Hi... Thanks for the kind words! I didn't do any purging of any tubes. I welded with argon, but it was shielding gas for the weldments and there was no internal purging with argon. The only thing that I may have done in a tight cluster from time to time was run argon via the torch tip in close proximity to a cluster for 5-8 seconds before welding to allow for some "pre-purging" of the area prior to welding. I don't have any basis for doing that other than it seemed like a good idea at the time.
How far are you? I've watched this video a few times just to soak it all in. I hope that I can arrive at a nice finished product as well. Great job my friend!!! 👍👍👍
Thanks! It's been a slow process, but I should be flying this spring. I have a kitlog you can look up. I haven't updated in a few months, but it will give you an idea how far along the project is. Good luck on yours! www.mykitlog.com/yeeeha
There are one or two manufacturers that I'm aware of that use MIG, but the people that do the work are pros and work under very controlled conditions. Unless you are a professional welder with years of experience and very practiced in welding thin wall 4130, I would recommend against it.
Forgot to mention a big congrats on the "Keeping it Straight square and plumb." Did you get coaching on Selective block sequence to off set stress related torque or some sort of jig clamping method to hold things in shape? Keep going. That's a major hurdle.
That pin hole at the end of your weld is a crater crack. Not good. Dont just cut the torch off with the foot pedal bring the arc up out of the weld and on to the shoulder as you roll out of the weld to break arc.
Your bearhawk looks great. I do have a question and it may have already been asked. Ive watched your videos on tig weld and the stress test that you have done and they are excellent! It proves that the tig weld is obviously stronger than the steel itself. My question is Do you plan on going back with a torch and post heating all the clusters to normalize the metal or do you think it would be beneficial to do so?
Cameron R Great question. No, I don't plan on doing anything more. This topic has been debated ever since time began...well almost. The reasons why I won't are as follows: First, no one can "normalize" any metal without being very accurate on the temperature to heat the metal to, how long to hold that temperature and most importantly the controlled slow-cooling of the metal. No one can do that with any accuracy using a torch and the Mark 1 eyeball. Special ovens are made for normalizing metal structures in a precisely controlled environment. Second, I risk inducing stress into the metal where I don't heat. Anytime metal is heated and cooled it changes somewhat and I like my fuselage just like it is. Another reason is heating at the same time. Do I do one cluster, then the next? Or do I do both front clusters together and the the rear clusters? Or do all four at the same time? The main reason it gets done is so called "stress relief". There is such a thing as stress relief from vibration. Once the plane is flying there will be some benefit from that. All in all, the risk to screwing things up is much greater than any benefit, and any benefit is highly debateable.
Very good. Thank you for the explanation. Your project looks great and thank you for the detailed videos you do. I can’t wait to see it when it’s done. Hopefully Ill have one to park beside yours one day but Im just getting started.
Hi... That is an interesting question and the short answer is (in my opinion) no, it's not better. Ok, now for the long answer. Either method is acceptable. But, the method that you use should be the one you are most proficient with. There is no substitute for practice! If you are proficient with O/A welding, then by all means use that method. If you are proficient with TIG, then use that method. There is a tremendous amount of debate on this, so this is just my opinion. There were some areas that I couldn't weld as successfully as I could with TIG. Conversely, there were some areas that I welded with O/A that I couldn't weld as well with TIG. I personally like the TIG process because of the ability to control the heat much more precisely. But in order to appreciate the heat control the TIG process offers I learned first with O/A.
@@alaskabearhawk Thanks for the info. The cubcrafters guys use MIG, which seems to be the most sofisticated... I read someone complaining about the welding process bearhawk uses, but it's the traditional and most popular, so it should be strong and durable. At the end of the day the safety of the weld depends on the welder you think?
@@plantpower3048 Well, I would disagree with your assessment that MIG is the most sophisticated method. There are very few aircraft manufacturers that use it and those that do have very experienced people doing the work. I *think* Maule Aircraft uses it too. It is very unforgiving in the hands of an amateur. My opinion, and it is an opinion, is that TIG is the most sophisticated from a versatility point of view. O/A welding for 4130 is a method that has stood the test of time for many, many decades. I haven't heard of any complaints about the Bearhawk welding. If there are complaints about the process they use, they are just ignorant of O/A welding. Their products are as good or better than most production aircraft. The person behind the welding equipment is always the key,
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Good job.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks!
Hi...
Thanks for the kind words! I didn't do any purging of any tubes. I welded with argon, but it was shielding gas for the weldments and there was no internal purging with argon. The only thing that I may have done in a tight cluster from time to time was run argon via the torch tip in close proximity to a cluster for 5-8 seconds before welding to allow for some "pre-purging" of the area prior to welding. I don't have any basis for doing that other than it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Well done welding all that and coming out with a straight and level product. Skillfully done, thanks for sharing.
Nicely organized and clean shop. It must be nice to see most of the floor and not trip all over stuff.
good job!!! you can tell when someone takes pride in what they do. also how nice and clean your shop is. stay safe and keep the video's coming
You can use a larger torch cup and put that on your finger. It works wonders on pipe that has to be pre-heated.
Looks great! Congrats on such a milestone. I just finished my first completed nose rib today (flanged and all), can't wait to get to where you are!
Geat vid. Thanks for posting. I`m building the Patrol. Love your workshop.
