This TIG Trick BLEW MY MIND

[@thefirstcalled]

I'm happy because you are happy!

[@terryheimerl8674]

I knew about shrinking car panels and bending profiles by rapid cooling but I never put it together with warping correction until now. At 70 you can be taught new skills by the young pups but only if you are willing to listen to them. Thanks mate. Terry from Australia.

[@LiftArcStudios]

Happy to help, buddy!

[@ADRIAAN1007]

This trick is called "Flame Straightening" because it is usually done with a oxy-acetylene torch. But anything that gets the metal orange hot works.

[@Soulsmithing]

Was going to say that ;-)

[@monadking2761]

Metal is a liquid just at different temperatures. It moves a lot when welding. I mig body panels, and you will feel it move under your fingertips when you try to get it just right. Heat will be your enemy. Just know how to tame it.

[@UnProj]

I'm also a fabricator and on joints like that, what I do is flip the whole thing over on my fixture table, and put a spacer under the joint and pre-bend the joint the opposite direction, so the weld pulls it straight, the amount of pre-bend takes a little while to get a feel for it, but you can get something that's basically dead straight without the heat shrinking steps (and more importantly for the jobs i've used it on, it leaves no marks on the surface) but joints where you can't do that, this is a great option

[@joelwishneski4066]

Exactly, preloading the joint

[@Aesopsnavel]

Yeah it was called back-breaking when I learned it. I don't think the take away of "just let it warp and flame straighten at the end" is a good paradigm to work from. Even when it goes well, and sometimes it really doesn't, you're going to wind up wasting time, gases, energy, and end up with embrittled zones or places where your finish is going to be compromised. Mitigate everything you can, use thermal processes to fix the rest.

[@tezzrterry7485]

An old welder told me, if heat bent it, heat will reverse it.

[@LiftArcStudios]

I like their style!

[@dencope5332]

Hey great tip, I believe the cooling does not make it bend more but just makes it happen faster. We actually tested that using wet cool rags and the same piece was bent the same and allowed to cool naturally and the same result. Nice work.

[@tonyb6821]

A 'Metals' TEACHER (welding, casting, lathe/milling) in HIGH SCHOOL in 1985 taught me this! Drafting class was with paper, rulers and pencils also LOL I routinely straighten driveshafts and align wheels (camber and toe-in) on solid axle trailers this way. Awesome vid showing the movement achieved!

[@johnwaynewilliamson]

Tay, I appreciate you said out loud "I'm not a certified welder, I didn't go to college for it". Same here. You're living proof that you can run a successful and respected welding business without being certified. I know there's a time and place for certified welders, but I tire of the constant - oh you're not certified, well then you're * * * * - attitude from would-be customers and competition. Real life experience, continuous learning, and knowing your limits - can carry a person far in life, despite others lifegoal to discredit such. Thanks for the education on this.

[@LiftArcStudios]

giant high five!

[@KROKO123OOO]

Sorry, but the work in this video is nothing like that of a certified welder. It's just not the same job, and there's not an ounce of arrogance in it! This guy is doing a locksmith's job! Again, I'm sorry to say that if this manufacturer doesn't understand that metal shrinks after so many years of working with it, and that there are tricks to compensate for this, then it's very worrying.

[@fitch8363]

Glad you discovered this. I did it with an Oxy/Acetate torch in the late 1950's (I was a farm boy in high school) because that's all Dad had. Worked a treat it did. Using compressed air to cool the metal which has been heated red hot may not be a good idea because while it's a mild form of quenching t could affect the metallurgical properties. On your project that wouldn't matter, but where the properties count letting it air cool is may be a better idea. the reason it works: The hot metal expands but the expansion is constrained by the rest of the tube so some of the hot metal is displaced.. When it cools displaced metal leaves less metal where it all was before. That shrinkage is what causes the bend to straighten.

