Titanium Bike Welds with Mike Zanconato

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Tig welding a titanium bike with Mike Zanconato of Zanconato custom cycles.
Titanium is relatively easy to weld but following best practices and procedures is super important.
purging the back side of the weld with argon, cleaning the metal thoroughly, using a large flood cup, wearing clean gloves...all are details that can make a big difference.
using a clear furick bbw cup really helped with filming the arc for this video but it also provided the argon shielding required to keep the welds silver free from discoloration.
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[@ScienceFTW]

Jody, thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to come up and visit. It was so much fun and I learned a ton. Thank you for all that you do for this community!

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

zanconato thanks for having me Mike

[@wadepatton2433]

You go Zank!

[@brianbob7514]

I don’t see my max in the background! Get to work :)

[@WesV]

That is one well set up work-space sir!

[@JZStudiosonline]

Well I was interested, until I found out your a roadie. Interest lost.

[@MotoFabPerformance]

I’m an experienced titanium welder (exhaust and such) but I learned a lot about prep from this video. Awesome!

[@jacktheaviator4938]

I just started working with titanium tubing, (aircraft structural) and it is a DREAM to work with, once I got past the quirks of the material, it really is an awesome product to weld. and the BBW cups (in Pyrex) made a huge difference. It allows light to spread out more, and I can see what"s coming around the curve of the tube. I have really started using titanium anywhere I can. It makes the project run over budget, but in my opinion, the weight saving and strength are worth every penny. And you don't have to be nearly as worried about stress fatigue, which brings peace of mind, especially knowing someone's life is on the line at 3000 meters altitude. Thx for a great video.

[@AldoSchmedack]

Jack the Aviator Question for you, where do find your material to use? I am having a bear of a time finding Ti locally.

[@petebike]

I was a tig welder at a titanium bike factory in north Cambridge Massachusetts in the late 90's early 2000's . You're doing beautiful work. Keep it up!

[@roadyeti3697]

Serotta?

[@dodoslovensko]

@@roadyeti3697 Serotta is in NY

[@jojomama4787]

When I was young there was a race car driver named Juan Fangio and he was simply the best! The reason I mention that guy is that he said "you win the race by going as slow as possible", meaning fast enough to win but slow enough to keep the car intact.Welding is quite similar,you want to weld as cold as possible to get away from enlarging the grain structure but hot enough to get the penetration required

[@TKTK-sw3tq]

I’m late but that MIT professor is Thomas W Eagar on youtube. He does welding metallurgy lectures that are available to anyone. Just search up Thomas Eagar. The specific situation he talks about is GE did some laser welding on $25,000 parts. If it fails, they throw away $25,000, if they succeed, they get $50,000. They were cleaning their parts with industrial grade acetone and were getting porosity. Thomas Eagar suggested switching to reagent grade acetone however they just blew him off because it was such an odd suggestion. Well after a year of failed parts and hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, they tried it and it worked.

[@AviewFromUnder]

I have never held a TIG torch in my life but I can't stop looking at TIG videos! Thanks for sharing.

[@bigtb1717]

Two masters taking the time to share some of their expertise. Awesome, thanks guys! Fantastic work on those welds.

[@garethleitner9547]

I have a new appreciation of the Serotta Legend titanium bike that I bought 20 years ago. The welds are flawless.

[@kieranproven4874]

Hey Jodi, Thanks for all the years you have been putting into your KZbin Tutorials. I have been watching for many years. I have been welding for 20 years now and I still look for you to learn something I can apply to my jobs. I love the clear arc shots and the chilled out narration. Thanks man.

[@nucleonst]

I think fusion is the most important thing to consider when welding. It is one of the main reasons Carbondale frames don’t have high failure rates. They have these huge welds both for fusion and aesthetics. Excellent video thank you!

[@trylessego]

Theses welds are pure art work and I could look at it all day.

[@eduardosampoia5480]

I wouldn't call it art. I call it science. Follow the instructions and it should always work.

