Welding a VW bellhousing any help appreciated.

[SPEC]

Hell ya
Yave you ever seen the survival blocks..one side is magnesium and the other is a flint...
It's used for starting fires in the wilderness

[SPEC]

here's a link
http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Magnesium-Survival-Fire-Starter/dp/B0002X1IOM

[fabr]

Apparently the dust from grinding or sanding will catch fire or so I was told..

Hell,IRON dust and steel wool will burn. Try it.Mag alloys will not burn while welding tho. Pure,or near pure,mag is a totally different animal.

[fabr]

here's a link
http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Magnesium-Survival-Fire-Starter/dp/B0002X1IOM

Spec,you're comparing apples to oranges. A  VW case is nothing like that fire starter. WHen I was young and dumb (as compared to old and stupid,LOL!) I melted down a few cases with an oxy/acet torch directly on the case pieces into a pot to do some very small castings. Melting the case is no issue.

[Reidy02]

I honestly don't know the exact volitillity of it but I have seen the shit burn and I know ya don't wanna be near it when it goes! But you'd have to be sorta right because they wouldn't have made engine cases outa the stuff if it were prone yo going up just like that!

[fabr]

Not sorta right,my friend.  But,YES,be careful of ANY kind of dust near a combustion source.

[Reidy02]

Yeah OK Fabr  thanks I'll keep it in mind

[Grimm Reaper Racing]

Yeah honestly I'm not too keen on the idea! Thanks for the input guys I appreciate it! Thanks Adam I was very consious of blowing away the dust after sanding! That's very helpful all the info you put up! I was pre heating and I got one of those laser thermo guns they are handy gadgets! What's the best tungsten to use?

Reidy,  These are the types you can use with Mag and Mag alloys Ceriated, Thoriated & Lanthanated.  I prefer to use 2% Thoriated on castings because they are generally thicker.  If you are welding really thin areas of either Mag, Mag alloy, or Alum, then I switch to Ceriated, and grind a point on it, just like you would to weld steel.  You'll still use AC, but the Ceriated Tungsten will carry more current and be more stable than the pure Tungsten. 

I hope this helps Reidy.  As for what filler rod, I'd start with AZ101 because you have a Mag alloy.

[Carlriddle]

Powdered mag is one of main ingred in BIG fireworks.  Hell we had a sugar factory here blew to crap and back, sugar dust. 

I had a mag piece welded, the guy said biggest prob was cleaning all the oil that soaked into it from the years of use. 

[Nutz4sand]

A lil off topic but even common household baking flour will make AWESOME  flames when you aerate it into a fine powder over a flame!

Put some in a tube. Point the tube at a fire big enough to not go out with the air and hit the other end of the tube with an air hose. Pyrotechnics baby!

It takes a little to get it just right but when you do you will be surprised at the amount of flames certain flours will make.

[Grimm Reaper Racing]

When I worked for Flashing Thunder Fireworks Display, we used to use coffee creamer.  Try it at home, is fookin fun.  I use a 1 gal ice cream bucket.  Pour about .125" of flash powder in the bottom, fill the rest with coffee creamer till about 4 inches from the top and ignite the powder.  The powder not only acts as the propellant for lifting the coffee creamer sky wards, but it also starts the ignition of the creamer as well.  It will barley make a noise when you get the mixture perfect, but it makes one hell of a mushroom cloud and ball of fire and inferno.  Check this video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKmyQtpvhB8&feature=related

[fabr]

mythbusters

[Reidy02]

Reidy,  These are the types you can use with Mag and Mag alloys Ceriated, Thoriated & Lanthanated.  I prefer to use 2% Thoriated on castings because they are generally thicker.  If you are welding really thin areas of either Mag, Mag alloy, or Alum, then I switch to Ceriated, and grind a point on it, just like you would to weld steel.  You'll still use AC, but the Ceriated Tungsten will carry more current and be more stable than the pure Tungsten. 

I hope this helps Reidy.  As for what filler rod, I'd start with AZ101 because you have a Mag alloy.

Thanks agian for all the good info guys! I knew I could get the low down on here Yeah Thanks Adam I was using 2% thoriated tungsten but it's good to know I should swap on the thinner stuff. I am getting some AZ92 filler rod and I'm gonna use helium argon mix. Is the helium mix a good idea? Oh and yeah Carl I've degreased it a few times I'm gonna wipe it down with acetone and put a smaller diameter tungsten in the torch and do a few cleaning runs over the areas to weld.

[fabr]

Throw the part in an oven and burn out the oils. You can surface clean till you're dead and still have oil in "pores" of the casting.

[Grimm Reaper Racing]

Thanks agian for all the good info guys! I knew I could get the low down on here Yeah Thanks Adam I was using 2% thoriated tungsten but it's good to know I should swap on the thinner stuff. I am getting some AZ92 filler rod and I'm gonna use helium argon mix. Is the helium mix a good idea? Oh and yeah Carl I've degreased it a few times I'm gonna wipe it down with acetone and put a smaller diameter tungsten in the torch and do a few cleaning runs over the areas to weld.

     The Helium is going to allow you to punch a lot deeper than just straight argon.  Which reminds me, if you ever break thick aluminum, you can use a helium / argon mix, and DC reverse to get a lot of punch.  That's the same setting you would use to put a ball on the end of your tunsten for welding aluminum.  With the helium gas, your tungsten won't dance around like it does when you are running straight argon.

     Getting back to the magnesium, I'd probably try running straight argon as it will likely be easier to keep your weld puddle small / narrow, which is what you want when welding that stuff.

     Fabr's idea of throwing it in an oven is a great idea.    I've never tried it with mag, because I've never had a piece small enough to put into an oven, or an oven large enough.