Poll I guess?

[dwire]

I have the vast majority of the stuff spoons and flux, I am not sure though; never ended up doing it outside the workplace - finding any of this stuff as I reorganize and deflate in the coming months might be a bit harder; lol. I think that was the ONLY thing I walked away from the GM system with after turning back into just another SS# my last year or so in the deep south, rather than here as a damn Yankee, that I was very proud and appreciative of learning about. (I've always hated BONDO since I have been around the car restoration field a lot...)

I'd say have at it. The practice you do to help learn will work the tools in to the point they actually work worth a ____. It is something you never forget entirely, but I GUARANTEE YOU if I were to give a demonstration right now, I would suck for some time as I merely learned how; I did not feed my family doing it daily.

Safety for most that own much welding equipment should not be too hard. For something like that, since I only really run mild steel wire out of my MIG, it has a wonderful bounty of Argon/CO2 I'd think would do nicely. (No guarantees folks, but I've not exploded yet!)

[Major Softie]

For something like that, since I only really run mild steel wire out of my MIG, it has a wonderful bounty of Argon/CO2 I'd think would do nicely. (No guarantees folks, but I've not exploded yet!)

That would work, and it means you have a flow meter, but Gold Gas is quite a bit more expensive than CO2. It will certainly work though.

[dwire]

Gold Gas? You lost me on that, yet I am no jeweler; argon/CO2 is standard operating procedure for mild steel MIG welding... I'd more happily scrounge a bottle up here at one point or another and fill it with nitrogen which is cheap and well suited. I had a mid-sized bottle that walked off; maybe they now make version minus the legs... Amway, it takes very little gas to fill the (gas) tank and the process of leading anything on it should not be a flash point issue with any inert gas "watering" it down. Heat is applied very swiftly and for a very short amount of time.

[Major Softie]

Gold Gas is the term generally used for Argon/CO2 mix - usually 25/75. I've always heard it called that, and even seen receipts marked with that, but looking it up now I see it is actually a proprietary name owned by Airgas, and they have a bunch of different versions - all various Argon/CO2 mixes, but a couple even have a 3rd gas added (Helium?). PraxAir calls some of theirs "Star Gold" and "Mig Mix Gold." I guess it's become a bit like "Kleenex" and "Bandaid," but I never knew it originated with one supplier.

[dwire]

Gold Gas is the term generally used for Argon/CO2 mix - usually 25/75. I've always heard it called that, and even seen receipts marked with that, but looking it up now I see it is actually a proprietary name owned by Airgas, and they have a bunch of different versions - all various Argon/CO2 mixes, but a couple even have a 3rd gas added (Helium?). PraxAir calls some of theirs "Star Gold" and "Mig Mix Gold." I guess it's become a bit like "Kleenex" and "Bandaid," but I never knew it originated with one supplier.

Ah hah, that would explain it - I have never dealt with any of those companies over the years and always walked in and asked for a mix. AVON and BALL I want to say have been the primary places I've picked up gasses over the years.

But just like metallurgically speaking, The company, "Eutectic Welding Rods & supplies" would be sort of a similar notion as the term Eutectic in of it self refers to an alloy with ONE specific melting point - and for many years that company; I have no clue if they still exist, but if so, I've yet to see welding rods that do not have a heat RANGE as such. Eutectic; I always refer people to the good old Weller (and other brands) Rosin Core '44' solder that can be purchased as a "Eutectic blend" which is 63% tin, 37% lead and all I prefer to use for PCB's - (well I'd go so far as to say PERIOD for electronics) as it's first melt temp (first melt mind you) is dead on. I'd as well bet you are right about the Gold-Gas name, and there is a word or phrase for when we do the "I'll have a Coke" (meaning cola drink) to a word or phrase, but it eludes me now. I'd not be shocked in the least that any of the other gasses third component be Helium since Helium sees favor in the TIG process gasses, but now we're talking stuff I learned mostly in my teens; I'm lucky to recall things I learned this morning...

Sorry way off brakes, but we were anyhow. It would be interesting - and is in-keeping with what I have been maintaining, which EVERYONE would agree from company to consumer, no black dust on their $1K wheels is great, but what motivates such things is not always one may think - they may have just gotten lucky with that as a fringe benefit of something higher on the priority list. I DO NOT AT ALL doubt what you are saying, as I do not know, but do you understand what I am driving at? This happened oh so frequently; two birds with one stone; one entirely by accident...

BALL I think was supplying my gas for the Miller might be 30/70; either the gas man did me a favor, or made a mistake as I would agree, 25/75 "sounds" like somewhere in the range of what we used to get. This tank has been around not "so" long and I think refilled only once; they'd just drop by, grab it find the same on the truck and bill me, so I guess I never paid any attention. At least I know it is full - or as full as it need be. 7/8 or so... If I knew anyone around that had an empty for nitrogen without those dang legs!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Major Softie]

I've always used 60/40 for electronics, but not because I had a preference - just because that's what everyone sells near me. I didn't know about the 63/37, but I'll be checking it out. I do almost no PCB stuff (except for occasional repair), but lots of audio connectors.

