Meco Torch

Got a new addition to the shop, this Meco came from TM Technologies, or TinManTech. I got it hooked up last night and ran a couple passes.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...g/IMG_3807.jpg


Let me start by saying I am not a gas welder. I have a Henrob torch that I have found awkward to use, likely the operator, so I have always used either MIG or TIG. This video shows my second attempt with the Meco, the first attempt I did not have sufficient heat as I was worried about blowing holes. The two “scraps” were picked off the floor and tacked together about every 3/4”, then fusion welded the distance shown, yielding a full penetration weld with nice HAZ conisistency. Very impressed with the light weight and ease of use, even for an old dog learning new tricks. Video shows in order: front, back, planished, and bent at 90* for our destruction test.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td4y...ature=youtu.be



Tacks, front side..



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...g/IMG_3790.jpg



Rear side, full penetration...



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...g/IMG_3792.jpg



Full pass with full weld penetration, bent 90* for destruction test.. Line shown is mark left by press brake die....



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...g/IMG_3806.jpg



Rear side held up well



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...g/IMG_3805.jpg


Very impressed with this torch, one handed valve adjustments are a breeze, light weight and easy to use..

What makes a Meco torch different from a Henrob torch or a quality "conventional" torch?

Compact, easy to use, one hand adjustment, etc, etc. Has a nice, soft flame that doesn't push the puddle around. Local jeweler has one of these, same torch for over 42 years.. I have one of the Henrob torches and just never got comfortable to use it other than heating up a part. Other than that it was cumbersome at best. So I've never been "fluent" at gas welding, and yet welding the two passes that I did last night with the new torch was enjoyable, and almost looks like I know what I'm doing. I've never gotten results like this with the Henrob or my Victor. Maybe the bulky hoses on the others have a bit to do with it as well....

thanks for sharing Robert.

I was asked to bend the weld sample to a complete 180* to give the weld a "REAL" test. So the following video does such, please excuse the erratic movement of the camera operator, he also had to close the vise and position the sample as well..




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzfL...ature=youtu.be



.

that 's how my weld shop teacher checked our's back in 67 :D

I have the Henrob torch that was also named Dillon, and now sold as a Cobra 2000. I have found it very easy to set up, and use. Just set both regulators to 4 psi, and it's good to go. I bought the full kit with all the different size nozzles, and cutting attachments. It was somewhere around $400 though. This was my first attempt at fusion welding some 16 gauge pieces into a cube.
Attachment 9441Attachment 9442

I wish I had the balls to gas-weld outside corner joints on finished/fitted pieces, and out of position too. My outside MIG welded joints are not even close to pretty, and always need to be ground down a lot. It's an art I don't have natural talent for, which is they way they use to skillfully do it, even before electricity was an option.
I hate it when I spend hours fitting a piece perfectly, and then blow it when I finally have the nerve to weld it.

Last night I tried to tackle the wizardry of filming the gas welding with the goal of better visibility of the weld puddle. This is about as close as I can get with using a iPhone camera and a welding helmet lens. Also made use of a Milwaukee LED light to brighten things for less of a change in light.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DY...g=w723-h963-no

These are filmed through the Miller Digital Elite, Weld setting 9, delay 2. sensitivity 6. I think I still need to come up with something better, especially for showing any TIG welding. Are there any Photography guru's that can steer me in the right direction for filming weld processes?

Tacking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo3npncFfDM


Weld pass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4i0fqr4BE

You might be able to do slightly better but you did an excellent job. The puddle shows pretty clearly and you can follow the torch motion.

I assume a second person was holding the welding helmet and camera and operating the camera.

I have two of the miller helmets, so I took one of the lenses out of the helmet, taped it to the iPhone, and propped it to the correct angle. High tech shit up here. :)

I've heard an ND filter would do even better but hoping to find someone that has used one on actual welding videos so I'm not guessing at whether $100 filter will work or not..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MP&C

These are filmed through the Miller Digital Elite, Weld setting 9, delay 2. sensitivity 6. I think I still need to come up with something better, especially for showing any TIG welding. Are there any Photography guru's that can steer me in the right direction for filming weld processes?

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Not a guru, but I know a little bit about photo/video. Are you using the stock iphone software to film the video?