[@Ladosligese]

@@eduardosampoia5480 you could NOT be more wrong .. welding is an ARTFORM like anything else that requires skill .. the better you are at it the better the results .. " follow the instructions " .. yeee i read how to setup a welder .. now i can weld as well as anyone else .. no matter how long they been doing it .. you get my point or?

[@tolga1cool]

Holy crap. Those welds look clean

[@FrankKassel]

I always enjoy wrapping my arms around a BBW. Maybe I'll look into that cup too.

[@cameronbartlett856]

Also I find it incredible how thin that frame is, yet it can still hold over 200 pounds of weight with ease!

[@GUNNER12R]

Jody Sir your recent videos are about the best, most informative, welding videos I've ever seen. At 54 my eyes are starting to give up on me so seeing my puddles are tough on these exotic metals. But I'm a poor working class man so there's no giving up. So if you'll keep helping I'll keep hanging in there. BTW I own 4 or 5 of your TIG fingers. I won't buy the knock off brands as a matter of principal. It's you product. I've had my product stolen, rebranded and sold as someone else's product I know how much that sucks Sir.

[@neon-john]

I'm 64 with rotten eyes but I can still weld thanks to electronic helmets and cheater lens. Cheaters are stereo magnifying lenses. I use a +3 diopter cheater and am about to have to go to +4. Another tip is to illuminate the work to be almost as bright as the arc. I use this light. www.neon-john.com/Misc/Mega_light_home.htm And a smaller but just as bright LED version. The Mega-Light uses a 1000 watt metal-halide bulb. I'm trying going back to a conventional non-electronic hood. It's working pretty well. I can see the work before the arc is struck. For welding in tight spaces, I've made a 175 watt metal-halide light out of a conventional drop light. There is a version of the 175 watt bulb that is the same size as a 100 watt incandescent lamp. I polished the reflector to get more heat and light out the front and less heat out the back. There have recently become available LED lights of equivalent brightness that will fit in the socket. I have one on order. Extremely bright illumination is vital for us geezers to continue welding. John

[@phillhuddleston9445]

Plus if you don't have good lighting all the way around your part having an auto darkening helmet is useless.

[@JaapGrootveld]

Best weld talk I ever heard, and best welds I have ever seen, Tanks pro,s.

[@terrancegrant1664]

Neat video. I was a teenager in the late eighties and raced mountain bikes, so I have a thing for titanium bikes. I also took metal fabrication (welding - SMAW) in high school. Cool to see the build and get the high points of the process. Thanks!

[@speedbuggy16v]

Thank you both for your time and knowledge, the reality is I will likely never weld Ti, but if I do, at least I have a little foreknowledge to do so with.

[@AldoSchmedack]

speedbuggy16v I thought the same thing until I needed to weld some Ti cookware to better strengthen it for my cooking gear in my bug out bag. Turns out it was smart studying about Ti welding and very smart in getting a better welder than I needed when I bought mine. I went with a Dynasty and I am glad I did!

[@Trubshaw2]

Hi guys, I have a few comments I’d like to make. Cleanliness is key when welding Titanium and I would advocate that you wipe the welding rods with acetone before use. Bike frames are a very low key technology as regards to Titanium welding And presumably you are not x-raying and Dye checking the Welds afterwards to see their integrity. I wouldn’t be surprised with this amount of chill and the two passes that they would have a considerable amount of porosity present. This shouldn’t be a problem in your application though. I am a tad concerned when you talk about dark straw colour - anything darker than light straw is considered scrap in the aero industry and the part is thrown away due to the internal alpha case. The worst contamination is dark blue and the problem with Titanium is that if it is rewelded it will appear clean and good. In reality the weld is totally unfit for purpose and will be very brittle. I don’t agree with the two passes, A decent welder will put these simple joints together with one pass.

[@tranvasily8139]

Hi. Is it better if I weld titanium in a confined room with full of Argon?

[@sebastianquillan9193]

What would happen to a titanium bike if you rewelded the crack?

[@_cr8ive_]

After watching just the first 4 minutes of this it became vividly clear that you need to know a whole lot . . .and lay out a lot of money to get started in this game. The "Fake it till you make it" philosophy wont cut it here, that's for sure...