Yeah, I can't remember the name for when a brand name becomes the generic term, but I put "Coke Kleenex Band-Aid" into Google and got it: it's called a proprietary eponym.

Yeah, just because people are drawn to the Ceramic pads cause they keep their wheels looking pretty, that doesn't mean it was part of the original plan. It may have been one of those "unintended consequences." That term is usually used for bad things, but I don't think it would have to be a negative consequence.

[ME 109]

A couple of years ago when I was welding 5083 aluminium on the armoured personnel carrier rebuild program, we ended up using argon/helium 73/27 as a means of reducing porosity. Apparently, it allowed for a hotter weld pool with given amps.
I don't think it made a lot of difference over plain argon.

[dwire]

I've always used 60/40 for electronics, but not because I had a preference - just because that's what everyone sells near me. I didn't know about the 63/37, but I'll be checking it out. I do almost no PCB stuff (except for occasional repair), but lots of audio connectors.

Yeah, I can't remember the name for when a brand name becomes the generic term, but I put "Coke Kleenex Band-Aid" into Google and got it: it's called a proprietary eponym.

Yeah, just because people are drawn to the Ceramic pads cause they keep their wheels looking pretty, that doesn't mean it was part of the original plan. It may have been one of those "unintended consequences." That term is usually used for bad things, but I don't think it would have to be a negative consequence.

As for solder, everyone can stick the silver stuff where the sun never shines - melt point is high enough, but for repair jobs, the remelt of some of the crap being pumped out, it is a MUST to just cut the component out and try with an actual heated vacuum station and a real production rig to get crap out without lifting the traces off a board - kiss of death on that. Certanium Alloys, an old division of Premier Industries (which may not even be around) I got some 63/37 with a real high quality flux in it and in a very thin diameter; I built all my preamps with that and prefer it on PCB related repairs when possible. Weller used to make 63/37 with their infamous "44" rosin core which I use for most anything else as I have a bounty of it in a few sizes. Weller's solders were always good. And you're right, 99% of the time, if you do not ask for 63/37 and ask for tin/lead rosin core electronics solder, you're going to get 60/40. It's OK, but if I let you work each for half a day, you'd likely start preferring the more stable eutectic blend once you know how tight you can set for melt and re-melt temps.

I'd have never recalled the word "eponym" and hate to be a Google, or particularly, Wikipedia genius as much of what you'll find is utterly incorrect and people take it as gospel. They'll tell me I could not have been using a Microsoft product in the late 70's and they will be 100% wrong.

As for the ceramics, yes - I was only trying to illustrate something a lot more real then most realize; I can say this much, there was no specification for how sh1tty one's wheel looked like after burning up a set of pads, so while everyone may have rejoiced back in the day while testing such things, unless the ONLY objective of a part migration like that was to keep the wheels clean, it's just as likely such things could have come about by accident. Then again, you could be correct too, one would just have had to been involved with the project to know - there were zillions of compounds already established that were non-asbestos, some good, some horrible; all good or bad in different ways, finding a happy medium that satisfied all and would pass all of the established testing of the day was the challenge...

[dwire]

A couple of years ago when I was welding 5083 aluminium on the armoured personnel carrier rebuild program, we ended up using argon/helium 73/27 as a means of reducing porosity. Apparently, it allowed for a hotter weld pool with given amps.
I don't think it made a lot of difference over plain argon.

Sounds likely to me; I always felt like a decent portion of the gasses that were supposed to do XY or Z for you, did far more for the pocket books of the seller of the gases than the operator, or process owner. There truly is a lot of science in Gas - far more than I ever knew and especially I recall, but like I say, a lot of smoke and mirrors there - like what shampoo is better; they both get my hair clean - what else do you want from it???

[ME 109]

Sounds likely to me; I always felt like a decent portion of the gasses that were supposed to do XY or Z for you, did far more for the pocket books of the seller of the gases than the operator, or process owner. There truly is a lot of science in Gas - far more than I ever knew and especially I recall, but like I say, a lot of smoke and mirrors there - like what shampoo is better; they both get my hair clean - what else do you want from it???

Maybe at a consumer level....

But at an industrial level, gas types go way deeper than what the surface may appear to be.

We changed from straight argon to the helium mix in an effort to increase the pass rate of welds.

The vehicles I worked on had an enormous amount of welding to achieve the final product.
The welding standard to be achieved was exceptionally high (much higher than needed)
So if a gas change could increase the weld pass rate even by 5% that meant huge savings. Way more than the increased cost of the gas.

Some of the welds I did were 45mm thick ali plate, double v vertical up butt welds.
One of the horizontal double v butt welds had approx 50 runs! It was over 6' long weld.