Anyone weld aluminum in eastern PA?

[steved]

I have some cracks forming in my aluminum toolbox I need touched up, and a brace added... I'll supply the box and bracing, and beverage of choice!



Too much of a hassle to have a shop do it... they want to see it, then they'll want it out of the truck, and then it'll be down for days, and I'm sure they tell me its not clean, etc... if I had the means to weld aluminum, I'd do it myself!



Anyone near Reading help a brother out? :-laf



steved

 

[Highfinance97]

Di you ever find anyone to do this for you??

Michael

 

[steved]

No... never got it fixed.



Probably going to need to find a local shop to do it... of anything I can do, I don't have access to the equipment to weld aluminum.



steved

 

[Highfinance97]

Wanna make a trip to Scranton??

My buddy is a very good welder and takes a lot of pride in his work


Michael

P. S. He built 6BT-dakota's truck

 

[steved]

Hmmm, it'd have to be a weekend...

I'm currently seeing how I could strengthen it by running some additional braces on it... sorta suspend the box from bars attached to the front/back, not by the ends.

steved

 

[Oasis-3]

weld aluminum

I welded aluminum with a stick welder and made a nice aluminum trailer.

I could help with your repair on your tool box. and if it can be welded on the inside it would look good on the outside.



I am in Columbia Pa.



Cliff

 

[steved]

Do tell me about stick welding aluminum!

I thought you needed a shield gas and different "wave" to correctly weld aluminum???

I can stick weld, not an issue... I actually own one of those! And don't get me wrong, if I had a TIG, I can weld aluminum... I've did it before, but I don't have access to one!

steved

 

[tgordon]

Aluminum can be welded using stick, MIG, or TIG. I am not sure about gas. It is just a matter of getting the sticks. With MIG you just have to have the right gas and the wire. Biggest problem with the wire is it is so soft and trying to get it through the cord. Dad rund AR/CO2 mix on his MIG welder, I belive you have to have 100% AR for AL and SS. TIG is just the easiest as you can more easily control your temp and rod flow IMHO.

 

[steved]

Aluminum can be welded using stick, MIG, or TIG. I am not sure about gas. It is just a matter of getting the sticks. With MIG you just have to have the right gas and the wire. Biggest problem with the wire is it is so soft and trying to get it through the cord. Dad rund AR/CO2 mix on his MIG welder, I belive you have to have 100% AR for AL and SS. TIG is just the easiest as you can more easily control your temp and rod flow IMHO.

See I knew they had aluminum rod, but I thought that required a shielding gas??



Now you got me intrigued, I guess the next thing is to stop by a welding suppliy house and see what it requires... I think my welder is capable.



steved

 

[Oasis-3]

Stick weld

Turn your welder DOWN about as low as you can.

and be ready to weld / move the rod fast or you will burn throught fast.

Do some testing on some scrap first.

Good Luck

Cliff

 

[steved]

I'm thinking now, after looking at it a little more, that it might be more of a band aid than anything. I have a lot of weight in the box, so I think I'm going to build a cradle for it... build a combo toolbox cradle, headache rack...

After I get the box supported, then I will get the cracks welded...

steved

 

[Grunt]

When I needed to weld aluminum quite a few years ago I stopped by a welding fabrication shop. The men there instructed me on how to do it and sold me several rods for a buck. Memory has faded so I don't remember the details

Post pictures of the box/cradles pogress

 

[JFaulkner]

Turn your welder DOWN about as low as you can.

and be ready to weld / move the rod fast or you will burn throught fast.

Do some testing on some scrap first.

Good Luck

Cliff

Turn it down? That's weird, I have a mig with a spool gun and the power has to be turned up quite a bit more (along with the wire speed) to weld aluminum. In fact the welder is only good for like 1/2" alum but will do over 3/4" steel. I'm not saying your wrong, I just find that odd.



I had a small pack of aluminum rods but I never used them.

See I knew they had aluminum rod, but I thought that required a shielding gas??

Aluminum requires pure argon where steel can use CO2 or CO2/Argon mix. The rods I had used a yellow flux, I kind of wish I had tried them just to see how they worked.