So, in the below thread:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...935/m/6720022184/p/1

I picked up a project car. Nearly have it stripped & am going to start cleaning up the frame. Had it mentioned to me that I should pick up a dye penetrant kit to check the existing welds & see if any need to be repaired.

Anyone have experience with a good kit that isn't $$$$? I see a few multi-step kits online but am not 100% sure what I'm looking at/for.

My dad had mentioned that they use something like this at his yard (oilfield pipe yard) & he thought theirs was a single step product, not a 3 step (cleaner, dye, developer) like most that I'm finding.

for dye penetrant testing, you will need the kit
clean the area good, spray the dye (it will seep into the crack if one is present, use the cleaner and clean the area your wanting to check (preferably spray the cleaner on a rag and clean, they say if it is a big crack, you can wash out the dye)
and then spray developer lightly over the area, it will pull the dye out of the crack

it is very hard to do welds this way unless they are really smooth, because if you don't get the dye off of the surface, it will be hard to see through the bleed

probably need to get someone to x-ray the welds

Almost all of the completed welds are really uniform & smooth.

Any/most existing welds that are rough looking are just tacked in place & will need attention either way.

quote:

Originally posted by kimber1911:
FAQ’s - Liquid Penetrant Inspection

Thanks, that clears up some of my confusion on the matter.
Magnaflux was one of the suppliers I had found on initial product search.

Brings back memories.
I worked in a metal fab shop in high school and college.
Frequently we made aluminum and stainless pressurized coolant tanks.
We used this stuff that was like a magenta/pink color to inspect the welds.

I want to say it was called Spotcheck or something like that. Had a few steps to the process.

I was going to suggest Spotcheck is the Gold Standard for dye pen, but see they've been acquired
by the Magnaflux brand

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:
I was going to suggest Spotcheck is the Gold Standard for dye pen, but see they've been acquired
by the Magnaflux brand

Thanks.
The FAQ posted above mentions the dye pens & that they've been discontinued due to damage/leaks in shipping.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:
I was going to suggest Spotcheck is the Gold Standard for dye pen, but see they've been acquired
by the Magnaflux brand

Thanks.
The FAQ posted above mentions the dye pens & that they've been discontinued due to damage/leaks in shipping.

Sorry, what I meant was dye PENetrant, not pens. I've used Spotcheck for 50 years on non-ferrous parts, and if used properly one can find the smallest of cracks.

I looked at the photos on your other post. The chassis looks like it was tacked together to trial fit everything but not finish welded, at least up by the front shock towers, etc. Since then the humidity has caused surface rust so that looks like the first thing.
I would strip it down and get it sandblasted first then finish the fabrication welding. Looks like it hasn’t really been run yet so crack checking isn’t really necessary at this point.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I looked at the photos on your other post. The chassis looks like it was tacked together to trial fit everything but not finish welded, at least up by the front shock towers, etc. Since then the humidity has caused surface rust so that looks like the first thing.
I would strip it down and get it sandblasted first then finish the fabrication welding. Looks like it hasn’t really been run yet so crack checking isn’t really necessary at this point.

The main chassis welds are predominantly finished and ground smooth. Everything that is tack welded will need to be finished or cut and redone.

I guess I'm mostly wanting to check the finished welds before painting over them, since the rest will get touched at some point.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Peteroniman:
for dye penetrant testing, you will need the kit
clean the area good, spray the dye (it will seep into the crack if one is present, use the cleaner and clean the area your wanting to check (preferably spray the cleaner on a rag and clean, they say if it is a big crack, you can wash out the dye)
and then spray developer lightly over the area, it will pull the dye out of the crack

it is very hard to do welds this way unless they are really smooth, because if you don't get the dye off of the surface, it will be hard to see through the bleed

probably need to get someone to x-ray the welds

For chassis welds, most likely fillet and partial penetration groove welds, radiography would represent an expensive alternative. Since the surface condition can be controlled and modified by grinding/sanding, dye penetrant should suffice, for open to the surface defects.

Magnetic Particle inspection would be the in between inspection method, able to detect surface defects, like dye penetrant, and near surface, subsurface defects. Rough weld surfaces can also affect interpretation of mag particle results.

I admire your desire to be through, but in a project like this, a good visual inspection after striping and sand blasting off the surface rust is the most practical method. Those type of frames have a lot of weld joints and a through aircraft type inspection of even a fraction of them will be extremely time consuming. There will be more than enough other areas to spend time on with this project, many that are yet to be discovered.
I'd be more concerned by the welds being ground down for appearance. That's not normally necessary or desired if they are prepared and welded correctly in the first place.
I've done countless repairs and fabrications on English space frames over the years and seen the good, bad and ugly so I'll be curious to see what you find as you get more into this project.

quote:

For chassis welds, most likely fillet and partial penetration groove welds, radiography would represent an expensive alternative.

i cannot disagree, but if you have the budget or know someone in the business, there wont be any questions

"a good visual inspection after striping and sand blasting off the surface rust is the most practical method. Those type of frames have a lot of weld joints and a through aircraft type inspection of even a fraction of them will be extremely time consuming."

this was my initial thought...

Thanks guys, will keep that in mind as I get it cleaned up & see how things look with the surface rust peeled back.