How far are you? I've watched this video a few times just to soak it all in. I hope that I can arrive at a nice finished product as well. Great job my friend!!! 👍👍👍
Thanks! It's been a slow process, but I should be flying this spring. I have a kitlog you can look up. I haven't updated in a few months, but it will give you an idea how far along the project is. Good luck on yours! www.mykitlog.com/yeeeha
@@alaskabearhawk Excellent, I'll go check it out. You are going to be having a ball this spring.
good job, looks nice and sturdy!!
Thanks!
It looking quite strong
I bought two of those tig fingers. Without it my hands felt like they were on fire after a few seconds of welding even wearing gloves.
A scrap piece of 0 gauge stranded copper wire, wrapped around the round work piece, then clip the ground clamp to the copper wire, works well
Paul,
Absolutely beautiful!
Looking great! Now to get her on the gear so you can sit in it and make airplane noises!
There are one or two manufacturers that I'm aware of that use MIG, but the people that do the work are pros and work under very controlled conditions. Unless you are a professional welder with years of experience and very practiced in welding thin wall 4130, I would recommend against it.
I know...those TIG fingers are the best!
Forgot to mention a big congrats on the "Keeping it Straight square and plumb." Did you get coaching on Selective block sequence
to off set stress related torque or some sort of jig clamping method to hold things in shape? Keep going. That's a major hurdle.
That pin hole at the end of your weld is a crater crack. Not good. Dont just cut the torch off with the foot pedal bring the arc up out of the weld and on to the shoulder as you roll out of the weld to break arc.
How long did it take you to learn TIG welding and be good enough for this project? Looks fantastic!
@whistman Thanks!
What type of metal did u use am working on a project would appreciate some advice
Eric langat 4130 chromoly tubing is the only thing to use.
Your bearhawk looks great. I do have a question and it may have already been asked. Ive watched your videos on tig weld and the stress test that you have done and they are excellent! It proves that the tig weld is obviously stronger than the steel itself. My question is Do you plan on going back with a torch and post heating all the clusters to normalize the metal or do you think it would be beneficial to do so?
Cameron R Great question. No, I don't plan on doing anything more. This topic has been debated ever since time began...well almost. The reasons why I won't are as follows: First, no one can "normalize" any metal without being very accurate on the temperature to heat the metal to, how long to hold that temperature and most importantly the controlled slow-cooling of the metal. No one can do that with any accuracy using a torch and the Mark 1 eyeball. Special ovens are made for normalizing metal structures in a precisely controlled environment. Second, I risk inducing stress into the metal where I don't heat. Anytime metal is heated and cooled it changes somewhat and I like my fuselage just like it is. Another reason is heating at the same time. Do I do one cluster, then the next? Or do I do both front clusters together and the the rear clusters? Or do all four at the same time? The main reason it gets done is so called "stress relief". There is such a thing as stress relief from vibration. Once the plane is flying there will be some benefit from that. All in all, the risk to screwing things up is much greater than any benefit, and any benefit is highly debateable.
Very good. Thank you for the explanation. Your project looks great and thank you for the detailed videos you do. I can’t wait to see it when it’s done. Hopefully Ill have one to park beside yours one day but Im just getting started.
Do you have to be a certified welder to weld aircraft frames?
Not that I am aware of. If you are doing welding on a certified aircraft, you have to be licensed as an aircraft mechanic or working under one.
Nice
is this welding technique better than the one they use at the factory? oxy/acetylene I think they use...
Hi... That is an interesting question and the short answer is (in my opinion) no, it's not better. Ok, now for the long answer. Either method is acceptable. But, the method that you use should be the one you are most proficient with. There is no substitute for practice! If you are proficient with O/A welding, then by all means use that method. If you are proficient with TIG, then use that method. There is a tremendous amount of debate on this, so this is just my opinion. There were some areas that I couldn't weld as successfully as I could with TIG. Conversely, there were some areas that I welded with O/A that I couldn't weld as well with TIG. I personally like the TIG process because of the ability to control the heat much more precisely. But in order to appreciate the heat control the TIG process offers I learned first with O/A.
@@alaskabearhawk Thanks for the info. The cubcrafters guys use MIG, which seems to be the most sofisticated... I read someone complaining about the welding process bearhawk uses, but it's the traditional and most popular, so it should be strong and durable. At the end of the day the safety of the weld depends on the welder you think?
@@plantpower3048 Well, I would disagree with your assessment that MIG is the most sophisticated method. There are very few aircraft manufacturers that use it and those that do have very experienced people doing the work. I *think* Maule Aircraft uses it too. It is very unforgiving in the hands of an amateur. My opinion, and it is an opinion, is that TIG is the most sophisticated from a versatility point of view. O/A welding for 4130 is a method that has stood the test of time for many, many decades. I haven't heard of any complaints about the Bearhawk welding. If there are complaints about the process they use, they are just ignorant of O/A welding. Their products are as good or better than most production aircraft. The person behind the welding equipment is always the key,
@@alaskabearhawk Sounds good! thanks!
What does it mean putting it on a rotisserie
That is a carriage that attached to the front and back allowing one to rotate the fuselage about its longitudinal axis.
Did you tig the whole frame?
Almost. There were some places I just couldn't get to with the TIG, so in those places I used O/A with a Meco Midget torch.
What does one do if it isn't straight?
It depends. You have to be a little more specific as to what isn't straight and the deviation from the plans.
Anything crocked no deviation , do you cut out tubing reweld new or does that screw up good tubes
TIG welding and trained to specified structural is the only way to go. After all - your life depends on it. Kodo's to tig fingers.