[@papalilburn]

Noticed the "modified" regulator/hose wrench, you always provide ideas that help our effort. Plan on making one today! Thanks for the good information and wonderful - "Tips & Tricks!"

[@SteveisTall]

I've sent this to my bike riding mates. Hopefully it helps educate them. Thanks.

[@livedadyt10]

He is very thorough! Lots of respect for all those alum. welded bikes too. Thx.

[@weldingjunkie]

I live 20 min from mike he does some great work. Nothing nicer then s custom bike

[@philmay7834]

Truth be told, carbide tooth hole saws are the best. More expensive, but really clean cuts……and long lasting.

[@KoenBrader]

That is one very informative video (even more than your usual, high quality content) Jody; and Mike seems like a real nice down-to-earth guy and a great craftsman. Those welds you guys show are pure art!

[@Aethelbeorn]

BBW - Big Beautiful Weld

[@cameronbartlett856]

That's my type of BBW XD

[@jojomama4787]

Juan Fangio(perhaps the best formula one driver ever) once said "to win the race you must drive as slow as possible",as far as welding goes I try to weld as cold as possible (meaning don't overheat the base material!)...I somehow see a correlation between the two!

[@gregkral4467]

That sure is a great fixture for the tubing prep. Thanks for sharing.

[@taufikekoyudanto6216]

Now I understand completely why a titanium bike frame is such a premium..

[@JeffinTD]

Interesting tip on reagent grade acetone. Great video.

[@HondoTrailside]

Great coverage! Yeah, MSDS on acetone says it contains trace oil. That used to give me fits. I find drugstore alcohol works fine for cleaning. Sometimes I will use something stronger like acetone, but clean any residue from that with the alcohol. Reagent grade might be the solution, if I can find it. Just remember no brake cleaner, it will fry your brain.

[@patrickreed4628]

If you are using brake cleaner, use non-chlorinated, but just don't if you have some solid 90% isopropyl alcohol.

[@AldoSchmedack]

Trichloroethylene ;-)

[@user-ku2bm6kw2k]

amazing ending, titanium looks absolutely stunning , congratulations

[@fair2middling]

I had a ti frame break where the steerer tube met the down tube. wasn't the weld, but straight after it on the bottom side of the down tube

[@AldoSchmedack]

houndalism Sounds like a poorly shielded area in the HAZ just outside the weld area to me! Just a thought.

[@geoffsemon7411]

Really interesting video to watch and thanks for posting. Mikes doing really well but has a way to go before his welds are as neat as Seven Cycles or IF bikes. Darren Baum was about the same when he started but now his welding is up there with the best as well. Can't begin to imagine how much skill and practice is required

[@user-nf3oq2ge3g]

That’s why the term treat every weld like your life depends on it, or someone else’s life, as a welder we hold a responsibility to do the best we can do, this guy is dialed, watch and learn that purge set up with the swagelok, pipe fitters dream set up.

[@junito1957]

MAN, I BEEN USING A STICK WELDER FOR 10 YEARS (HOBBY) , TIME TO GET INTO TIGS WELDING

[@benc8386]

Awesome video. I guess for the complete set we now need to see how Mike joins the really high zoot stainless like Columbus XCr or Reynolds 953.

[@nameofthegame9664]

Awesome looking welds and awesome arc shoots!

[@FastSloW-qt8xf]

His fitup is beautiful

[@jimburnsjr.]

Exceptional video as always, thanks Jody... hope, and trust, you and yours are doing great.

[@Skeetmgeett]

Hats off. Brilliant work fellas

[@aevangel1]

Starrett makes very good tools, especially their measuring tools.

[@kniefi]

man this is some useful information precisely delivered - thanks for that!

[@jakeschroeder6344]

Another great video from weldingtipsandtricks!

[@natewertz7428]

Your work is excellent, both of you! Those fitups and beads were immaculate. I'm just beginning to dip my toe into the world of titanium and there is plenty to know. Thank you for sharing your expertise and experience!

[@bccev770]

Best welding I've ever seen.

[@MrRippsalot]

Fkn gorgeous welds. I like the welds better than the bike. Is that odd?

