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  #11  
Old 08-05-2020, 03:09 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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A few last items ...
Getting a used/rebuilt oxy-hydrogen generator can be a good thing, as far as medical machines go. They can be used in parallel to increase volume. AKA water welder, hydro welder, oxy-hydro welder, etc etc, Henes used to be the "go-to" company for these, decades ago. Old is new, once again.
O/H has limitations by thermal output, so melting metals at about 1600F is probably about the top range - so aluminum at 1250F melts right along.
And flame polishing Lexan / Lucite edges ...
Yes, I've hooked up an O/A cutting torch so I could demo O/H welding of coupons from 10X10 in, down to 2X4in. Teaches a lot about flame control.
On thin materials, only the side of the flame is used so the torch is aimed horizontal and parallel to the surface.

Seeing old Vignale Coachworks' welds on .050" aluminum, with a bead half inch to 5/8 in wide means torch control, and the guy is moving right along.

For guys who already have tig, the torch can be a good add-on, but there is no foot control, but some have thought about adding one.

O/A offers cutting, also - and cutting also with a welding torch, like the old muffler shops did in the 1950's - 60's.
Some guys start stick welding and add the O/A torch.
One problem came up here in California in 1990 - dirty acetylene, from the Main generation plant. We fought with that for years, AirGas denying all the while. Oregon - no problem. AK - no problem. Ireland, no problem. TX and WI, PA, FL no problem. Sigh.

Greasy nasty welds on aluminum top surfaces. On steel no one notices.

They finally got their archaic generation plant cleaned up, 2002 - 2004, but we had already come up with a fuel gas filter that gets rid of 97% of the impurities. Calcium carbide is produced pure in the US, but not so pure overseas ... but it's cheap, though. Dirty carbide also = dirty fuel gas.

So, AirGas makes clean gas now, though the dirty old bottles are circulating around the US, yet.

Caveat Emptor.
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Last edited by crystallographic; 08-05-2020 at 03:14 PM.
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  #12  
Old 08-06-2020, 02:57 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Default gas welding aluminum D Jag

Just in -
photos of a little project coming together ...
D Jag body being made up/fabricated/shaped


welding D Jag.jpg
Gas welding the .050 aluminum using O/A.

NOTE: water bucket always handy!
(TM Tech welding gear ...)
D Jag - planishing.jpg
One man planishing welds on front clip
(TM Hammer ...)
D Jag - 2 man planishing.jpg
2-man planishing, TM Hammer


Minor note:

The TM hammers have planishing tooling for aluminum that will shrink while straightening.
And tooling that planishes without stretching the aluminum.
And tooling that hardens soft aluminum without stretching.

These items are very handy when doing large jobs like this.
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Last edited by crystallographic; 08-06-2020 at 03:00 PM.
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  #13  
Old 08-06-2020, 03:39 PM
Moving Molecules . Moving Molecules . is offline
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D. Type...... CKL is Local to me in Battle UK ....John the main Panelbeater is at the Top of his game.
He has brought TM Products for Gas welding.
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  #14  
Old 08-09-2020, 01:44 AM
steve.murphy steve.murphy is offline
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Default Oxy hydrogens generator

A question for Kent.
With the OH generators you mentioned, do you still need oxygen as a second gas or is it also a output of the electrolysis process?
It sounds like it has potential but I don’t want to be blowing myself up.
Thank you,
Steve
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Last edited by steve.murphy; 08-09-2020 at 01:48 AM.
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  #15  
Old 08-09-2020, 11:19 AM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve.murphy View Post
A question for Kent.
With the OH generators you mentioned, do you still need oxygen as a second gas or is it also a output of the electrolysis process?
It sounds like it has potential but I don’t want to be blowing myself up.
Thank you,
Steve

I think the small generators simply break water, H2O, down into its components, O2 and H2. These generators have been used across the US for many years, and I have never seen/heard reports of them making mischief for owner/operators. Anyone?