[@charlesvernon9590]

Tay, a shame it took you so long to learn something so basic. I've never used the TIG torch to heat the metal. Apparently it works well on thin material, I'll try it, thanks. I have a suggestion: If you continue to use compressed air for cooling, put an air connection on the air output of your plasma table. That air should be much colder than ambient temperature compressed air. OR: Use the old school method Clamp a straight edge to your work and after heating, repeatedly touch the heated metal with a cool, damp sponge until the desired level of shrinkage occurs. This method offers more control and works more quickly. Love your channel, keep up the good work.

[@benz-share9058]

Thank you for this! I think the restraint (or lack of) is a critical point in explaining and predicting how both heat warping and straightening will turn out. It's probably why some apparently similar situations turn out differently. I've done something very similar to this video, on 2" square 16 GA stainless tubing and on 3/16" stainless plate. Worked really well.

[@michaelanderson3771]

I knew we can relieve stress by annealing, heating it up and quench cooling to release stress, but this is so super handy to know I can do this with the tig torch. Awesome tip fella's. Love your stuff.

[@cheatinggravity173]

Just an fyi- annealing involves heating the metal up then letting it cool as slowly as possible. Quenching it introduces more stress.

[@badad0166]

Very satisfying watching the metal "suck up" in real time. I never had the logic straight as to what was happening with heat shrinking. Thank you for clearing up a fuzzy part of my brain!

[@LiftArcStudios]

Happy to help!

[@guytech7310]

Whole new meaning for "Lift Arc"!

[@Freshwaterfishkeeper]

This is a great tip, for it to fully pull (without doing it multiple times) best tip I have is to make sure you wrap the welds or heat around the two radius edges.

[@AlAmantea]

Tay, I share in your excitement! Not only is this trick a game changer, but it's cool as hell doing it with only tool! Gotta love TIG welding!

[@thebicyclesafaris]

If you let the heated area air cool, it will still shrink the same amount, it will just take a little longer, but you'll maintain more of the metal's original properties. When you speed up the cooling process, it makes the metal harder, and more brittle. Not necessarily an issue with a table frame, but a serous consideration for any kind of structural work when employing flame straightening techniques. I use a rose bud for bigger stuff, or even just a cutting torch head does the trick if you're not depressing the oxygen lever.

[@Rollie396]

A trick I use quite often is put a chunk of 12 gauge sheet(depending on factors lol) under the weld joint and clamp each side down to the table to pre stress the material then weld it and let it cool before releasing the clamps has the same effect.not always practical but can save time in certain cases.

[@migmagingenieria]

Another super useful trick to add to my arsenal. Thanks a ton for sharing! Your video was definitely worth an instant subscription! Cheers from the Mighty Alberta, Canada!!!!

[@ohane1]

Cool work. As an engineer (welder too), I spec weldments stress relieved to avoid the results you're seeing. In your case, it'd need to be held flat & in a big oven. What you made is weaker than perfect, but fine for it's purpose.

[@peters5333]

It blew my mind too. Deja Vu. .one hour ago I was tig welding .065 square tubing. then you appeared on YT once I poured an adult beverage and sat town. Tay. That is a game changer.

[@LiftArcStudios]

This comment made me so happy to read! That's why we wanted to share!

[@MrPaulviles]

It pulled more because of the weight as well. Eg. If you weld something with a strongback on it the welding pull is minimal but if a piece of metal is unsupported and you weld the side in compression it will shrink more then the side in tension. That is why you needed more welds on your benchtop because the ends were not supported and the side you wanted to shrink was in tension. This is why pipe welders typically only weld 1/4 of the pipe’s diameter at a time so they can check for welding pull. Why they normally do the side in tension first. It pulls because the grain structures of the steel are changed, rapid cooling causes weaker grain structure then even extended cooling. Eg why cast iron has the entire piece preheated then the entire piece is cooled evenly over a extended period of time to prevent stress.