[@saywhat8635]

Working at an aerospace composites company we found that most of the reagent acetone that we bought was dirty, we received these in 55 gallon drums and believe that the drums they used were not the cleanest. We even had some that smelled like gasoline…

[@Tom-kh2vx]

I'm a medical student, but I would love to know how to weld like this! Great work!!

[@AldoSchmedack]

Tom Suggest you get a good TIG like a Miller or Lincoln inverter, a top end helmet and have at it! No better way to learn than your screw ups. Once you are a doc you will have a lot less time on your hands. It’s fun as hell to be able to weld almost everything!

[@AldoSchmedack]

Get started soon and enjoy the hobby as it is a very useful skill!

[@kimbye1]

Nice work, a joy to watch

[@singlespeedman]

I like the Richard Sachs sticker on his table.

[@gunhappyie]

Thanks for sharing all your secrets... I shall set up a workshop tomorrow using Diy tooling :P Just kidding, great video on an excellent topic. Its great to see the passion and the high level of OCD/Attention to detail !

[@readysetsleep]

I would have loved to hear Mike's view on Welding vs Brazing a bicycle frame. That is another debate that continues in the cycling world fueled by couch welder. And the famous, "So I heard from this guy who snapped his bike on (insert random trail)...He bought a welded frame, when he should have bought the brazed frame..."

[@xenonram]

I think the reason some companies braze them is for automation. They drop a slug of brazing metal into the end of the tube, heat the joint, and it's all done. 1/50th the time too.

[@nicvanorton6795]

Properly brazed joints can be stronger than the pieces being joined, but are not as strong as welded joints. Brazing also has minimal effects on the two metal parts.

[@AldoSchmedack]

I don’t think on Titanium that brazing would be as strong as a TIG welded joint. Brazing is very strong but I don’t think it is 120kpsi strong. Most brazing is 40-70kpsi, no where near what a welded joint would be.

[@AldoSchmedack]

Awesome question btw

[@robertkey9991]

Watched you for years. Keep on keeping on.

[@chrisjones6165]

Was really into BMX racing back in the day, actually what got me into welding. Aws asme ix certified on stick decent at tig but still practicing. Would love the opportunity to try this out

[@thornyturtleranch6152]

Since youre certified on stick....if my stick keeps sticking what do I need to do? Change angle? Approach slowly and glide? Increase amps? It's a old inverter harbor freight tig stick, from maybe like 2003 or so. I've seen it make nice stick weld with an experienced welder but he was just a passer by. What is your trick?

[@chrisjones6165]

@@thornyturtleranch6152 what's rod type, diameter of rod, amperage now, material thickness your welding on just a few quick questions to point you in right direction

[@thornyturtleranch6152]

@@chrisjones6165 I'll get back to you on the rod. I think it was the 6000s number but I know there are a few. Maybe the 7000s I'll have that later today. It was quarter or thicker, welding a crack in a tow hitch plate. My weld held but it cracked again elsewhere. Took forever to get each weld going.

[@thornyturtleranch6152]

@@chrisjones6165 6011 is what I was trying. It kept sticking before I could get a good burn or arc. I upped the amps which maybe helped but I burned through my 1/4 inch plate and had to patch it but I got plenty of experience moving it around real fast to let molten metal cool before dripping while I added it elsewhere patch a hole. When I got it burning I knew what to do, just so hard to keep it from sticking.

[@chrisjones6165]

@@thornyturtleranch6152 sounds like a good thing turning it up. Try a stepping motion. Move forward slowly let melt and step back to fill and repeat

[@roadyeti3697]

Beautiful stuff. What is the TIG welder setup? I've worked as a weldor in the past but many years ago. I see leaps in welding technology and would like to get back into it for my own good. Always loved the work, the employers, at times, not so much. I have deep respect for guys like Mike. Thanks for the vid

[@txdocprich_8404]

Mmmm, stupid KZbin unsubscribed me from a bunch of channels, didn’t know about this one. Very cool Jody!

[@FSEVENMAN]

Wow that's some intensely beautiful work good job dude you're an artist

[@kbent88]

I passivate with a Hydraflouric Acid solution when I weld Ti. can never be too clean.

