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non-whiner
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Slightly right of center
Posts: 5,235
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Can you mig weld copper?
I am trying my hand at creating a copper sculpture using pieces of copper sheet, rod and pipe. Is it possible to mig weld copper? I can’t afford a tig and soldering appears to only allow for silver colored solder. I need the bonded components to be the same copper color. Any suggestions for an alternative method are welcome.
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05-29-2018, 10:40 AM
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Ask David Kirkham in Utah.
 
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Brent The X15 was the only aircraft I flew where I was glad the engine quit. - Milt Thompson. "Don't get so caught up in your right to dissent that you forget your obligation to contribute." Mrs. James to her son Chappie. |
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05-29-2018, 10:51 AM
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Don . "Fully integrated people, in their transparency, tend to not be subject to mechanisms of defense, disguise, deceit, and fraudulence." - - Don R. 1994, an excerpt from My Ass From a Hole in the Ground - A Comparative View |
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05-29-2018, 10:54 AM
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non-whiner
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Slightly right of center
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I would, but they gas welded those panels together. They are also butt welded which is an amazing skill!
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05-29-2018, 10:58 AM
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non-whiner
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Slightly right of center
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I searched the inside of the aluminum panels of my Kirkham 289 FIA car (that I ordered with a plain finish) looking for a seam or rough edge. There was not a single one to be found. Amazing craftsmanship!
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05-29-2018, 11:02 AM
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Seems a lot get the bare metal bodies on those. I think I would too. When I first hear of them and the MiG factory I half expected there to be rivets all over the body.
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Brent The X15 was the only aircraft I flew where I was glad the engine quit. - Milt Thompson. "Don't get so caught up in your right to dissent that you forget your obligation to contribute." Mrs. James to her son Chappie. |
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05-29-2018, 11:16 AM
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Puny Bird
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Port Hope (near Toronto) On, Canada
Posts: 4,566
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You can... but you need a large amp MIG machine, with pulse control and a spool gun, using bronze/aluminum wire. Like alunimum thick material soaks up the heat, so preheating would likely be needed. You would need a 3 phase commercial MIG to weld .125" without preheating.
TIG is easier and better control, but depending on thickness a stout machine may be in order. TIG is way better at pinpointing heat. Also grinding, dust and fumes are toxic.
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05-29-2018, 11:38 AM
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Brew Master
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Look into brazing. You can use Dynaflow but you need an oxy/acetylene torch to do it. The color comes very close if you do it right.
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05-29-2018, 12:44 PM
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Platinum Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
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Brazing should work. Not hard, I've brazed lines for HVAC, with a map gas torch.
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05-29-2018, 02:57 PM
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I use Map gas too. Cheap and easy, just like a small propane torch. I use silfos brazing rod. No flux. In this country we don't solder copper plumbing pipe we only braze it so I do a lot of this stuff and enjoy it. |
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05-29-2018, 04:40 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in North L.A. County
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You can MIG Braze copper fairly easy.
For a small 110-120 Mig welder for example a Miller 140 -The wire would be silicon-bronze, new Teflon liner and use 100% argon. Wire size .030 Set your gas flow rate between 30-35 cfh. Set polarity to DCEP (Reverse). If your machine is an auto-set (turn A/S to off). Silicon-bronze melts at 840 degrees so your heat settings can be turned down very low. Both U-groove rollers or V-groove will handle the soft wire. For 20-24 gauge copper set the wire speed between 50-65. Volts between 1-3.5 16 gauge to 1/8 wire speed 75-100, volts 4.5 -10. These settings work well on both butt and lap joints. Be prepared to work the gun fast. Silicon-bronze wire melts very fast. Practice. When you get a bead down you can grind it with a very fine disc and then a blue conditioning pad. Best thing about silicon-bronze is you can join dissimilar metals with a narrower heat zone than gas welding. The weld will have a gold tone to it. For art work it looks really cool.
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Jeff Hail "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it is vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible" Last edited by Jeff Hail; 05-29-2018 at 06:27 PM.. |
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05-29-2018, 06:17 PM
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Thanks Jeff. We all learnt something.
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05-29-2018, 08:28 PM
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05-30-2018, 03:37 AM
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non-whiner
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Slightly right of center
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Jeff, that is awesome information, thank you very much! Can’t wait to try this out.
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05-30-2018, 04:03 AM
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05-30-2018, 11:11 AM
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Don . "Fully integrated people, in their transparency, tend to not be subject to mechanisms of defense, disguise, deceit, and fraudulence." - - Don R. 1994, an excerpt from My Ass From a Hole in the Ground - A Comparative View |
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05-30-2018, 01:04 PM
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1985 Porsche 911 Cab
