I've been welding professionally for 24 years, I think his process and the particular look he is achieving are great. Something I would do? Probably not unless the job requires that unique look. For the judgmental junior welders in the comments, Stacking dimes for its own sake is welder porn, there isn't anything wrong with what this guy is doing even if it would give your welding school teacher a new hemorrhoid just by looking at it
I've always wondered about that. As a woodworker, it looks like somebody joined two pieces of wood then left all the glue squeeze out. Whenever I have to weld I grind down the weld then Etch prime and paint. But I am far from a welding professional. Just a simple cabinet maker.
That looks pretty good bud. As you get better and more confident with your welds, don't be afraid to weld up a frame with silicon bronze. It's how all the frames in the 19th and early 20th century were done, by torch brazing. And they were more than strong enough. As a professional welder myself, I wouldn't second guess it. Once I get my frame jig built, making a frame with silicon bronze will be on the to do list.
My friends dad who raced formula "V" told him and I to build our sandrails with brazing rod. We did and non of the joints failed. That was 40 years ago. Both buggies still run to this day.
@@jofixersr That makes sense for something like that, taking a constant beating and needing to flex. Plus the silicon bronze won't corrode in the salt water conditions, so the joints stay strong.
For corners and tight radiuses, try cutting a fine or medium grit sanding wheel with a pair of scissors into a square...works like a charm to get into tight corners with your angle grinder.
the "thingy" it's a mandrel for cartridge roll abrasives, also used in porting cylinder heads, intake/exhaust ports, valve bowls and such. Clean brazing! (TIG brazing, this would be called by pro welders) Also those same ErCuSi "welds" (brazing) with a heavy fillet can work as structural. Old bikeframes were held by brass or nickel silver brazing and it's actually wiser from the point of view of chassis building, instead of transferring stress to frame members it prevents shockwaves from being sent all over the frame. And the components take a lot less of heat input.
I've been using this method (minus the silicon bronze) to clean up my standard tig welds for ages, but this puts a whole new light on it for me. Great stuff mate, keep up the good work. You scored a sub from me 👍
Nice work , but I like my TIG welds to show . Nothing looks better than a perfect stack of dimes . It took me years to get it right , now I am proud to show them off .
Great job! One thing you might consider are unitized wheels like 3M deburr & finish pro. They are made to be used on the edge and can work quicker and more precisely in refining your weld. Another option could be a file belt sander with a 1/4” wide belt on a v shaped contact roll.
Nice look and great vid without the crap talk, cheers man. 🤘🏼 I do get what all the pro’s talking stacks of dimes and showing off the welds are saying as you would, but let’s face it, chances are they ain’t “buying welds” or getting someone like yourself (self proclaimed no pro) to weld something up for them. I’m certainly no pro either. I do love the skilled work of those that can CONSISTENTLY achieve it, but I think 9 out of ten would appreciate the look you’re achieving. Especially if it’s going to be powder coated. Keep up the great work man.
Silicone bronze brazing is so so misunderstood & incorrectly judged, especially in North America. A proper silicone bronze brazed join is certainly strong. Just think about it this way, many WW2 fighter & bomber frames were bronze brazed & they underwent huge stress from maneuvering & engine vibration. Race cars & even today Ariel Atoms are bronze brazed. Silicone bronze brazed joins should have a larger join profile (surface coverage) versus a standard MIG or TIG weld as this spreads the stress loading on the join. Silicone bronze joins are excellent at absorbing vibration versus tradition MIG or TIG welds that can harden the area around the weld, & unless the TIG or MIG weld is done by an expert, there is a risk of metal embrittlement. Silicone bronze brazing is an art & used to be done using Oxy Acetylene (OA), but gas welding is a dying art as its typically slower & less time efficient than MIG or TIG, so it was phased out as time is money. If you want to see some expert Silicone bronze brazing - check out a channel called 'Stubby Cuts'.
Too true , for years it was used on F1 space frames and suspension parts because it could take more vibration and stress , where a steel weld was more brittle. All the original Lotus space frames even up to the Lotus 7 or Caterham 7 were bronze welded Modern Caterhams are MIG welded Just to add lots of racing bikes ( the ones with pedals ) were brazed together as the metal tubes were very thin for lightness , that is lugged and lugless frames with just a fillet brazed joint
@@RPaton That was a great call , being a cyclist, a Lotus 7 owner and an engineer I have just had a quick look at his channel , seems very interesting , Thanks !
@@budbud2509 There are others; Have a look at Brian Ashcroft Bronze Welding an Ariel Atom. Brian Curtis of Curtis bikes. Lee Cooper bronze welding a bike frame on Engineered daily TV channel.
Like you said we're all learning (been welding for 2months so far), starting off with a barrel grill, maybe o e day I'll work/build on my own motorcycle
Most people wo t show when they have to do little touch ups, or adding a little filler in this case. Then you go back and grind again. Back n forth until its perfect. We all go through this, and im glad somebody finally shows how it actually goes instead of leaving out those imperfect takes
Ha! I was looking to see if anyone did it this way. Retired welder here and master of SS welding and finishing. I used to dress the Dynafile wheels to a point for finishing smaller welds and use worn belts to rough in the finish before going to the finer belts. The Dynafile is an incredibly useful tool that most people never heard of.
@@Chainsnsprockets402 It looks really strange at first. I've had to work 4 copes on a corner section of stainless. Walked that wheel right into the armpit of that beast. At least our welder was really clean.
Yes, angle the wheel to match the radius you want without undercutting the parent metal. We did a lot of 3A Dairy spec equipment that required a minimum 3/8” radius on inside corners. Very few fabricators could handle jobs with those specs. Never enjoyed doing them...too labor intensive.
