I can tig aluminum!!! (kinda)

[runchman]

My neighbor had a project for me - machine a flange out of aluminum to bolt to a magnetron, and weld up some 1/16" aluminum sheet to make an antenna out of.

Well I'm *real* new to aluminum, but some of it actually came out ok so I'm quite excited. Love the pulser for this thin stuff, almost makes it seem easy.

And I now understand the clean, clean, clean again advice. Makes a huge difference.

- John

(oh yeah it isn't me in the photo, that's my neighbor the mad scientist)

[ZTFab]

Well, I don't know what the he!! it is or what it does but it looks like you did a pretty good job.

16ga can be really hard when you don't have a lot of experience with alu. especially when trying to weld thick to thin.

Some of the beads look really nice.

Good job.

- Paul

[zapster]

Ahhhh grasshopper...it is still not time for you to leave..

but you have learned much..

when you can snatch the tigtorch out of my hand..
it will be time for you to leave..







or something like that..

keep going...
getting fun finally is'nt it...

...zap!

[runchman]

I'm a wicked long way from snatching the tig torch out of anyones hand, let alone the master zapster.

thanks for the kind words, it is really exciting to have aluminum finally kinda 'click' for me.

As to what this beast is, Dave has a small contract from the gov't to make a 'car killer' - this thing blasts powerful pulses of microwaves at an auto some distance away, disabling its electronic systems and hence its operation.

That's the idea anyway. He knows his **** with that kind of stuff, I just hope he doesn't point it at me while he tests it !

- John

[ZTFab]

"Weld on, Weld off!"

"Weld on, Weld off!"

"Paint the fence, paint the fence!"

Ha ha ha...

[runchman]

Originally Posted by ZTFab

"Weld on, Weld off!"

"Weld on, Weld off!"

"Paint the fence, paint the fence!"

Ha ha ha...

Anyone that hasn't seen that movie is gonna wonder what the heck you're talking about

[MicroZone]

Hahahaaa, good stuff. That device is cool.

[zapster]

thanks for the kind words, it is really exciting to have aluminum finally kinda 'click' for me.

believe it or not...tomorrow it will get even better..

"sleep on it" as they say..

it works!

clean clean clean..

...zap!

[Trevor33]

Looks nice

[FearcityINC]

If that thing kills a car, what does it do to the driver

[runchman]

Supposedly no damage unless it hits someone with a pacemaker. Kinda scary!

- John

[slamdvw]

glad I drive an older mechanical diesel

nice welds by the way.!!

[runchman]

Originally Posted by slamdvw

glad I drive an older mechanical diesel

nice welds by the way.!!

Thanks, of course I didn't photograph the ones that looked like crap. And believe me, some of them sure did. We didn't weld the entire length of the seam between the 1/16 sides; started too, but warpage got the best of me. Once a gap opens up, it seems very challenging to fill it.

I suppose I should tack every 6" or so and then go back and fill in. Anyway I'm still very satisfied with even being able to 'stick together' some aluminum.

- John

[Joe H]

That isn't the first one of those things,. Lots of HV hobbiests have built microwave guns. I'd be really suprised if that thing would disable a car... It will however set fire to objects 20' away, rapidly cause cancer, and cook you from the inside out. It would be wise to stay very far away from that thing, no matter which way it is pointing.

The metal body of the car should reflect microwaves, preventing any damage.

[fun4now.]

the cops could shore use one of them that work, too dam many just running off and tearing **** up in the process.

[runchman]

He (my neighbor) has also made another car-killer version that uses a giant pulse of energy, but needs to be underneath the car.

It induces a voltage difference on the engine ground compared with the chassis ground, by utilizing the inductance of the ground cable between the two. This difference in potential then wipes out the protection diodes on the cars computer, rendering it kaput.

On the welding front Ive been cleaning up the welds on this beastie, and am really feeling like Im getting the feel of aluminum. Awesome!

- John

P.S. for some reason on firefox, when I hit the apostrophe I get the firefox search window instead of my apostrophe. Makes contractions impossible, hence the im and ive above.

[lorenzo]

Originally Posted by runchman

I suppose I should tack every 6" or so and then go back and fill in. Anyway I'm still very satisfied with even being able to 'stick together' some aluminum.

- John

Placing a small tack along to joint will definitely help