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Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
Originally Posted by mnnmaz
I will be like some of the fella's above and disagree, as I have tried it myself. Definetly be my last choice for welding aluminum. I would say TIG first and then MIG and as a last resort stick welding and the epoxys. I have used JB on GoKart engines to get through a race. TIG is almost always the way to go. I have a guy that I go to that usually charges me a 12 pack.
Barry
There are no stupid questions, but there are alot of stupid people out there that ask questions.
None of us are capable of screwing things up as bad as a group of us.
"NON SIBI, SED OMNIBUS"
First Time Rider
Arm chair racerNew to the board
TIG, Tungsten Inert Gas, also know as GTAW or heli-arc. Tig welding aluminum is probably the best way to go if your welding a part that you want to look nice. with TIG you wont get the splatter like a MIG or ARC welder. Also the welds are less likely to have pits in the middle where you cant see them, unlike MIG. But if you set the welder right and your a good welder you can make a pretty nice lookin weld with MIG. And I agree with Billy's earlier statement... Clean the metal really well if your going the tig route, any contaminates (sp?) on the metal will make it so much harder to weld it right. Dont contaminate the tungsten... that isnt good either, it'll act like you didnt even clean the metal at all..
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerFirst time rider
There is no such thing as ARC welding for aluminum. If you even tried it the stick would melt before the material
Original 85 TriZ owner
Certified NASA welder PM me if you need any weldingI do extended swingarms and everything you can dream of
Three is Always better then four, unless its with women then four is better then three
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
I just spent 5 years in the repair shop of a US Navy Frigate, there are welding rods for ARC welding aluminum, maybe you havent seen them. I have and have attempted to weld with them, as well as watching others try to weld with them so I wont get in an argument with you.
Barry
There are no stupid questions, but there are alot of stupid people out there that ask questions.
None of us are capable of screwing things up as bad as a group of us.
"NON SIBI, SED OMNIBUS"
New to the board
Arm chair racerNew to the board
I bought a pack of aluminum rods once. Could not get the damn things to strike though, I was told they work alot better on a DC arc welder.
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
I have seen that at gun shows and tried it, it does work but takes alot of prep and practice! Im not sure if its the same brand as what they are advertising? It works awesome on non stressed parts like cracked cases and such also. I dunno if I would trust it to build or repair a swinger though.The one thing that grabbed my attention was the fact that all that is required is a plumbers torch or similar.I used it to repair areas and leaks on an aluminum Jon boat I had. Dave
Oh and 1 other thing I thought I would throw in here. If you ever have a crack to repair, drill a hole at each end of the crack before welding. It stops the crack from ever growing again by not giving the metal a square surface or "corner"to tear from (if that makes sense?). The USCG requires all corners to be radiused on ANY repair, for that very reason.
Last edited by Dave223; 01-21-2007 at 12:06 PM.
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerFirst time rider
Yes you are correct on the drilling at the end of a crack before you weld it....And if you need some welding PM me I can do it.
see the picts of my wifes skidplate i just welded up.....
Original 85 TriZ owner
Certified NASA welder PM me if you need any welding
Three is Always better then four, unless its with women then four is better then three
At The Back Of The Pack
Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
I too have tried the arc welding rods for alum. They are out there and it can be done, just not by me! Maybe on material that was an 1+ thick. I have tried adjusting the heat, reversing polarity, anything I could think of, it just would not weld like a regular welding rod. just my .02
As far strength of welds, on regular iron (not sure on alum.) there is a strength diff. just look on the rod itself. The first 2 3 is the tensile strength..6011 is 60,000? lbs, 7011 is 70k. I think thats k anyhow.
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