@@Chainsnsprockets402 I was considering entering into the pharmaceutical/dairy side of it. The 6" grinder with flap wheel all day long wasn't an ideal thought. I used it to blend butt joints and vanish welds but that was maybe 7 minutes. Occasionally the outside of a bend of I was feeling lazy and didn't want to mess with the 3" angle. Did aluminum too. Switching between the 2 was dangerous on a Monday or a Friday 🤣
@@AquarianNomadicI hear that. Pushing a grinder all day sucks! Most of the machines I built were on the small side so it wasn’t too bad but when it came to larger jobs we sent them out to be polished. My favorite jobs were 2b stainless. Weld it, brush the discoloration out and move on. Did a little aluminum also. Nice change of pace. Seemed like just when I was getting well aquatinted with it ,the job was done...lol.
Nice work. Seems to give you the nice clean look of brazed joints by just changing your welding rod material, which is great if you don’t already have the equipment and skill to braze.
Been doing this for years. BE CAREFUL - Just focus on the weld. I see people running across the weld and making "lumps" in their tubing. Nice job. Enjoyed your video!
Love your craftsmanship I totally agree with the direction very wise and quality minded you should be proud although you are very humble but I take a lot away from what you present in your video!! Thanks !!
Great tip on cutting the pad backer! Never thought to do that. I do TIG braze for smaller artistic kitchen and household items. Never considered capping beads with it and smoothing out. Definitely taking these tips and will be using them
@yetimachineco when we did this [with ox/acet and bronze brazing rod; we didn'😊t have TIG] to our sandrail frames back in the 80's & 90's, we would get 9" self adhesive DA paper in different grits and cut "ribbon strips" from them, wrap those around 1/4", 3/8" & 1/2" wooden dowels. Cheap, semi-flexible inside radius sanding sticks that were awesome. If you wanted an in-between radius, you left a wrap in the dowel & added another on that, but it was significantly stiffer than a single layer around the dowel. I liked the single layer wrap so it would "warp" around the welds from the center of the inside radius to the almost "flat" part at the extreme outside of the joint. Like it was already feathered before the final "rub down" with the scotchbrite and you were ready for K200 prep. 👍😎👌 The 1/2" was used around 1:30, 4:30, 7:30 & 10:30 areas of the 1 1/2" or 2" main rail joints. If you were working on the 3/4" to anything joints, you would stick with 1/4" or even smaller dowels. Go with what's closest to the actual finished look you want. We tried using plastic dowels and steel rods a few times, but wood dowels were by far the best "compromise" between stiff and flexible for us. Nowadays I might 3D print up some TPU sanding blocks with the 'perfect' radius built into it so I could "lick & stick" the paper to it & get after it. It's all about how far you want to go and where you want to stop for your preferred finish... If it was for my personal rail, I would spend weekends on sanding radius' before i.went to the K200. If I was doing g it for a buddy, I'd spend a few hours & call it 'good enough,' because A. I wanted mi e to look just a little better than his, B. He wasn't paying me: you get what you pay for, C. We wanted to get to the sand more than spend time in the shop. 😂 (He was more than welcome to sand the paint off over the winter & work on his own radius' if he felt the need for.smother blends, I was willing g to.spot-paint and blend them in before rail season started up again, but he never did. 😏)
My grandfather had a friend that used to weld my titanium bicycle frames when I was a kid. Welds so beautiful, it would be a work against god to make them disappear. Great welds look way better than no visible welds. There’s much more art in the weld itself than a bent tube of steel.
@ only about 20% of professional welders can lay visually appealing welds, the technique you show definitely has its place. I’m just saying when the welds are over the top in beauty it’s a travesty to remove their look.
Freakin awesome... I been working on doing this to the furniture I fabricate, but it does not come out this good. Thank you for sharing, this will help. I just subscribed...
Very clean weld. Any reason for using a welder instead of a high temp torch to braze the material over the weld? Never saw welder being used so i'm interested!
@@youp4734 mainly just personal preference. Using the tig torch vs a flame torch tends to be a bit finer. Kinda like using a smaller paint brush to touch up the edges of a paint line. A flame torch would have prolly worked a little better in a couple spots to lay in more material faster.
@@yetimachineco I was taught with Nickel Bronze for max strength the tubes need to be red hot so a lot of warming first needs to take place . I'm not sure if just using TIG is more of a localised heat , so I wonder if it would be as strong as gas welding ?
@@budbud2509 if i was brazing the tubes together it would be a whole different process entirely. This is more using the si-bronze rod as a filler instead of bondo because the frame is being powder coated
@@yetimachineco Yes I can see your point , for what u are doing . I was just wondering if a gas torch used for Si or Nickel Bronze would produce a stronger frame than a Tig brazed frame based on how I was taught about warming the joint up to red hot It would be difficult thing to test equally Just me thinking out loud
There are two different processes one is braze-welding the other is brazing. Brazing has the filler flowing more like a like a river/puddle, & wicking into joints when reqd, and braze-welding is similar to welding all be it at lower temperatures than welding with matching fillers. Aluminum bronze can also be used for higher strength, and Nickel bronze for higher strength again. The fatigue strength of these finished joints will be superior to the welded with similar filler joints, stops powder coating from cracking so readily too I would imagine.
If you were a professional welder who learned about metallurgy, you would know that silicone bronze won't Crack, it finds the microscopic pores in the parent metal and fuzes to them forming a very strong bond with a bit of flex, something you definitely want in motorcycle frame. When you run silicone bronze or bronze brazing over a steel tig, you diminish both, just use one process. You'll find your results astronomically better.
I'd be nervous to ride 70 on a bike frame just TIG brazed with SiBr. I know it's somewhat common to bronze braze with a torch and flux, but usually those have lugs or the braze joints are made really huge to have lots of surface area. Is a TIG braze butt joint really strong enough for this application? I'd be truly nervous it wouldn't flow into the joint well enough.
