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Dead Air Nomad Ti Failure
- Thread starter AnesthesiaMD
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- dead air failure nomad ti
That is what I get for typing while doing something else….I left out the part of “baffle strikes are often user error which includes poor threading
haha left out the rest “are often user error” or machining error during threading.
All of these I've seen come apart are titanium. I'd like to know the failure rate of the stainless Nomads.
Take into consideration just how many hundreds of thousands of Ti Dead Air cans are out there, versus the ones you see with issues... You typically only hear about the bad ones, and rarely the good ones. But then again, these days, isn't the internet pretty much for people just to bitch about things they don't like? You probably only read about 1,000 of them overall, but some folks are just repeating hear-say, and 2nd and 3rd hand knowledge and some are even repeats by folks using different usernames on different sites, etc... I'm not doubting there's failures by any means, as we've seen from the whole Sierra 5 fiasco, but I'm pretty sure the percentage of failure overall, is MUCH smaller than it appears. As most of this shit gets blown WAY out of proportion by internet people and drama queens, gossips, haters, and fanboys.
Yeah I get that, I think I've seen 4 or 5 of these reported on forums, but there's a lot of cans built in a similar fashion. I just wonder if the weld failures are related mostly to misaligned welds, or an issue related to the speeds/temps/prep of the materials. If the latter is the case, I wonder how that compares to welding stainless joints vs titanium.
My guess is production, and less-likely the alloy. Seems to be the common denominator in their Ti can failures. Whether that's off-center threads causing baffle strikes, misaligned welds, poorly penetrated welds, overheated or over-penetrated welds, I've seen completely missed welds in some cases on a couple other brand cans posted up, off-center baffle alignments, off-center welded end caps, etc... I'm sure some of it has to do with piss-poor prep work.
Never welded Ti before, but I have welded SS, AL, AR plate, and mild & high carbon steel.
It would be nice if DA would communicate which serial # range of Nomads are effected and offer to fix them before issues occur at the range.
Otherwise, we are all just left guessing and have to assume any Nomad is compromised.
Horrible CS from Dead Air. We shouldn't be left guessing and wondering what Nomads are effected. The only smart thing you can do at this point given the lack of transparency and communication is to assume that all Nomads are compromised.
UPDATE…….I started this post with my Dead Air Nomad Ti failure almost two years ago on 5-22-22. Dead air was prompt and sent the repaired suppressor back to me quickly. I have been shooting it on the same 20” 7 SAUM and have put roughly 160 rounds through the can since the repair. Today I was out working on a load with a 175 Berger EH at a slow 2695 fps when I noticed a crack at the same weld that failed the first time. Pics are below. Not sure how many more rounds it would have taken to blow the baffles down range again but have a feeling it could happen at any time…..warranty ticket will be created today for another trip back. Disappointing to have the same weld fail again on the same suppressor. The crack is circumferential in the center of the first weld….
I'm not saying it can't be done. But I'm not a metallurgical expert, nor do I weld Ti. I'm just a village idiot that reads a lot and sticks to Stainless Steel.
That is seriously messed up. Over on Reddit there are dozens of DA failures reported. It's a shame, because I was considering a Nomad, but am going Enticer instead. With the failures, and lack of customer service reported by many, no way I would take that chance.
Yep. Everyone always praised DA's customer service and fast repair times. With the Sierra 5 debacle, everything apparently has changed. I've seen reports of people waiting months to get their can back after repair. With zero communication or updates from DA along the way. The repaired can just suddenly shows up at your door one day. I'd never order one at this point.
I think that's a big no-no.
Crux got shut down and in a lot of legal trouble for doing something like that.
As long as the serialized portion is intact, a manufacturer can chop and reweld as much as they want.
At such a large, equipped facility; COULD they do it and no one know, absolutely.
But as referenced, HUGE no-no. And more than a dick slap if caught.
They could also split the serialized portion of the tube, and wrap it around a new can, and weld it on
. I doubt anyone does that though.ETA obligatory IANAL
My Sierra 5 is back at DA again. After the baffle fix, they put the rear mount on so tight it couldn't be taken off. Not even with an impact gun. Was sent back the end of February and I likely won't see it for another two months. I've had possession of it for maybe 30 days and it'll have been at DA for repairs for five months. I think I used it like three times and I was going to the range at least once a week for the past year. I went out and purchased another brand can due to the DA issues. They have a special place in my heart.
Edit: I will say they did communicate once the baffle fix was done and it was going to be shipped back. They emailed and called. Twice. So good on that end.
Wow! How the mighty have fallen. DA were the darlings of the suppressor world not that long ago. Everyone sung their praises here and other forums. I guess they got too big, too fast and let QC slip by the wayside.
As a previously certified welder that also worked in titanium - I also showed this to another welder with similar certs and experience. We both looked at that pic and agree that it looks as if it's a robotically welded part with very little if any added material so most likely a homogenous weld. If this is the case (or not) it looks as if the weld was not penetrating the material enough. Couple that with the high pressure and heat from shooting and it failed. It's fairly rare to see a properly done weld fail on/through the weld itself. Hopefully DA can identify the root cause and get it resolved for you quickly.
Yup. They were easily the most or at least one of the most popular can makers out there and rightfully so. With their current situation, they have really harmed their reputation and done so at a time when many other quality makers are bringing good product to the market. It's a shame and as someone who owns 3 of their cans, I wish they'd get serious about getting their warranty correctly taken care of, and quit ruining their name they built over the years.
Yup. Back when I was getting into cans the advice on all the forums was “get a Sandman S”.
The only reason I noticed it is because I shoot slowly on bolt guns and never let the can get really hot. It only takes a couple rounds to get it pretty warm, but I was literally waiting for the Nomad to be “touchable” again and saw the crack. I know Ti is more delicate and doesn’t do well with long strings of fire and high temps so I baby that Nomad Ti……esp since the May 2022 incident when it blew apart and scared the crap out of me! In your opinion, is it going to be possible to weld the same junction for a third time or will this likely be a problem for the integrity of that super thin piece of Ti in the future? I have zero experience with welding anything and was curious your thoughts.
That’s a tough question to be certain of because the properties of titanium being very different than steel. Typically when I see a weld break it wasn’t the actual weld, instead it’s the “heat affected area” just outside the actual weld itself. Looking up some info I just read that titanium becomes susceptible to embrittlement at 750f because of Hydrogen and Oxygen. Any weld is going to be done above that temp so it’s inherently difficult to work with. The thicker the material the more you have heat dissipation during the welding process. To alleviate the issues during titanium welding, in my experience it was always welded in a sealed purge chamber that’s filled with Argon. That’s probably what DA is doing otherwise you’d see color changes around the welds.
As for repairing it and thus welding a 3rd time, I’m not sure. I don’t consider myself an expert by any means. My guess is that it can be repaired but will likely remain a weak point unfortunately. Especially if they’re doing the welds homogenously without adding any filler material. If I was repairing a seem on steel I’d cut and clean the joint, run a weld bead all the way around, then run 2 more beads that each overlap the original material and the first weld. Think of it like a zipper that covers the first bead but not alternating like zipper teeth but instead one lays over the other. (Hopefully that makes sense)
All this makes me wonder what type of NDT (non destructive testing) that DA is doing to verify the structural integrity of their welds.
If mine splits the weld like the photo, I'll try to TIG weld it up myself.
I have some Ti welding rod, and will fill the suppressor w/ Argon for backing gas.
(Don't have a sealed welding box for this)
It will be ugly, compared to a machine weld, but I just want the can in one piece for function sake.
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