If you have had prior personal experience with things unexpectedly "blowing up" near you, you might want to stick with CO2, Ar, and He.
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  #16  
Old 08-10-2020, 09:30 AM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystallographic View Post
I think the small generators simply break water, H2O, down into its components, O2 and H2. These generators have been used across the US for many years, and I have never seen/heard reports of them making mischief for owner/operators. Anyone?

If you have had prior personal experience with things unexpectedly "blowing up" near you, you might want to stick with CO2, Ar, and He.

I forgot to address the Oxygen Concentrators, or "molecular sieves" which sift/filter the air so that the oxygen content rises considerably:
These can be obtained used or rebuilt, and fairly inexpensively, for usage to supply welding oxygen. They can also be run in parallel so a number of machines supply enough to weld automotive sheet and tubing. Jewelers have used them for years, for melting small ingots and for general brazing. I know of a few welders aiso, who got them for soldering, brazing and gas welding thin sheet - <.063 aluminum.
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  #17  
Old 08-29-2020, 11:39 PM
Onicam1962 Onicam1962 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by billfunk29 View Post
You don't need to have a bottle of Hydrogen to weld. I have a hydrogen generator torch, uses water and electricity to make the hydrogen. It works very well but not a strong flame. Made for jewelry. Great for thin sheet. Bigger units are available.
https://www.gesswein.com/p-1447-hydr...ter-torch.aspx
So for me, wanting to get into gas welding aluminum sheet (063 and thinner) would a hydro-welder like this actually work? I have limited space in my garage, and my TiG, MiG, and Plasma are already filling up space. I'd like to avoid having even more gas bottles taking up space.

I bought the flux from Tinman a while back...It's just been sitting, waiting for me to invest in a gas welding setup. The manufacturer of that unit in your link sells directly...in fact, they sell factory refurbs for around a grand.

Would a unit like this be a smart idea, in lieu of a traditional O/A setup? Do the little nozzles on the torch produce enough "umph" to do the job? It appears at though there's a flux that is produced in the chemical process of converting to hydrogen....would I still use the flux I got from Kent? Now that summer is winding down, I'll have more time to spend in my garage with my metal shaping activities.

Mike
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Last edited by Onicam1962; 08-30-2020 at 01:22 AM.
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  #18  
Old 08-30-2020, 11:05 PM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Onicam1962 View Post
So for me, wanting to get into gas welding aluminum sheet (063 and thinner) would a hydro-welder like this actually work? I have limited space in my garage, and my TiG, MiG, and Plasma are already filling up space. I'd like to avoid having even more gas bottles taking up space.

I bought the flux from Tinman a while back...It's just been sitting, waiting for me to invest in a gas welding setup. The manufacturer of that unit in your link sells directly...in fact, they sell factory refurbs for around a grand.

Would a unit like this be a smart idea, in lieu of a traditional O/A setup? Do the little nozzles on the torch produce enough "umph" to do the job? It appears at though there's a flux that is produced in the chemical process of converting to hydrogen....would I still use the flux I got from Kent? Now that summer is winding down, I'll have more time to spend in my garage with my metal shaping activities.

Mike

Get the gas flow numbers for welding what you want and match your generator(s) to that.
Flux remains the same.
Filler remains the same.
Hydrogen welds the same as acet, but you have to learn to set your flame.
F'book film on Hydrogen welding on aircraft: https://www.facebook.com/TM-Technolo...55187514488690
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  #19  
Old 08-31-2020, 01:40 AM
lots2learn lots2learn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skintkarter View Post
Kent is the oxy/hydrogen man (oft used in aircraft work I gather). Quite a few of the whizzy tig guys use an argon/hydrogen mix for greater penetration.
Did you mean the TIG guys use Argon/Helium mix for greater penetration?
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  #20  
Old 09-01-2020, 08:45 PM
Onicam1962 Onicam1962 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystallographic View Post
Get the gas flow numbers for welding what you want and match your generator(s) to that.
Flux remains the same.
Filler remains the same.
Hydrogen welds the same as acet, but you have to learn to set your flame.
F'book film on Hydrogen welding on aircraft: https://www.facebook.com/TM-Technolo...55187514488690
Looks like the max output is 3psi on oxygen and hydrogen with that generator from the link above.
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