I was doing something similar on some products I was making starting about 20 years back. They also were powder coated and not painted because they were being mass produced and I liked the look of it all looking like it was one part machined billet part, not welded up tube. In particular I liked a particular part looking as if it were made completely from bar stock (which would actually be stupidly heavy) instead of chrome moly tubing with bar ends. In some cases this is fine, but in others it may be something the builder needs to keep in mind that a tech inspection will not like this on chassis parts. NHRA for example wants to see the actual weld so if it's certain structural parts of a chassis you can't get away with it. For anyone wanting to do this keep in mind to ensure you are getting excellent penetration on your welds and be sure you do not compromise the structural material. That of course is where your use of silcon bronze as filler comes in. I've seen some where the weld has been weakened too much because not enough attention paid to the structure. If you're new to this be very careful about removing material on the tubing, making it too thin and weakening it, or on the weld itself. Not trying to preach to anyone, but I've seen some catastropic failures from massaged welds which is why it's often quite frowned upon. The first ones I did I tested to ensure what I was doing was still as structurally sound. Yeti, yours look great. Sub'd for support and to see more of what you're doing.
aro10, you mention getting excellent penetration on your welds, which implies the Braze Weld with the Silicon Bronze [95% copper/5% silicon] filler material....hopefully you meant the original fusion weld of the steel, and not the braze weld with silicon bronze, .you do not want penetration of the Silicon Bronze into the steel base, you are making a Braze Weld.....this is not a fusion weld where both base and filler are commingled by melting......you are laying down a layer of Bronze that adheres to the base by 'surface tension' similar to a glue like epoxy, thermoplastic, ect... This type of brazing is more difficult with the hotter tig arc, than the oxy/fuel flame......so action is needed to keep from melting the steel base, of course, if you are brazing copper, or one of the many type bronzes, commingling [fusion] is what you do want.......Yeti did a good job of demonstrating his technique for beautifying an existing tig or mig weld, even a stick weld or boxy/fuel weld could be nicely finished this way... hope this may help some of the viewers, Paul down in Central Florida
You can use a carbon electrode with your buzz box to get the same effect. Keep the heat low. Did miles of that filling holes in ductwork in a sheet metal sweat shop.
@yetimachineco Thank you for taking the time to respond, I'm brand new to welding and I've been doing way too much reading trying to figure out what would be suitable. I'm rebuilding a 76 Honda Goldwing, and the factory welds are disgusting. I want to use this process as much as possible to clean it up, and use a clear powder coat on the frame. I think the pops of gold with mostly grey steel will look amazing, but we'll see
I use Oxy Acetylene a lot and think it would make a nicer weld/braze while using bronze rod on mild Steel while fabricating like frames and so. One Proscess and it's done. I'm Hesitant to grind off all material on a Weld or braze. Simply because one weakens the Joint just so it could look Pretty,rather than being Strong. Let me know if You need help. NV. South Africa 🇿🇦
I build bicycle frames with fillet braze joints and oxy acetylene. In theory the brass should create a small fillet inside the joint, then you polish the outside leaving a connection as strong as a mig or tig weld. Slower, but pretty.
@@yetimachineco Silicon Bronze MIG is great for doing large parts and build up on bronze gears...... as far as the gas used, I have tried 100% argon and also 92/8 ar-co2 and 75/25 ar-co2......it is not the prettiest weld you will see as it is somewhat gummy/sticky.....and sluggish.......there is probably a mix with some helium added that might be better, but that is pretty expensive to use......since the arc density of MIG is so much greater than TIG, due to the small area of the arc compared to a TIG arc, you end up putting less heat into the overall base metal..... and the fact that Silicon bronze melts about 1,880 degree f helps in not melting the base material of steel....
@@fighterguy0 i don’t see why not as long as you don’t blast holes through the flame with it. I’d run the thinnest rod possible on some test pieces of similar thickness to get your amps dialed
I'm trying to make some internally wired handlebars with sharper than 90 bends. How can I keep the inside of the weld smooth? Would tacking them together and then filling them with sand keep the welds from getting sharp inside?
I would chamfer the internal corner or that sharp edge of the mitre before welding together. Also try some solar flux B powder as it seems to contain and minimise the protrusion of weld boogers internally. Make a creamy paste with methylated spirits and brush it on lightly on the internal side
Big thing is prep. I would over chamfer the ID of the tubes especially on that inside shap bend and try to get the fit up as close to perfect as possible. Another trick is to get a roll of emery cloth and feed through the bars and try to knock down that inside edge as well as possible. Hope this helps!
That looks great but is it possible to do something similar with a MIG welder? I'd love to have a TIG machine but the AC/DC models are expensive, that's what I'd want to move on to aluminium.
I don’t think they make silicon bronze wire but if they did u definitely could. check out AHP welders, i paid 800$ and even though it’s an import unit it works awesome for the price, and does ac/dc
@@yetimachineco Cheers for that, I'm in the UK by the way. The only other aspect is the availability and cost of the gas over here, I'm only a DIY/hobby welder. My MIG can run gasless too, I have used disposable bottle before, one of those could last me a year. LOL
I don’t know the exact grit but it’s the medium pad: yellow is usually heavy, red is medium and blue is light. I usually end up using all three but in this vid i mainly used the medium.
People use Bondo on that ? How disgusting ! that should be illegal to hide the weld i especially on a bicycle frame , it needs to be seen so it can be judged
I agree. Bought a buggy years ago that the welds had been smoothed over. I thought that probably wasn't a good idea. They had covered them with bondo and the welds underneath were sh!t. I like the looks of a good weld. How can you trust something that has been done this way?