[@noxious89123]

+kbent88 That's some seriously nasty stuff, no?

[@kbent88]

It is. I hate working with it. It has good results, though.

[@AldoSchmedack]

It sure can help with oxides and other “mill scale” sorta stuff. Beats using a file in certain cases.

[@flyinpolack6633]

Mike makes some sweet frames. Great attention to detail man!

[@derrickquintal]

Great video as usual Jodi!! Fantastic quality bikes being built here!

[@serg.r4860]

Great stuff man! Im a stainless steel welder venturing into exotic metals. I always thought if possible to weld in one pass to keep from burning all the properties out of the metal also to not have any weaknesses in the heat effected zone?

[@Cope1024]

0.035". That's a typical spark plug gap, and not too thick!

[@phillhuddleston9445]

That was my thought as well, titanium or not I would not feel comfortable riding a bike that thin.

[@jacobclark89]

Sweet welding !

[@jorgeposadas1192]

WOW!!! That was really informative, I really appreciate how you break things down.

[@jeffflanagan2814]

Beautiful titanium welds!

[@sanho1988]

In your world, BBW is a tig cup, in my world, BBW is a whole different thing

[@ben-7403]

Bath & Body Works?

[@travisjicorcoran5870]

You realize that that's the joke in the name, right?

[@edmundooliver7584]

@@ben-7403 big black women.

[@RoudlyJeantinord]

Guys are funny. As soon as he says BBW I scroll straight down to the comments section for a BBW joke.

[@RoudlyJeantinord]

@@edmundooliver7584 Big booty women

[@williamarmstrong7199]

How about making gloves with a tig fingers built in? I can imagine a palm of a glove made out of the same material could save a hot hand when positioning large items that have been preheated or part welded?

[@phillhuddleston9445]

The tig glove, good idea.

[@mmcharlie]

from what I can see, Mike Zanconato is probably using a kevlar glove. I had read on Anvil's website (the company that makes the fixtures that Mike is using) that they recommend using kevlar gloves for welding. Here is a quote from Anvil's site. "For welding steel or ti, I use the Golden Needle Kevlar gloves (Enco part number 505-4135). These are a lighter glove, they’re gold in color and they show dirt well which is a good thing when frame building. They’re washable. They last a looooong frickin’ time (months). They don’t absorb oils unless you’re serious about it. They fit your hand well if you have average size hands. They don’t burn unless you do something really stupid and if you do something really stupid, they won’t shrink on your burning fingers like leather gloves do. They also don’t conduct heat and this is important if you have a “dang near holding the cup” welding style like I do. They cost less than $4 a pair if you buy $40-odd bucks worth. IMO, they are vastly superior to any leather glove (and I’ve used them all) for Tig welding." I havent been able to find some of those gloves locally, I really want to try them out. For now I'll keep using leather gloves and the Tig Finger.. But I think the Tig Glove could sell like hot cakes!

[@AldoSchmedack]

Oli Aponte I looked up Golden Needles Glove Company and see they were making gloves on a massive scale but I don’t see a website and wonder if they are out of business now. Maybe Ansell or another company bought them out.

[@AldoSchmedack]

Mike posted elsewhere it is McMaster part number 56125T3 fwiw ;-)

[@JustAnotherAsianGuy2]

your a great welder

[@_Kensky]

Greetings from Poland :) Weldingtipsandtriks rules!

[@ibusch90]

Great videos as always, hey I was wondering if you have a video on different helmets and other safety equipment

[@AldoSchmedack]

ibusch90 I’d like to see that too!

[@MrDeanWinchester86]

pure art

[@dirttdude]

way back in the old days i bought a ibis bow ti... "let me tell you about the lifetime transferable unlimited warranty on our Ti frame" the guy said.... well, as sure as the sky is blue, the bottom bracket tube cracked, naturally i sent the frame in and after a short 18 months i received my frame via UPS where on inspection, they globbed a big blob over the crack and called it good. It took devine intervention to install the bottom bracket because the BB tube was distorted so badly and the crack opened back up on the first initial test ride in the parking lot. Ibis went bankrupt and wormed out of the warranty and went back into business after the dust settled....