[@dandexinventor]

Makes us all smile! I knew from experience how the metal expanded and over contracted, but I did not know the TIG torch heating trick. I did the kerf cuts to counter it when it happened before and that was 1/4 wall aluminum sq tube. It would warp 3/4" over 8' if I didn't design in a gap as well as cut a kerf, none of which I liked. Now I can do the simple thing, so thanks building Brother!

[@MichaelJeffers75]

I've been welding for a few years and am yet to cut my teeth in TIG, but when I do, I'll be one step ahead. Thanks for this tip! It might even be helpful with stick or flux in certain situations.

[@TheOneAndOnlySame]

When the metal is deposited, it is molten, in liquid form, a form in which it is swollen (it occupies more volume for the same mass) . It mixes with the spot of the parent metal that is liquid too. The metal cool down , it goes back to its previous volume/density, it retracts. It thus pulls on the metal surrounding it, distorting it. This process is very very very strong.

[@RexAnothership]

Learned that trick decades ago as a carpenter learning to weld. Was replacing sections of rusted out soft chine steel hull sailboat. It also works if a welded sheet gas cans out and you need to tighten the middle of the sheet. If you need to convex the sheet, weld beads in the underside. The bend will stay even if you grind it off later.

[@LiftArcStudios]

This is excellent advice! Man, how was it welding sailboats? We don't get a ton of those in the shop

[@RexAnothership]

@@LiftArcStudios Dirty

[@RexAnothership]

@@LiftArcStudios a lot of overhead welding with hard core and blue shield gas. Only wish we had laser rust removers in those days. That would have been great.

[@tobias.persson]

This is very old school metal shrinking. Have used it to pull out dents. Heat the surrounding metal and cool it fast with a wet rag.

[@jfa3019]

Cool trick, I have some steel benches to build, will definitely give it a try.

[@williamlane2126]

Weld flat surfaces first, fillets in the 90s can be done by adding reflex (porta-power) between tubes. Material will pull back toward square once cool. Also a good example of why the Twin Towers collapsed, metal does not need to reach the melting point to soften and move/bend

[@ralphwaters8905]

I had that exact issue when fillet welding a 1/4" thick (stainless) flange to the end of some tubing for a hand rail. Shrinkage caused the flange to curl up like a bowl. I flipped it over and ran an autogenous bead on the back side of that flange right over the HAZ (heat-affected zone) and it fixed my problem very nicely. In your case, I think you will find that the edge welds induce some of that distortion in addition to the transverse ones you addressed. I built an automatic driveway gate from square tubing and put a row of mounting tabs along one corner of the top and bottom tubes to affix wood facing. This warped the entire gate like a banana. It was not enough to affect its function, but sighting down the edge reveals well over half an inch of bending over the 10' width of the gate. Stainless is really horrible in this; MUCH worse than normal carbon steel due to the low thermal conductivity and high coefficient of thermal expansion in stainless. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Mostly hate. LOL

[@Nath-sn1mv]

Great way to do this. Alternatively you can flip the topside down on the welding table amd clamp it down prior to welding

[@andreasoberg3530]

Nice work! I usually do the same kind of trick on the legs. Say if you weld the legs and they get a few degrees of to one side I then go over the weld again on the side I want the tube to go. Just like you did with no filler 😊

[@RHarris42]

It gets me stoked seeing how stoked you got. Lol right on fella! Thanks for sharing this. I have heard of this technique before and im happy that it worked well for you. Something else to keep in mind though, i wouldnt do that when youre working with kitchen grade S.S. projects. Its a good way to make it porous thus it will have bacteria icky poo yucks embedded. Great job once again! 😎👍

[@SoccerPhoto]

The beauty of this approach, you don't need to even form any puddle. Just move the torch back and forth to turn the metal bright red - which is great so you don't have to worry about blowing thru or distorting your surface finish.

[@jrudewick]

Great job, Tay! Experience and studying your craft will only continue to make what you create even better each and every day!

[@davidosland1440]

very cool! Learning how to read warpage when fabricating is a trick!!!