Using S bronze over a mild steel weld makes it a S bronze weld, it opens up the molecules of the mild steel weld and material and lets S bronze in between the steel molecules, in this case, both the tube and the weld, as is the case with bronze S welding, S bronze welding is not a fusion weld it is a Brazing, using heat to open up the molecules of the steel to let S bronze in the gaps. So saying you do not trust it is confusing. That is exactly what you do when you introduce S bronze into the area. (the fused welded parts, both the tube and the weld molecule / structure are infiltrated by S bronze) Just saying.
@@RATLEEA10 the s bronze is just a cap over the mild steel as an easier to work filler. So no it’s not an s bronze weld. There’s no gaps it’s filling in fact most of it is getting sanded out. The reason i prefer a mild steel over an s bronze weld is the mild steel significantly higher tensile strength and the fact that the base metal being used is steel…
@@yetimachineco You can't just cap with S bronze, because to S braze you have to open up the molecules (microscopic crevices) of the steel, the heat expands the material so the S bronze can flow into those (microscopic crevices) The S bronze does not just sit on top it locks deep into the steel, be that a steel weld or material that you have S brazed over the top, Motorcycle racing frames use S bronze as it flexes and they can incorporate that flex into the flex of the tube, it is a harmonious relationship. If you S bronze a piece of tube and cut it you will see the ingress of the S bronze into the steel tube. and if the steel tube had a steel weld on it the S bronze braze would also ingress/include the weld. (think of the steel as a sponge, when you drip water onto it it does not just sit on top it floods the whole sponge) this is exactly what S bronze does. it floods the steel with S bronze. it is how S bronze brazed motorcycle frames stay together.
@@RATLEEA10 If you were to take a cross section cut of these welds (i have) you would see a layer of s bronze on top of the steel root weld. In this case It’s being laid on top of completely welded joint for easier smoothing, not in between two pieces of base metal to fill a gap. Yes if i was brazing the tubing together like the older factory frames that would be the case but in this case it’s not being used this way. Bottom line is fully welding with mild steel then capping with s bronze is much stronger than just using s bronze in my experience.
If you are getting paid to weld, then you are a professional welder. A good video on finishing metal, but you have a few misconceptions about fabrication. Using a silicon bronze is brazing, not welding.
I've been welding professionally for 24 years, I think his process and the particular look he is achieving are great. Something I would do? Probably not unless the job requires that unique look. For the judgmental junior welders in the comments, Stacking dimes for its own sake is welder porn, there isn't anything wrong with what this guy is doing even if it would give your welding school teacher a new hemorrhoid just by looking at it
I've always wondered about that. As a woodworker, it looks like somebody joined two pieces of wood then left all the glue squeeze out. Whenever I have to weld I grind down the weld then Etch prime and paint. But I am far from a welding professional. Just a simple cabinet maker.
I use silicon bronze a lot for sculptural brazing of dissimilar metals but had never thought to use it to go back over welds in steel - genius!
Aluminum bike frames need a lot of workers like you 👍
Just got a job that required cleaning up the welds and I did not know before the video now I do.
That looks pretty good bud. As you get better and more confident with your welds, don't be afraid to weld up a frame with silicon bronze. It's how all the frames in the 19th and early 20th century were done, by torch brazing. And they were more than strong enough. As a professional welder myself, I wouldn't second guess it. Once I get my frame jig built, making a frame with silicon bronze will be on the to do list.
My friends dad who raced formula "V" told him and I to build our sandrails with brazing rod. We did and non of the joints failed. That was 40 years ago. Both buggies still run to this day.
@@jofixersr That makes sense for something like that, taking a constant beating and needing to flex. Plus the silicon bronze won't corrode in the salt water conditions, so the joints stay strong.
For corners and tight radiuses, try cutting a fine or medium grit sanding wheel with a pair of scissors into a square...works like a charm to get into tight corners with your angle grinder.
I have a Makita triangular sander that I got for timber windows, might try it on metal. Thanks for the idea!
HE NEEDS MORE SUBSCRIBERS! Dudes bad ass at his work.
Thanks for the kind words man!
That silicon bronze comes in pretty handy. Thanks for sharing man!!!
@@migmagingenieria thanks for watchin!
the "thingy" it's a mandrel for cartridge roll abrasives, also used in porting cylinder heads, intake/exhaust ports, valve bowls and such.
Clean brazing! (TIG brazing, this would be called by pro welders) Also those same ErCuSi "welds" (brazing) with a heavy fillet can work as structural. Old bikeframes were held by brass or nickel silver brazing and it's actually wiser from the point of view of chassis building, instead of transferring stress to frame members it prevents shockwaves from being sent all over the frame. And the components take a lot less of heat input.
I've been using this method (minus the silicon bronze) to clean up my standard tig welds for ages, but this puts a whole new light on it for me. Great stuff mate, keep up the good work. You scored a sub from me 👍
Thanks man!
Nice work , but I like my TIG welds to show . Nothing looks better than a perfect stack of dimes . It took me years to get it right , now I am proud to show them off .
Me too. But when a customer wants all his welds on his frame to look smooth/molded AND be powder coated this is the best way to achieve it.
Great job! One thing you might consider are unitized wheels like 3M deburr & finish pro. They are made to be used on the edge and can work quicker and more precisely in refining your weld. Another option could be a file belt sander with a 1/4” wide belt on a v shaped contact roll.
Nice look and great vid without the crap talk, cheers man. 🤘🏼
I do get what all the pro’s talking stacks of dimes and showing off the welds are saying as you would, but let’s face it, chances are they ain’t “buying welds” or getting someone like yourself (self proclaimed no pro) to weld something up for them. I’m certainly no pro either. I do love the skilled work of those that can CONSISTENTLY achieve it, but I think 9 out of ten would appreciate the look you’re achieving. Especially if it’s going to be powder coated.