[@groomlake51]

Jody we would love to have you out to a race. And maybe showing some of the guys some cool fab tricks. Holler back if your interested

[@williamarmstrong7199]

Perhaps a silly question but how when purging inside a sealed tube do you avoid the purge gas blowing out the weld when getting close to finishing the weld and closing up the only remaining gap?

[@bigfootandbananaman4746]

harry smtih there is usually a hole on the bottom bracket shell bottom that a screw goes into and holds a cable guide

[@Skif87Strelok]

Hello from Russia!!! Very interesting video!

[@quickstart-M51]

I’m wondering what filler rod to use for titanium.

[@AldoSchmedack]

Quick Start HAS to be a Titanium rod like ErTi-2 or ErTi-5 etc. Can’t use say Er308L or Nickel etc. Has to be made for Ti.

[@fbbbbbbbbasa]

Woohoo, Deer Park with the acetone!

[@hebrewhammer1000]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Does anyone have the link to the acetone contamination video he was talking about?

[@jerrysgardentractorsengine2243]

Excellent video as always Jody

[@Battle-Fab]

Knockoffs are the greatest form of flattery

[@bvbhu3dg]

Thanks for going above and beyond!

[@idriwzrd]

Have you ever experienced oxygen contamination with the pyrex gas lenses? If so, what did you find helped to eliminate it?

[@John-jp8dy]

Thanks guys

[@jimheflin1446]

jody is a national icon... in my opinion ;-)

[@abelgerli]

For big ex rugby player like me this would may be a option to get a full Titanium rebuild of a Brompton frame. They say you should only weight about 110kg with luggage.

[@markmitzlaff5187]

Not gonna lie brother I was very turned off by your some of stuff when you first came out but your skills have definitely increased. And I can only say so much because I have no channels/video's so who am I to critique.

[@cameronbartlett856]

30 second post flow, damn! I didn't think machines were made with that much post flow XD

[@Desi365]

fascinating. thk you for sharing. I dream of a ti bike, one day, hopefully.

[@mbabcock111]

You've probably heard it, but I'm going to say it again: you remind me of Mike Ditka!

[@johnptc]

arethe bronze chill inserts homemade or store bought ?? how about pure ethyl alcohol vrs pure acetone for final clean ?? SUPER VIDEO THANK YOU BOTH !!!

[@ScienceFTW]

I made the heatsinks for the head tube and seat tube, but the bottom bracket heatsink is a Paragon product. You can use different alcohols for prep. Isopropyl is probably most common.

[@Mikael5732]

What was omitted is where to buy the acetone and what does he use to apply the special reagent grade acetone. How much more does it cost vs home depot acetone.

[@Confidential619]

What do you think about how Jesse James welds? You think he’s one of the best?

[@pat475]

Nice work! I do the same but for the aerospace industry. Nic, cobalt, ss alloys. I'm curious to know more about your back purging. What cfh are you purging at?.

[@cryangallegos]

Same, argon purge slowly fills the volume of the container, so once the atmospheric gasses have been purged you only need to maintain the argon volume, maybe 3CFH or so, going too high will cause positive internal pressure that will blow out your weld. Also remember to leave a vent hole(s) for the atmosphere to escape

[@vaioskaliakoudas6388]

I have 2 questions and a conclusion about this video: 1.Where can I find any titanium stuff like tubes, hardware, chunks etc??? 2.Is those Anvil Bikes jigs ideal for fabricating custom-built chopper motorcycle chassis??? 3.Those welds look awesome.

[@neon-john]

1. In small quantities, McMaster-Carr is probably your best source. 2. No idea.

[@anberyan861]

Hi,we are manufacture of titanium products.

[@AldoSchmedack]

Online Metals is another place and Amazon yet another

[@davidwalsh7603]

superb, awesome video

[@edwinruiz956]

Congratulations for your videos!!! ...I follow you from Nicaragua

[@jimlayhey1965]

i have merlin ti 1995 work of art