[@AM-dn4lk]

An excellent video on fixing welding warping. Thank you.

[@melgross]

The best way to heat straighten is to constrain the material when heating so it can’t bend. Then remove the clamps quickly as soon as you finish heating and it will shrink . If you don’t, the metal will stretch away from the heat, then shrink back to where it was, pretty much.

[@garyradtke3252]

I have watched machinists straighten 2" Dia marine prop shafts this way. I have also used it on smaller shafts myself after seeing it performed on the larger ones. It does play with the mind a little until you understand the process.

[@MichaelAllanFrancisSheaver]

Wonderful insight, thanks for sharing this with those of us who will likely never, ever weld!

[@Bennetts_Fabrication_Welding]

I had to do this with 10 gauge sheet steel after plasma cutting some stuff out for my sign. It was all kinds of warped and a bottle of map fuel torch got it really close to flat. Good job

[@keithdawe4866]

Thanks for the lesson..thank you for taking the time to make the video

[@akraix182]

We do this all the time with the acetylene torch. Just a little red dot will make a huge difference

[@GBCobber]

Good job. For those so inclined; there are some videos of this method used to straighten alloy cylinder heads.

[@4wheelerdaddy]

Great example of why and how heat and shrinkage moves metal. Metals that are more thermally conductive like aluminum will not “shrink” or move as much as metals that are less thermally conductive like this stainless. Just subscribed.

[@joshwelch8288]

We do this alot at work, i work in a structual steel fab shop, but we use a rose bud and oxy acetelyn bc they are big i beams and tubes. We cool it faster with water or snow in the winter. Never thought about doing it this way though. Nice job!!

[@AudioJunkie79]

Thank you so much for this. Nice clear explanation. Just started Tig welding and this will be a huge help for me. Thank you for posting.

[@jughed74]

This is awesome! I can barely tell you are excited.

[@sateshbhagoutie251]

Nice trick.. I will definitely use it. Distrotion takes place on jobs all the time. Thank you.

[@NathanNostaw]

Can also use a stick welder to super heat an area. Spray an anti-splatter coat for easier clean up I just strike an arc and lift the rod high enough to no lay a weld, yet still keep the arc. This ends up with a high heat arc, but shitty weld deposit, which mostly just chips off as slab or splatter. I've used this method to bend/curl the corners of 12mm plate with ease.

[@frijoli9579]

You can do that with a larger flame torch as well. Machinists and fabricators have been doing this for over a hundred years. :)

[@billgilbride7972]

Works on acme rod as well. I've seen clips of ppl repairing bent rod instead of replacing it. Which is that last ditch effort. Great visual explainer on heat shrinking!

[@j.c.smithprojects]

so cool seeing you get so excited. i will try and remember that trick. that can be the difference between scrapping it and starting over vs success.

[@davidwalsh7603]

So simple, I built up a propeller shaft once and discovered the same thing when straightening the shaft . Using a dial gauge the slightest touch of tig heat bends the shaft.

[@diyforfun2074]

Great video. I ran into this problem so many times. Thanks for sharing

[@LiftArcStudios]

Glad it helped and thanks for the kind words!

[@shotz5599]

Pre-stress the component before welding helps also e.g. clamp a packer on the side you heat shrunk bending the tube up then weld and when you remove the clamps it will be better and you may not need to heat cycle it.

[@777smitty4]

I have seen heat straightening before on flat plate but never on tubing.very useful info thanks

[@Mark-vx5dt]

I built a fixture table a few years ago with a 1/2” steel top. I had fixture holes laser cut in a grid and it turned the top into a potato chip. 3.5’ wide table was out almost an inch. I did this identical process and got the table flat to within 1/64”.

[@paulb3095]

Keith Fenner has taught us this years ago with his method of straightening shafts with heat and water. This is the exact same thing you are doing. Keiths the man

[@DustinTjäder]

I actually went to welding school... And they never taught that shit! Omg You're a beast! Legendary. Will never look at metal the same.