Keep up the great work man.
@@bengluyas4104 thanks man!
I saw that gold tint in some hot rod welds , never knew what it was . Thanks
Silicone bronze brazing is so so misunderstood & incorrectly judged, especially in North America.
A proper silicone bronze brazed join is certainly strong. Just think about it this way, many WW2 fighter & bomber frames were bronze brazed & they underwent huge stress from maneuvering & engine vibration. Race cars & even today Ariel Atoms are bronze brazed.
Silicone bronze brazed joins should have a larger join profile (surface coverage) versus a standard MIG or TIG weld as this spreads the stress loading on the join. Silicone bronze joins are excellent at absorbing vibration versus tradition MIG or TIG welds that can harden the area around the weld, & unless the TIG or MIG weld is done by an expert, there is a risk of metal embrittlement.
Silicone bronze brazing is an art & used to be done using Oxy Acetylene (OA), but gas welding is a dying art as its typically slower & less time efficient than MIG or TIG, so it was phased out as time is money.
If you want to see some expert Silicone bronze brazing - check out a channel called 'Stubby Cuts'.
It's been using the gas method on Thier bikes for years so did Harley on their frames.
Too true , for years it was used on F1 space frames and suspension parts
because it could take more vibration and stress , where a steel weld was
more brittle. All the original Lotus space frames even up to the Lotus 7
or Caterham 7 were bronze welded
Modern Caterhams are MIG welded
Just to add lots of racing bikes ( the ones with pedals ) were brazed together
as the metal tubes were very thin for lightness , that is lugged and lugless
frames with just a fillet brazed joint
Or the Paul Brodie channel How to fillet braze.
@@RPaton
That was a great call , being a cyclist, a Lotus 7 owner and an
engineer I have just had a quick look at his channel , seems very interesting , Thanks !
@@budbud2509
There are others;
Have a look at Brian Ashcroft Bronze Welding an Ariel Atom.
Brian Curtis of Curtis bikes.
Lee Cooper bronze welding a bike frame on Engineered daily TV channel.
Very cool idea. I'll definitely use this in the future. Thanks!
Clear explanation, nice mate
Like you said we're all learning (been welding for 2months so far), starting off with a barrel grill, maybe o e day I'll work/build on my own motorcycle
Excellent technique. Great video.
Looks incredible man
.....great work.
Glad you like it!
Thanks for your video! Nice work and it's great to see this standard of workmanship! All the best to ya!
Thank you!
Most people wo t show when they have to do little touch ups, or adding a little filler in this case. Then you go back and grind again. Back n forth until its perfect. We all go through this, and im glad somebody finally shows how it actually goes instead of leaving out those imperfect takes
Yeah it's all about getting it right, not necessarily making it look like you got it right on the first try 👍
Looks great. I have some silicon Bronze I've never tried. I'll have to try it out.
Thanks.
Wow those welds are so smooth they look like they were never welded 😮
Great content. I have not found many tips on cleaning up inside corner welds until your video. Thanks for the instruction.
Using that bronze, is there any issue with strength, never mind you just answered the question in the video. That stuff is F'ing beautiful!!!!!!
I finish custom stainless steel and aluminum rails blending welds.
Dynafile with an 1/8th" Trizact belt gets in there nicely
Ha! I was looking to see if anyone did it this way. Retired welder here and master of SS welding and finishing. I used to dress the Dynafile wheels to a point for finishing smaller welds and use worn belts to rough in the finish before going to the finer belts. The Dynafile is an incredibly useful tool that most people never heard of.
@@Chainsnsprockets402 It looks really strange at first.
I've had to work 4 copes on a corner section of stainless.
Walked that wheel right into the armpit of that beast.
At least our welder was really clean.
Yes, angle the wheel to match the radius you want without undercutting the parent metal. We did a lot of 3A Dairy spec equipment that required a minimum 3/8” radius on inside corners. Very few fabricators could handle jobs with those specs. Never enjoyed doing them...too labor intensive.
@@Chainsnsprockets402 I was considering entering into the pharmaceutical/dairy side of it.
The 6" grinder with flap wheel all day long wasn't an ideal thought.
I used it to blend butt joints and vanish welds but that was maybe 7 minutes.
Occasionally the outside of a bend of I was feeling lazy and didn't want to mess with the 3" angle.
Did aluminum too.
Switching between the 2 was dangerous on a Monday or a Friday 🤣
@@AquarianNomadicI hear that. Pushing a grinder all day sucks! Most of the machines I built were on the small side so it wasn’t too bad but when it came to larger jobs we sent them out to be polished. My favorite jobs were 2b stainless. Weld it, brush the discoloration out and move on. Did a little aluminum also. Nice change of pace. Seemed like just when I was getting well aquatinted with it ,the job was done...lol.
That looks really neat - have seen brazed frames with a similar finish but not tig.
Nice work.
Seems to give you the nice clean look of brazed joints by just changing your welding rod material, which is great if you don’t already have the equipment and skill to braze.
Been doing this for years. BE CAREFUL - Just focus on the weld. I see people running across the weld and making "lumps" in their tubing.
Nice job. Enjoyed your video!
Nice job. It makes sense and really looks good. Thanks for the video and tips !
👍🏼👍🏼up🫡 thank you bro for your time. I am attending classes on welding. I’m new to this game so this is very helpful. Thank you.💯
Great info vid, just what I needed.......Thanks mate...from the UK.
I’d love to see the frame after powder coat. Thats some clean work 👍
@@blakbanshee I’ve got a lot more vids on it after this one 👍
Cool trick to fill in the frame welds. never seen that before!
