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Welding Video Review - Chopper Gas Tank - Jeff Nickell

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How to Tig weld a Chopper gas tank with Jeff Nickell

This Welding video is describing how to tig weld a sheet metal formed gas tank for a custom chopper.Jeff describes the Tig welding process while he welds the bungs in a gas tank that is being built for Fabio's custom chopper. The Chopper is going to have the industrial look and so the welds are not going to be dressed or ground.

All the tig welds will show "as is".

Jeff is using an air cooled #17 Miller Diamondback Air cooled torch. Thats a pretty big torch. I personally love to use the smaller wp9 air cooled torch with gas lens collet body and a #7 cup for work like this.

Tanks like this are typically formed from 18 ga 1010 cold rolled carbon steel. 18ga is only around .050" thick give or take a little. Jeff says he is welding 16 ga steel which is .063" thick. Even with the added thickness of the bungs, this job will take much less than 100 amps.

I would use a 3/32" or even a 1/16" tungsten electrode for this job. Using too large an electrode like a 1/8" will make for rough starts and arc wandering at low amperages. If a 1/8" electrode is all you have, just grind a needle point and a long taper and things will go better on your starts.

Jeff is right about needing different size electrodes for different thickness material. But amperage is the main reason to select electrode size. If you need 100 amps or less, a 1/16" thoriated, ceriated, or lanthanated electrode will be fine and will start better at low amperage than a bigger one.

One reason why shops like this typically use bigger electrodes than what is needed is because its just more convenient to have one size for every job and not to have to change electrodes. That 1/8" electrode Jeff is using is big enough to handle 1/4" aluminum but it is not the best size for thin sheet metal.

Skilled welders like Jeff can compensate for things like this and make it work. I am not trying to be critical, I am just taking the opportunity to point out some tips on electrode selection.

Overall This Welding Video was pretty instructive .

And the design of the bike with bare metal and exposed welds is a really cool idea.

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Welding Video Review - Chopper Gas Tank - Jeff Nickell

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