back in kansas for welding. I would TIG everything. I would do TIG even if I was doing a downhill steel frame. Your going have the best penetration and less heat distortion over the whole area you weld. You can TIG titanium also. I would learn TIG. I would try to find an old oven to bake your frames in, or something of sorts.
 
#6 ·
thegromit,

I was under the impression that MIG had a smaller heat affected zone due to the higher filler-to-heat ratio, despite having less control of the heat.

How does TIG compare to MIG when welding thicker materials like 11 gauge thru 1/4" steel?

BTW, anyone have any pictures of a robotic TIG machine? Some of the seams on my Giant Faith were clearly done by machine and they're ridiculously even.
 
#8 ·
i am not expert at all. But i own a oxy, stick and tig and tig is far easier to weld than the oxy. But a tig can't heat metal or cut like a oxy. But since you are just learning and experimiting do it with what ever you have access to. There is going to be alot of R&D and it will be a while or atleast many attempts before you make something really nice. But that's how it works, trial and error. Steel is easier to work with than aluminum (atleast for me) and cheaper so you might want to try your first one out of that then move to aluminum than maybe Ti if you get really good.

Your knowledge is probalby past mine after you finish your classes as mine is just self tought in my garage or by friends that are welders showing me things or telling me what i did wrong. But I also know you can read a book 1000 times but until you start doing it you won't really figure it out.
 
#9 ·
brent878 said:
Your knowledge is probalby past mine after you finish your classes as mine is just self tought in my garage or by friends that are welders showing me things or telling me what i did wrong. But I also know you can read a book 1000 times but until you start doing it you won't really figure it out.
That sounds like how I learned it, and I am still learning new things all the time. I always thought that since you can control your amps while TIG welding you can control the Heat Effected Zone easier.
 
#18 ·
M1_joel said:
im jealous of your studies. i wish i could be more than self taught. you'll enjoy reading this bicycle site. lots of good techy information. i felt really small after reading this.
https://www.strongframes.com/design_&_fabrication/fab/

but i'll stick to making things that are not structural or could potentially kill someone if they fail. i dont trust myself.







that thing is awesome..the only good lookin lincoln i have ever seen
 
#19 ·
M1_joel said:
im jealous of your studies. i wish i could be more than self taught. you'll enjoy reading this bicycle site. lots of good techy information. i felt really small after reading this.
https://www.strongframes.com/design_&_fabrication/fab/

but i'll stick to making things that are not structural or could potentially kill someone if they fail. i dont trust myself.







yea, this is cooler and cooler the more i look at it. did you use rod ends as the feet? got any more close up shots?
 
#21 ·
d_m_b said:
fantastic work on that table...very creative

really? ever seen one of these?


or these?


lincoln had some classics...
it was a bit sarcastic(I always forget to add the ;) :thumbsup: :p) i do love the suicide doors on the conti. along with white walls

the custom hotrod things arent much my taste..but i can appreciate the work..is that a roose? i remember seeing that thing somewhere. you gotta admit the table has about as much lincoln metal in it as that thing(more ;) :thumbsup: :p) ??
 
#23 ·
Mikey_C said:
it was a bit sarcastic(I always forget to add the ;) :thumbsup: :p) i do love the suicide doors on the conti. along with white walls

the custom hotrod things arent much my taste..but i can appreciate the work..is that a roose? i remember seeing that thing somewhere. you gotta admit the table has about as much lincoln metal in it as that thing(more ;) :thumbsup: :p) ??
heh...all right, just makin sure, since i'm sure some people on this board actually aren't familiar with the classic lincoln steel and just judge the make by the models of the past 20 years. not sure who rodded that zephyr...just grabbed the link real quick.
 
#24 ·
Oxyfuel will give you the basic feel of TIG and is a great way to learn. TIG offers far more control, reliability and cleanliness. Its way east to contaminate your welds with the oxyfuel process.
MIG welding a bike together is dumb. Unless you made it really thick, the tubing just can't take the heat. It will warp and walk and melt through faster than you could ever weld. And if you did manage to lay some welds that looked good I guarantee they would break because they were too cold.
Wait till you get to TIG, its fun as all hell!
 
#26 ·


these were CNC plasma cut out of 1/4 plate. my early ones were water jet from much thinner material and we boring. But i do like the rod ends because they allow you to level th table on any surface and it will not rock due to imperfections in the floor or in the table. i like the 1/4 much better.

this is an early table with the thin guage "feet"
 
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