Welding trouble

[Littleport22]

So I decided to build my own forge and burners. The forge is going fine, but I hit a snag with the burners. I got the whole thing together except the tip (jet). I have a MIG tip going into a 4" length of 1/4" iron nipple. There is too much space inside the nipple to tap it out and screw the tip into it. So I thought of tack welding it in just a spot to hold it in place. Not working so well for me.

I admit I'm not the most experienced welder, but I understand it pretty well. It's an arc welder with an automatic (w/ trigger) feed of flux core wire. Even though the wire is flux core, it won't stick to the metal. The only adjustment on my welder is temp high/low and wire feed speed.

My question is if there's anything else I could do to get it to stick. Would flux paste help?

From another angle, does anyone know if there's another way to put together a burner tip that maybe doesn't need weld? I thought about JB Weld, but it only holds up to about 600F. Not sure how hot that portion of the burner gets and I don't want JB dripping into my forge. I'll be the first to admit it's not the best welder in town, but getting a new one is out of the question ($$$).

Thanks in advance for the good advice!

[KNeilson]

Littleport22, the problem is not your welder , its your lack of knowledge about welding. You will not be able to "weld" a contact tip and an iron nipple as you describe. The metals are not compatable for fusion, you will have to use a method of cohesion such as "brazing, soldering "etc. These use disimilar metals to bond thru molecular adhesion not fusion. My advise Find the right parts, dont "mickey mouse" too much stuff or you will pay for it eventually, hopefully not with too much skin,hair or property.good luck......K

[Littleport22]

Wouldn't a solder melt? Or is it high enough in the pipe to avoid the extreme heats? And thanks for clearing up why the weld wouldn't stick, LOL!

[LarryM]

Littleport22, Why are you using the MiG tip to start with? Just get a number drill the size you need to drill into the side of the pipe nipple. Available at most hardware stores. There's link below that shows a very simple propane burner. You can scale it for your needs. Hope this helps.
oliverburner1

Be safe,
LarryM

[Littleport22]

The reason I'm using a MIG tip to start with is because I saw a good design for a burner using one. That design called for a fitting that I can't find to join the nipple and MIG tip, so I tried an alternate method of making it "fit". This didn't work, so I was asking for help.

Thanks Larry for the new burner idea. I think I'll try to have another couple goes with this one before I try that one. Mostly because this one's all put together, minus the jet tip.

Would standard solder melt at this stage in the burner, or is it far enough up the pipe that it would hold? I've soldered copper pipes before. Is it the same stuff here, or is it a different material/process?

[phil shelton]

littleport22 use a heaver 1/4 nipple may have to go to ind. supply to get one.

[Littleport22]

Maybe a link to this site will clear up what it is I'm trying to do. I have built the entire burner, and it looks fine, with the exception of the MIG tip. And I mistyped earlier. I'm trying to get the tip into a 1/8" nipple, not 1/4". The tip just does fit inside, bit slides through. I can't find that connection that's listed, so I was wondering if there's another way.

It's the section half-way down called "Guru's Burner":
Gas Forges : Building Your First Gas Forge

The big question that would make this a little easier is, what is the temperature of the burner at that upper end? Is it relatively cool compared to the 2000F inside the forge? By cool, I mean around 200F. I'm the first to admit my lack of experience. That's why I'm counting on you experts to help me not screw it up. Thanks for the help, guys. I know I'll eventually get this done!

[mike-hr]

drill and tap a 1/4-28 tpi hole in a 1/8 pipe cap, then screw the cap onto the nipple, and the mig tip into the cap.

[Littleport22]

Mike, that sounds like a perfect idea! Thanks, I'll tap that out tonight! Funny how you never think of the simplest things. lol.

[Joe H]

Originally Posted by Littleport22

Would standard solder melt at this stage in the burner, or is it far enough up the pipe that it would hold? ?

No, it will be fine. Actually the MIG tip will be qute cold while the forge is in operation, from the expansion of the propane. I have even seen frost on mine.