It works great for sheet metal as well if you don’t wanna use plastic filler. Just gotta be a little more careful with the heat to negate warping
Super good tech tip👍👍👍
beautiful soldering work 👏👍
I take off too much weld sometimes and have to re weld and do it again but I'm learning
Love your craftsmanship I totally agree with the direction very wise and quality minded you should be proud although you are very humble but I take a lot away from what you present in your video!! Thanks !!
Thanks for this video, that’s exactly what I need, you’re awesome
going to look so good powder coated!
🤞🤞🤞
Great tip on cutting the pad backer! Never thought to do that. I do TIG braze for smaller artistic kitchen and household items. Never considered capping beads with it and smoothing out. Definitely taking these tips and will be using them
Glad it was helpful!
@yetimachineco when we did this [with ox/acet and bronze brazing rod; we didn'😊t have TIG] to our sandrail frames back in the 80's & 90's, we would get 9" self adhesive DA paper in different grits and cut "ribbon strips" from them, wrap those around 1/4", 3/8" & 1/2" wooden dowels.
Cheap, semi-flexible inside radius sanding sticks that were awesome.
If you wanted an in-between radius, you left a wrap in the dowel & added another on that, but it was significantly stiffer than a single layer around the dowel.
I liked the single layer wrap so it would "warp" around the welds from the center of the inside radius to the almost "flat" part at the extreme outside of the joint. Like it was already feathered before the final "rub down" with the scotchbrite and you were ready for K200 prep. 👍😎👌
The 1/2" was used around 1:30, 4:30, 7:30 & 10:30 areas of the 1 1/2" or 2" main rail joints. If you were working on the 3/4" to anything joints, you would stick with 1/4" or even smaller dowels. Go with what's closest to the actual finished look you want.
We tried using plastic dowels and steel rods a few times, but wood dowels were by far the best "compromise" between stiff and flexible for us.
Nowadays I might 3D print up some TPU sanding blocks with the 'perfect' radius built into it so I could "lick & stick" the paper to it & get after it.
It's all about how far you want to go and where you want to stop for your preferred finish...
If it was for my personal rail, I would spend weekends on sanding radius' before i.went to the K200. If I was doing g it for a buddy, I'd spend a few hours & call it 'good enough,' because A. I wanted mi e to look just a little better than his, B. He wasn't paying me: you get what you pay for, C. We wanted to get to the sand more than spend time in the shop. 😂
(He was more than welcome to sand the paint off over the winter & work on his own radius' if he felt the need for.smother blends, I was willing g to.spot-paint and blend them in before rail season started up again, but he never did. 😏)
@@Voo_Doo_Blue that’s a great tip man!
My grandfather had a friend that used to weld my titanium bicycle frames when I was a kid. Welds so beautiful, it would be a work against god to make them disappear. Great welds look way better than no visible welds. There’s much more art in the weld itself than a bent tube of steel.
Although i agree with you, in some cases people don’t want to see the welds, which is why i blended them in this video.
@ only about 20% of professional welders can lay visually appealing welds, the technique you show definitely has its place. I’m just saying when the welds are over the top in beauty it’s a travesty to remove their look.
That Sir, is schlicker than snot. good job.
Very interesting and informative video, thank you.
@@andyb7754 thanks!
Freakin awesome... I been working on doing this to the furniture I fabricate, but it does not come out this good. Thank you for sharing, this will help. I just subscribed...
Thanks man!
Very clean weld. Any reason for using a welder instead of a high temp torch to braze the material over the weld? Never saw welder being used so i'm interested!
@@youp4734 mainly just personal preference. Using the tig torch vs a flame torch tends to be a bit finer. Kinda like using a smaller paint brush to touch up the edges of a paint line. A flame torch would have prolly worked a little better in a couple spots to lay in more material faster.
@@yetimachineco
I was taught with Nickel Bronze for max strength the tubes need to
be red hot so a lot of warming first needs to take place . I'm not
sure if just using TIG is more of a localised heat , so I wonder if
it would be as strong as gas welding ?
@@budbud2509 if i was brazing the tubes together it would be a whole different process entirely. This is more using the si-bronze rod as a filler instead of bondo because the frame is being powder coated
@@yetimachineco
Yes I can see your point , for what u are doing .
I was just wondering if a gas torch used for Si or Nickel Bronze would
produce a stronger frame than a Tig brazed frame based on how
I was taught about warming the joint up to red hot
It would be difficult thing to test equally
Just me thinking out loud
There are two different processes one is braze-welding the other is brazing. Brazing has the filler flowing more like a like a river/puddle, & wicking into joints when reqd, and braze-welding is similar to welding all be it at lower temperatures than welding with matching fillers. Aluminum bronze can also be used for higher strength, and Nickel bronze for higher strength again. The fatigue strength of these finished joints will be superior to the welded with similar filler joints, stops powder coating from cracking so readily too I would imagine.
Nice, beautiful!
If you were a professional welder who learned about metallurgy, you would know that silicone bronze won't Crack, it finds the microscopic pores in the parent metal and fuzes to them forming a very strong bond with a bit of flex, something you definitely want in motorcycle frame. When you run silicone bronze or bronze brazing over a steel tig, you diminish both, just use one process. You'll find your results astronomically better.
I guess it’s good I’m just a dipshit with a welder. How many bikes have you built?
I'd be nervous to ride 70 on a bike frame just TIG brazed with SiBr. I know it's somewhat common to bronze braze with a torch and flux, but usually those have lugs or the braze joints are made really huge to have lots of surface area.
Is a TIG braze butt joint really strong enough for this application? I'd be truly nervous it wouldn't flow into the joint well enough.
