TIG welding aluminum

[Agades]

cant help you much with that one other than the Cr at the end means it contains chromium



dont think its a chrome moly alloy



must be mostly chromium



Never heard of the brand either



try a search on the web for the manufacturer

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Agades / everyone: The next time I do aluminium - I'm going to get a big honkin tungsten/cup and much bigger filler rod.



You brought up a good point - I was heating the aluminum as if it were mild steel. I heat up mild steel slowly - and pour on the coals as I see fit. I was heating the aluminum the same way and it just turned into a pile of crap.



I welded up a few pieces of Al with the 'pedal to the metal', rush job and the welds looked decent. I thought it was a fluke - but now I know I have to get in there, heat it up FAST, and get out.



GREAT THREAD!



Matt

 

[Agades]

I find that 3/32" filler rod is usefull for most aluminum applications

I use 1/16" for light material (. 060" and less thickness)

 

[83 crew cab]

thank agades Ihave not ben haveing much luck with it but for $5 I will use it for sumthing

 

[HoleshotHolset]

George: use 'em for shish-kebob skewers!



I'll get some 3/32" next time I plan on doing any Al... .



Matt

 

[Agades]

my students like to use em for their radio antenna

 

[Andy Perreault]

I took welding classes in jr. college many years ago. This topic brought back many memories. TIG welding was my favorite, because it was clean and precise. I keep saying "someday I'll have my own welder", but that someday hasn't come around yet.

You guys want a real challenge to beef up your tig welding skills? Here's what my instructor had me do: weld the bottoms of two aluminum cans together! You need to wire brush them like crazy to get the clear coat off, butt them together, and gently clamp them (my instructor would criticize a student's finished work if the cans were dented from being clamped too hard) on a grounded surface to keep them from moving. You need to be quick on backing off the foot pedal to avoid melt-through. By practicing this, you will develop the ability to know when to back off the foot pedal without thinking. And if you screw up, so what, they're just aluminum cans. If you get good at welding thin aluminum, you can weld anything.

I took those classes in SoCal near where the aerospace/defense industry was still going strong before the collapse of communism. The big companies donated a lot of scrap metal to the school, so we got to weld titanium, etc. I still have a titanium parts tray that I made from scraps.

Andy

 

[Amianthus]

Welding cans.

Of course a high frequency square wave pulsed machine helps too.

 

[Agades]

I agree

I have my students do the same

some people can never get it

some catch on quick



cans are a very good challenge



I usually wait till a student gets a little cocky

thinkin hes got it all figured out

then I bring out the pop cans



usually see a few heads hangin low at the end of that day

 

[Agades]

Originally posted by 83 crew cab

thank agades Ihave not ben haveing much luck with it but for $5 I will use it for sumthing

Is it melting on you before you hit the puddle



If it is, you probably are running too much push angle with your torch



run no more than 5- 10 degree push



shove the rod in the puddle quick and get it out quick

dont hold it under the cup

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Agades: Do you make your students use filler rod to weld the pop cans?



I tried to weld together razor blades... . got frustrated quickly.

It might have something to do with the 3/32" tungsten and the fact that my TIG won't go below 10 amps.....



Matt

 

[Agades]

yes

even I cant do it without filler rod



razor blades?



try a . 040" tungsten

and some stainless filler wire off a spool for ss mig like . 035"



will weld like a dream even at 10 amps



might help to use a heat sink

like a piece of aluminum under the blades



some call that cheating, I call it being creative

 

[HoleshotHolset]

. 040" tungsten (thoriated?)? I have never seen tungsten offered in such a size... . then again, I'm new on the block to welding.



I like the heat sink idea... . I'll have to try that - I've never had to use one.



Maybe I could use a pure . 040" tungsten to weld the pop cans... .



Matt

 

[Agades]

. 040" 2%thoriated for the razors

may have to order it

not real commonly used but is available



I use a 1/16" pure for the cans

sharpen it and put a really small ball on it (more stable arc)

and use a 1/16" rod

the rod is a little big but works

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Thanks for the info - I'll have to give that a whirl.



Matt

 

[Speedo]

Al alloys

www.alcotec.com has some usefull information on compatability

of aluminum alloys and filler rod.



Gus

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I tried doing some Al again this weekend.



I bought the biggest filler rod that the welding shop had. I was trying to do some 1/4" plate. I was able to run about two decend beads - the rest looked like a garbage.



I guess I need to take my autodark helmet to a welding shop and see how other folks do it.



Matt

 

[Amianthus]

You were probably doing it pretty close to right. You gotta let the work rest a while in between passes. You don't want to get too much over 250F between passes or it will start to melt apart on you. AL is a metal you have to be patient with. Keep trying. You'll get it eventually.

 

[Agades]

Amainthius is right

aluminum dissipates heat fast but when it loads up with heat

the whole thing melts



thus hot and fast is important

then let cool



thats also why a remote amperage control is almost a must on AL.



-get a puddle within about 2 - 3 seconds



-shove the rod in quick and get it out from under the cup



-torch angle about 5 - 10 degree push angle



-keep tungsten as close as possible without dipping it



all that good stuff

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Oh... ..... okay.



I was trying for quite a while to get a puddle... ... and sometimes by the time I got a puddle, I had a mess.



I was able to fusion weld 1/4 plate at 180A - pedal to the metal.



Al is nothing short of a pain in the butt... .



I did some pretty stout mild steel - cast iron work last night - I thought it came out pretty good.



How long should I wait for a puddle with non-refractory metals? Or should I heat it up slow and steady like I have been... . ?



Matt