[@sliversandsparks]

Cool trick. I never thought of doing that with a tig torch either. Thanks for sharing. 🇨🇦

[@Cannoncustoms]

It works even better if you trap the metal to keep it from expanding. When you heat if you don't allow it to move the metal will bunch up into itself more and in turn shrink more. I have bent box tubing this way for a 30s car frame.

[@Gottenhimfella]

That's right. The reason for the shrinkage is that when the hot spot under the torch expanded, the cool metal around it resisted being pushed away, so the expansion was mainly up and down (into free air) not sideways. But then when it cools, it contracts equally in all directions, which is why it ends up narrower. What you are suggesting works because it makes it even harder to expand sideways. The proof of this is to run your finger over the strip which was heated once it's cooled. It will be slightly raised above the surrounding metal, and if you cut it open, the same would be true underneath

[@dominicalbrecht7039]

Subbed just for that tip alone..could have saved me so much if i knew this earlier..

[@LiftArcStudios]

Heck yeah, glad we could help and thanks for subscribing!

[@dr.feelgood2358]

thanks for sharing! i'm not super experienced with heat straightening. i've used oxy-acetylene and gigantic half-clamps to pull down 1.5" thick stainless flanges, which is really due to a lot of weld on only one side of a 3/8" thick plate underneath.

[@bavariantechniker75]

Have you guys ever thought of having welding classes after your all settled in to the new place? I’d take a trip down from New England for that. Keep up the awesome work!

[@bobbyrodriguez3742]

Nice brother. Thank you for the continuation of teaching.

[@northernmetalworker]

Clamping straight edge with two shims on either end, will add extra pulling force to the direction you're wanting to go in as well when you heat.

[@BugeyeBob-zt6ne]

I'm not a metallurgist, but I think this works because during the manufacturing process (rolling, etc.) the individual grains of metals get stretched slightly beyond their preferred static shape. Then when heat is applied the grains expand of course, but then in cooling back down they return to their preferred shape. I think of it as taking a round balloon with some air in it, stretching it out, then heating the air within which makes the balloon expand, then as it cools it wants to return back to it's round shape. JMNSHO... your mileage may vary.

[@paulnewton943]

I discovered a very similar process in welding a frame from Fireball tools and it is so gratifying when it just works.

[@chuckflitton5293]

Old handrail builders' trick. It works great. You can also use a wet rag to cool if air is not available.

[@01CumminsWelder]

I'm a boiler maker and when welding certain nozzles and pipes we have to keep them within .5 degrees of tolerance. When you weld a circular object it will tend to pull wherever you start/stop. So if you need to pull something to the right, start on the right side, weld around and end at the same point you started and it will pull that direction. Works best with Inconel and Stainless but carbon steel will behave but it shrinks less. Never thought of this trick though! Metal is a cool thing.

[@ferratilis]

I knew it bends but never understood how exactly it happens. Thanks for the awesome tip.

[@Room_for_1_more_fruit_tree]

Its prety simple really, even the heat out on opposing sides so it cancels the warping out. You can also use a high lift jack to mechanically remove the warping.

[@RodneyHayes-d3y]

I built my welding table a few years back with a half inch thick steel plate four feet square. After all the welding it had a convex warp with one corner a 1/4 in low and one 1/2 inch low. I didn't want to use all my oxygen on striating, so I used carbon gouging rods and my stick welder. Ended up less than 0,020 low at the worst spot and the rods are cheap

[@jwmic]

Rag with ice water after a cool gold colored fuse weld works awesome.

[@randys2358]

I've leaned heavily on that approach when working with stainless sheet metal. A bucket of cold water and some copper bars - rotated frequently, also has proven helpful...

[@mikealdag7309]

Great tip, thank you , needed this right now for my project lol

[@WorldofTon]

That’s so cool. 16ga is pretty thin for tubing. Pretty awesome.

[@Rusty-Metal]

Awesome. Thx for sharing.

