A few recent welding saves. Warning... pic heavy.

[srcarr52]

Just a few recent saves I actually photo documented.

Stihl 660 that the big end of the rod got loose and tried to escape.

Welded.

And finished.

 

[srcarr52]

Another broken out bucking spike on a Stihl, this is by far the worst I've seen yet.

Cleaned and clamped for welding.

Welded and finished.

 

[Trx250r180]

Nice work ,does aluminum wire feed work on the saws like i do with dirt bike cases like this repair ?

 

[srcarr52]

Poulan Pro 655BP handle that someone got a little ham handed on.

The welds are too pretty on this one... I'm not even going to sand them flush.

 

[srcarr52]

Nice work ,does aluminum wire feed work on the saws like i do with dirt bike cases like this repair ?

No, this is all tig welded magnesium. A spool gun is likely to make a really ugly mess of things.

 

[Stihlofadeal64]

That's magnesium filler rod on the mag cases -- correct Shaun?

 

[srcarr52]

That's magnesium filler rod on the mag cases -- correct Shaun?

Correct, AZ92A filler.

 

[1Alpha1]

Nice work!

 

[Stihlofadeal64]

Correct, AZ92A filler.

very nice work as always. I would expect the backlog with you is like mastermind

 

[srcarr52]

very nice work as always. I would expect the backlog with you is like mastermind

Thanks, It's usually less than 1 week turn around after receiving the parts. Not as much of a demand for welding chainsaw parts... which is a probably a good thing. Broken parts usually means there was a potential for broken bones.

 

[sgrizz]

Very nice work you do. Im sure you will get many people asking for your services.

 

[glock37]

Shaun Are you the One that welded Brad Solo ?

very nice work if you did

when you weld the alum does it makes the adjacent area bridle ?

 

[rattler362]

Dang Nice work Shaun.

 

[nnero]

Wow. That's awesome work.

 

[gomoto69]

I have a tig welder but have never tried welding magnesium. What's the procedure, other than the filler rods you mentioned, AC high frequency i'm assuming, similar amperage as aluminum? Straight argon? Does magnesium have an oxide layer that must be cleaned off like aluminum? Any pre-heating or special cool down procedures? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but i'm always up for trying something new! Oh, and magnesium burns too doesn't it? How do you keep from igniting the thing?!

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Do the castings weld up ok?

Last one I had tried to get repaired by a very good welder ended up being a "freebie" because it was pretty ugly. Said he had a heck of a time getting anything but pourous chicken poo. Wasn't too sure why. It ended up not holding up. Was that upper felling spike area on a 460. The damage wasn't quite as bad as the one in your pic. I ended up making a steel strap and putting in another bolt further back on the casting and it held up fine... well till I ran the saw over this winter.

 

[olyman]

I have a tig welder but have never tried welding magnesium. What's the procedure, other than the filler rods you mentioned, AC high frequency i'm assuming, similar amperage as aluminum? Straight argon? Does magnesium have an oxide layer that must be cleaned off like aluminum? Any pre-heating or special cool down procedures? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but i'm always up for trying something new! Oh, and magnesium burns too doesn't it? How do you keep from igniting the thing?!

the argon gas,,around the weld area,keeps it from lighting off......

 

[srcarr52]

Shaun Are you the One that welded Brad Solo ?

very nice work if you did

when you weld the alum does it makes the adjacent area bridle ?

Yes, I did the weld work for Brads Solo.

No, welding aluminum or magnesium doesn't make the adjacent area more brittle. This doesn't happen with tig welding as much as it does with mig as the part is more evenly heated and thus cools at a slower rate which decreases the chance of embrittlement.

I have a tig welder but have never tried welding magnesium. What's the procedure, other than the filler rods you mentioned, AC high frequency i'm assuming, similar amperage as aluminum? Straight argon? Does magnesium have an oxide layer that must be cleaned off like aluminum? Any pre-heating or special cool down procedures? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but i'm always up for trying something new! Oh, and magnesium burns too doesn't it? How do you keep from igniting the thing?!

It welds very similar to aluminum, use AC and pure argon. Magnesium does not have the oxide skin like aluminum but it does have an oxide layer that should be removed to keep the weld free of contamination. Yes, magnesium burn. It burns so hot that you can't put it out with water, it's best to have fine sand to snuff out the fire. It's important to have a plan if it ignites. On my 1/2" thick table I'd just stand back with my welding helmet on and watch the show. But I wouldn't worry about it too much, the argon keeps the oxygen away and prevents it from igniting. Set your pre and post flows as long as possible.

Do the castings weld up ok?

Last one I had tried to get repaired by a very good welder ended up being a "freebie" because it was pretty ugly. Said he had a heck of a time getting anything but pourous chicken poo. Wasn't too sure why. It ended up not holding up. Was that upper felling spike area on a 460. The damage wasn't quite as bad as the one in your pic. I ended up making a steel strap and putting in another bolt further back on the casting and it held up fine... well till I ran the saw over this winter.

These are all die or sand cast parts, either weld fine. Some Stihl cases have welded better than others, it's all a matter of how tight they held the alloy mix and impurities that day. Still, proper cleaning is everything when tig welding. I clean everything with a jet wash machine (basically a giant dishwasher for oily parts), then bead blast the area to be welded. Paint and oil will cause porosity in the welds.
Did he use a mag filler rod or did he use aluminum? Aluminum filler won't stick well to the base metal and you'll end up with globs of aluminum on top of half melted mag which will have many pores from burning out the impurities.

 

[Metals406]

Excellent work as always sir. :0)

 

[gomoto69]

Thanks for all the info, i'll have to give it a go sometime!