In order to capture something like welding where you have an extremely bright light source you'll need to have manual control over your exposure settings. When using the apple camera software, it will automatically determine your aperture and ISO settings based on the brightest input source, the welding arc. I just looked on the app store and there is an app called ProCam 6 for $5.99 that will allow you to manually control the aperture and ISO on both photos and videos. I also happen to have an old ND8 filter laying around from a camera lens I no longer own... Let me try out the setup later tonight ( I have a small piece of 304 I need to repair for someone anyway) and I'll report back. If it works, you can have the ND filter, its been sitting in a box for 4 years.

Thanks, interested to see how well it works.

Well, the ND8 isn't enough.. It's close, but the arc blows it out and all you can see is the tail end of the puddle. I tried several combos of different ISO's and apertures and nothing really worked. . I I think an ND10 or 12 would work great. I tried to replicate your setup using my iphone and the procam 6 software, but I couldn't get it to focus at all, every attempt came out blurry. The Procam app does allow manual control of the video, but it's a bit clunky to change the settings for videos, especially when compared to a DSLR.

The video below is from my canon camera, ISO 100, aperture 16 with an ND8 filter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzoV...ature=youtu.be

If I can find a cheap ND10 or 12 that fits my current setup I'll purchase it and try again..

EDIT: Just found an ND10 for $18 on amazon, I'll give it a shot.

I get a message saying your video is unavailable. But I think focusing is what could be better on MP&C's video.

I don't have a clue what Ron Covell uses but his welding videos show everything real well. He's sponsored by Miller, touts their stuff in his videos, so I'm sure has access to what they know about videoing/photographing welding. Probably not cheap stuff either!

It was listed as private for some reason, it should be fixed now.

I can see your video now. Focus is pretty good, I can see your torch movements well, but the puddle is not showing up as well as in MP&C's video. Between the two of you, looks like there's hope for improvement, as each of you has some excellence, if you can get the best of both.

Yeah, the arc is overexposed on mine because the ND8 filter just isn't enough shade.. you can faintly see the tail end of the puddle.. After posting the video I started wondering if it might be enough for an O/A torch though. I know when I use my torch I wear a fixed shade #5 glasses and its enough. The arc of a TIG torch is brighter than my O/A torch, so perhaps it might work? What shade setting did you have your welding helmet set to for the torch?

Weld setting of 9, delay 2, sensitivity 6.

Round 2

I wasn't pleased with the results or the wonky setup from last night so I decided to give it another go. I was able to 3D print an adapter ring for this test so I could fit the ND8 filter on my lens and make it easier..

Attachment 9511

Attachment 9510


I used the O/A torch this time instead of the TIG and got better results. I would like to see more ambient light surrounding the work piece. I still think a slightly darker ND filter would help achieve this. The puddle is still a little blown out in the middle, but overall I think the results were much better. (I suck welding with O/A so I just heated up a piece of square tube and moved the puddle without actually welding anything or adding any filler). Camera settings were ISO 10000, Aperture 16, ND8 filter.

https://youtu.be/U9t_9UvOwaM

ND10 filter came in today so I went back to the shop for more tests... I still can't capture great puddle flow

ND10 filter - ISO 12800 Aperture 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdU9xOruZqY

I popped the ND8 back on and got a better shot. If you look below the welding area there's a reflection and you can actually see the puddle flow fairly well. (I believe it's a reflection between the UV ND filters being stacked together It shows up really well on my computer, after uploading to youtube it isn't as crisp because of the compression). And at the end I blew through the square tube :D.
https://youtu.be/iL4efaQPgtc

I have several other videos I didn't upload scrolling through the apertures trying to find something that worked well but its hard to dial it in by myself... I think there was a point where I was just having fun O/A welding and kept going trying to improve... Still got a long way to go.

Still wasn't satisfied... Found a circular polarizer laying around and I stacked it on top of the ND10 filter... FINALLY, you can see the puddle :-).
I need to get the camera elevated and shooting down so the puddle movement is more clear... I was being cautious and I didn't want to have the camera too close.

https://youtu.be/lN0DShNnBVg

ND10 Filter + Circular polarizer
Aperture 7
ISO 12800

That ones looking much better! Are you doing any kind of backlighting?

Not really doing any lighting.. I had the shop door open yesterday and it brought in more light than I usually have in my shop. Tomorrow I'm going to try the ND8 filter with the circular polarizer and see if that works. The ND10 with the polarizer is just as dark as a welding helmet minus the green tint