[@RJCongdonCarpentry]

What I want to add is this kind of only works if you can limit expansion. So the hot metal tries to expand ( not mush pressure) if you can control the ends so it can't expand when it cools you'll be ahead of the game. So on tube it has the strength to retain itself.

[@heres2ya]

back in the day welding this is an old trick i was tough. it even puts a bit of strength in the metal. i also us that method when doing auto body work. (yes we did it with a torch)

[@joeshomeshop]

What a great tip. Nice video, man!

[@fredschmidt3148]

Welds leave yield point tension in the heat effected zones. That is a heck of a lot of pull !

[@bobs12andahalf2]

I don't have oxyacetylene or tig, I do a mig bead and quench it with water then grind the bead if necessary. Trying to keep everything true in all three dimensions can be a right pain in the rear at times though. I've cut parts out and replaced them with fresh steel on occasions where I just want to go home 😅

[@LiftArcStudios]

Hey man, if it works it works!

[@stevenm8429]

Doing diameters between centers with torch and an indicator on it watching it grow and settle is a way to do this .😁

[@iainhetherington4608]

Cool trick guys , love it Cheers from Aus

[@LiftArcStudios]

Our pleasure! Thanks for watching from the other side of the world!

[@G5Hohn]

Great trick, just know that the rapid cooling will make those spots very brittle and hard and prone to cracking. Try to locate the spots away from anywhere structural critical

[@Kevinrichardsonministries]

Excellent Video... well explained and demonstrated. I've been looking for info on exactly how to do this for a while. Thanks You... you earned a subscriber.... Thumbs Up all the way...

[@tommyhays2851]

Great video one thing that helps as well is to put a strong back across the whole thing and clamp it down

[@jeremysaunders9916]

This is were youtube scores big time , you can learn stuff so quick with out having a lot of experience 😊

[@flstciguy8302]

Apply heat to the highest point. It will go in the wrong direction. (remain calm) When it cools it will go past where it started out. If it's still bent, move over slightly and repeat. If it moved too far, heat the opposite side, just less. Remember "Heat the high spot"

[@mouradabdi2207]

👍🤓 Je comprends bien votre enthousiasme et votre fierté, c'est tout simplement le fruit de plusieurs années de travail passionné.

[@diyfamily6848]

I've been doing this for years but it workes much better with a wet rag or sponge to cool. A laser welder works much better at reducing the heat affected Zone and distortion though.

[@Oliveirafarmer]

WAOO GUYS, BADASS TRICK! THANK YOU 🤓👏🏻👍🏻

[@LiftArcStudios]

Our pleasure!

[@russtuff]

Hot damn, how have I never thought of doing this with the tig?!? Thanks!

[@yilmazma]

Thanks for the video. It looks like the far end of the table is not supported, some of the bend might be because of gravity.

[@RickTrajan]

Holy... I've never tried welding but this is impressive to me

[@stephen271]

This is a great video mate . Top info for everyone

[@LiftArcStudios]

Thanks Stephen!

[@0.c.979]

Good and useful knowledge .

[@fredmcmichael5727]

As a retired firefighter and part-time welder, I was curious about this very thing when they build ladder trucks. I found out that this was something that they solved by putting the beams in a pre bent jig before welding

[@farfartony751]

Amazing. Thank you for sharing.

[@SteveStuttard]

You should check out fireball tools for fixtures to use on your expensive welding table. This would eliminate your wrapage issue.

[@ToxicMrSmith]

Yeah he sells awesome tools for welding tables that will only cost you a bit more than your mortgage. No thanks

[@johnwaynewilliamson]

Fireball's kit is awesome, but Jason himself has done multiple videos on warping (while using his kit), and how to compensate for that with shims prior to welding.

[@454Casull]

Only sometimes. Weldments that are partially unsupported (like this one) will spring once removed from the table, no matter how well fitted or clamped

[@taoisttiger4702]

Awesome pro-tip thanks!