Thank you so much man ❤
@@eduardojimenez7595 nah man thank YOU
I was doing something similar on some products I was making starting about 20 years back. They also were powder coated and not painted because they were being mass produced and I liked the look of it all looking like it was one part machined billet part, not welded up tube. In particular I liked a particular part looking as if it were made completely from bar stock (which would actually be stupidly heavy) instead of chrome moly tubing with bar ends. In some cases this is fine, but in others it may be something the builder needs to keep in mind that a tech inspection will not like this on chassis parts. NHRA for example wants to see the actual weld so if it's certain structural parts of a chassis you can't get away with it. For anyone wanting to do this keep in mind to ensure you are getting excellent penetration on your welds and be sure you do not compromise the structural material. That of course is where your use of silcon bronze as filler comes in. I've seen some where the weld has been weakened too much because not enough attention paid to the structure. If you're new to this be very careful about removing material on the tubing, making it too thin and weakening it, or on the weld itself. Not trying to preach to anyone, but I've seen some catastropic failures from massaged welds which is why it's often quite frowned upon. The first ones I did I tested to ensure what I was doing was still as structurally sound. Yeti, yours look great. Sub'd for support and to see more of what you're doing.
I appreciate the support! Yes it’s very important not to dig into the root pass or the base metal as thinning it could be catastrophic.
aro10, you mention getting excellent penetration on your welds, which implies the Braze Weld with the Silicon Bronze [95% copper/5% silicon] filler material....hopefully you meant the original fusion weld of the steel, and not the braze weld with silicon bronze, .you do not want penetration of the Silicon Bronze into the steel base, you are making a Braze Weld.....this is not a fusion weld where both base and filler are commingled by melting......you are laying down a layer of Bronze that adheres to the base by 'surface tension' similar to a glue like epoxy, thermoplastic, ect...
This type of brazing is more difficult with the hotter tig arc, than the oxy/fuel flame......so action is needed to keep from melting the steel base,
of course, if you are brazing copper, or one of the many type bronzes, commingling [fusion] is what you do want.......Yeti did a good job of demonstrating his technique for beautifying an existing tig or mig weld, even a stick weld or boxy/fuel weld could be nicely finished this way...
hope this may help some of the viewers, Paul down in Central Florida
awesome!!
is it possible to do that in titatium exhaust pipe?
thanks!
@@neilm1100 no i don’t believe so but i don’t any experience welding titanium
You can use a carbon electrode with your buzz box to get the same effect. Keep the heat low. Did miles of that filling holes in ductwork in a sheet metal sweat shop.
@@chrisallen2005 interesting 🤔. So when you say carbon electrode do mean like a gouging rod?
@@yetimachineco Yes. Small diameter
Thanks for the tips you get a sub.
I’ve done a fair amount of tig brazing…I enjoy it, but it does have its place
I want to use this process on my project, what rods did you use? Also, do you think I could achieve a similar quality with an oxy/ace torch?
I used ERCuSi-A-Silicon Bronze rods. I’ve never done the sil bronze rods with a torch but i don’t see why it wouldn’t work
@yetimachineco Thank you for taking the time to respond, I'm brand new to welding and I've been doing way too much reading trying to figure out what would be suitable. I'm rebuilding a 76 Honda Goldwing, and the factory welds are disgusting. I want to use this process as much as possible to clean it up, and use a clear powder coat on the frame. I think the pops of gold with mostly grey steel will look amazing, but we'll see
I use Oxy Acetylene a lot and think it would make a nicer weld/braze while using bronze rod on mild Steel while fabricating like frames and so. One Proscess and it's done. I'm Hesitant to grind off all material on a Weld or braze. Simply because one weakens the Joint just so it could look Pretty,rather than being Strong. Let me know if You need help. NV. South Africa 🇿🇦
@@yetimachineco
Nickel Bronze works well on Space Frames and Suspension wishbones
I have a weld grinding/finishing test tomorrow…and I am watching your video 😅
@@DeepHeartMusic-M 🫡🫡🫡 Godspeed and good luck
@@yetimachineco I am competing with 200 applicants for that job….hope I’ll crack it🫠
You're amazing 😊
Thanks!
Some elbow grease and some enery tape will do instead of all that grinding then finish with scotch. Nice work brother.
Very nice indeed.
Thank you kindly
I like how this works. Is there a similar process and filler material for Mig welding?
Not that i know of
Although you could probably mig and then braze over it as well with a tig torch or oxy/acetelane (however it’s spelled)
Thanks, I give it a shot. Always nice to learn something new.
Subscribed!
Thanks!
I build bicycle frames with fillet braze joints and oxy acetylene. In theory the brass should create a small fillet inside the joint, then you polish the outside leaving a connection as strong as a mig or tig weld. Slower, but pretty.
@@danwebber9494 post some videos man i love seeing that kinda work!
Very cool!
Nice work
looking prettehhh. Nice job and vid.
@@bossman6174 thanks!
I like your technique, surprised I'd never thought it. I do prefer smooth joints, it looks more professional.
Thank you!
I do that to, you think the way I do, and I feel very comfortable with grinders, from Agoura Hills
Nice work! Have you ever tried silicon bronze mig?
No i haven’t. I didn’t even know they made that.
@@yetimachineco Silicon Bronze MIG is great for doing large parts and build up on bronze gears......
as far as the gas used, I have tried 100% argon and also 92/8 ar-co2 and 75/25 ar-co2......it is not the prettiest
weld you will see as it is somewhat gummy/sticky.....and sluggish.......there is probably a mix with some helium added
that might be better, but that is pretty expensive to use......since the arc density of MIG is so much greater than TIG,
due to the small area of the arc compared to a TIG arc, you end up putting less heat into the overall base metal.....
and the fact that Silicon bronze melts about 1,880 degree f helps in not melting the base material of steel....
Can i weld an iso disc brake tab on a steel frame with stick welder?
