magnets and tig

Date 12-04-2005 05:34

Hello tool_man, can share your pain, have been in an Aluminum smelting plant when repairs were required on the pot line, DC voltages and thousands of amps, lots of carbon. Strike arc in one place watch arc travel like lightning to other parts. Those cool set-up magnets that are meant to aid in holding things at right angles can give you some grief too, if you don't understand what's happening. aevald

By weldo

Date 12-04-2005 06:29

Ditto, worked in a steel mill, welding on the furnaces and other associated parts that are exposed to the extreme volts required there, it will magnetize them, making it a real bear to weld, some advise that will help though, if you take a grinder to the area to be welded and just take the surface off a little should help. Steve

By tool_man (*)

Date 12-05-2005 06:31

It was just a big surprise.The thought of a magnet affecting the arc ,never occured to me.LOL.The unit picks up brake pads.Two powerful magnets are stuck to a steel block attached to an air cylinder that raises and lowers the magnets to "turn it on and off".An 11 guage stainless box holds the magnets against the steel block and prevents them from shifting.The whole thing sits inside a stainless box.The outside stainless box holds the part away from the magnets when it is pulled away by the air cylinder.Works very well.I think I am going to eliminate the inside stainless box and just glue the magnets to the steel block with a good quality epoxy glue.

By SWP

Date 12-05-2005 17:44

As I understand it, AC TIG should work just fine on steel and should not be affected by nearby magnetic fields. Has anyone tried this?

By weldo

Date 12-05-2005 21:54

Only on copper, and I would say that it wasn't really affected as far the magnetism part goes, Just from extreme temps. that the material had under gone.
Steve

By weldo

Date 12-06-2005 06:35

My apologies, you wrote "A/C TIG, I should have looked a little closer at your post.
Steve