@@fighterguy0 i don’t see why not as long as you don’t blast holes through the flame with it. I’d run the thinnest rod possible on some test pieces of similar thickness to get your amps dialed
I take a test on blending welds tomorrow. Roll cages on jeeps. I lied on the application and this guy might save my job.
Good luck and Godspeed 🫡
Is this type of finish using the same tools applicable to the mild steel weld?
Yes
I'm trying to make some internally wired handlebars with sharper than 90 bends. How can I keep the inside of the weld smooth? Would tacking them together and then filling them with sand keep the welds from getting sharp inside?
I would chamfer the internal corner or that sharp edge of the mitre before welding together. Also try some solar flux B powder as it seems to contain and minimise the protrusion of weld boogers internally. Make a creamy paste with methylated spirits and brush it on lightly on the internal side
Big thing is prep. I would over chamfer the ID of the tubes especially on that inside shap bend and try to get the fit up as close to perfect as possible. Another trick is to get a roll of emery cloth and feed through the bars and try to knock down that inside edge as well as possible. Hope this helps!
New subscriber!!🔥🔥🔥🔥
🫡🫡🫡
That looks great but is it possible to do something similar with a MIG welder? I'd love to have a TIG machine but the AC/DC models are expensive, that's what I'd want to move on to aluminium.
I don’t think they make silicon bronze wire but if they did u definitely could. check out AHP welders, i paid 800$ and even though it’s an import unit it works awesome for the price, and does ac/dc
@@yetimachineco Cheers for that, I'm in the UK by the way. The only other aspect is the availability and cost of the gas over here, I'm only a DIY/hobby welder. My MIG can run gasless too, I have used disposable bottle before, one of those could last me a year. LOL
They make silicon bronze mig wire but $$$, probably need to run straight argon & recommend a spool gun, but it can be done
Awesome
Super sanitary look.
Nice!
Wow who would have thought grind then weld.
awesome work, whats the point in seeing stupid weld stack, 😮 subscribed
@@RobertAmine haha thanks!
Thank man show me how you clean
🔥🔥🔥
This is called polishing. I am an A1 pro. I would have used a dynafile on all of that.
What grit on the DA sander????
I usually use 220
Fuck yeah, real deal shop, great work!
Thanks man!
a grinder and paint will make you the welder you aint!
Let's see the Ford F1 pickup
@@gregf5730 I’ve posted a car vid or two and nobody seems to be interested. I’ll try and do a vid on it soon 🫡
Using grit?
I don’t know the exact grit but it’s the medium pad: yellow is usually heavy, red is medium and blue is light. I usually end up using all three but in this vid i mainly used the medium.
Just think of how much time you'd save if you took a class at welding school.
Skools for fools
Badass
People use Bondo on that ? How disgusting ! that should be illegal to hide the weld i especially on a bicycle frame , it needs to be seen so it can be judged
I agree. Bought a buggy years ago that the welds had been smoothed over. I thought that probably wasn't a good idea. They had covered them with bondo and the welds underneath were sh!t. I like the looks of a good weld. How can you trust something that has been done this way?
👍😎👍
Oh yea. Me likes that
Need 100% argon for this rod guys
@@amateurism1 i run 100% argon on everything TIG
Yup he’s definitely not a welder he’s a grinder
Using S bronze over a mild steel weld makes it a S bronze weld, it opens up the molecules of the mild steel weld and material and lets S bronze in between the steel molecules, in this case, both the tube and the weld, as is the case with bronze S welding, S bronze welding is not a fusion weld it is a Brazing, using heat to open up the molecules of the steel to let S bronze in the gaps. So saying you do not trust it is confusing. That is exactly what you do when you introduce S bronze into the area. (the fused welded parts, both the tube and the weld molecule / structure are infiltrated by S bronze) Just saying.
@@RATLEEA10 the s bronze is just a cap over the mild steel as an easier to work filler. So no it’s not an s bronze weld. There’s no gaps it’s filling in fact most of it is getting sanded out. The reason i prefer a mild steel over an s bronze weld is the mild steel significantly higher tensile strength and the fact that the base metal being used is steel…
@@yetimachineco You can't just cap with S bronze, because to S braze you have to open up the molecules (microscopic crevices) of the steel, the heat expands the material so the S bronze can flow into those (microscopic crevices) The S bronze does not just sit on top it locks deep into the steel, be that a steel weld or material that you have S brazed over the top, Motorcycle racing frames use S bronze as it flexes and they can incorporate that flex into the flex of the tube, it is a harmonious relationship. If you S bronze a piece of tube and cut it you will see the ingress of the S bronze into the steel tube. and if the steel tube had a steel weld on it the S bronze braze would also ingress/include the weld. (think of the steel as a sponge, when you drip water onto it it does not just sit on top it floods the whole sponge) this is exactly what S bronze does. it floods the steel with S bronze. it is how S bronze brazed motorcycle frames stay together.
@@RATLEEA10 If you were to take a cross section cut of these welds (i have) you would see a layer of s bronze on top of the steel root weld. In this case It’s being laid on top of completely welded joint for easier smoothing, not in between two pieces of base metal to fill a gap. Yes if i was brazing the tubing together like the older factory frames that would be the case but in this case it’s not being used this way. Bottom line is fully welding with mild steel then capping with s bronze is much stronger than just using s bronze in my experience.
TIG brazing*
If you are getting paid to weld, then you are a professional welder.
A good video on finishing metal, but you have a few misconceptions about fabrication. Using a silicon bronze is brazing, not welding.
🇨🇦🇨🇦👊👊🍺🍺🇨🇦🍺👊
So you are a grinder, not a welder.
Couldn't you just weld it with enough filler the first time?
@@ZRace67 Ya definitely. But smoothing out the fillets would take more time/work/heat. Whereas the bronze fillet is softer and easier to work with