Wingnut
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| posted on 5/7/04 at 11:59 AM |
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Welding aluminium ?
Has anyone tried wleding aluminium using a MIG welder with the appropriate wire??
My welding stockists said it's a no-no, unless I use different gas, wire feed etc...
Anyone tried it with a regualr mig & Argosheild??
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Staple balls
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| posted on 5/7/04 at 12:05 PM |
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as i understand it. it's a no-no unless you're very skilled, using the right kit, and can get the work heat treated after
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white130d
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| posted on 5/7/04 at 12:06 PM |
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Yep
I weld aluminum with my Millermatic 200 with a spoolgun and straight argon. The problem with most Migs is trying to push the very soft ali wire
through the hose/gun, with the spool gun it only travels 6" straight so it doesn't bind up.
David
"There's only 2 things that money can't buy, and that's true love and home grown tomatos" Guy Clark
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MikeP
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| posted on 5/7/04 at 03:34 PM |
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I tried it with my push type low end MIG. The ali would bind up just after the pinch roller and make a mess, I got frustrated so I never got far
enough to find if there was a feed & power setting that would work.
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NS Dev
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| posted on 5/7/04 at 05:06 PM |
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I've done it with a Clarke 150 TE "low end" welder and straight argon and went okish.......the welds were crap though!! The problem
was the lack of heat control with the MIG, in order to start the pool you need loads of very localised heat, otherwise the ally just conducts it away,
heating the whole piece up to melting point at the same time. This is why AC Tig's tend to have variable amp foot controls. Boost the amps up to
start the weld, then back off to continue it, and back off again at the end of the seam. The Tig is a far more concentrated and focussed heat zone too
so minimisinf conduction away from the weld area.
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Viper
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| posted on 5/7/04 at 05:06 PM |
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You will need pure argon, a teflon liner, and lots of practice till you find a set up that works, even then the weld will look shite,
Tim
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DavidM
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| posted on 5/7/04 at 11:17 PM |
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You also need to brush the joint vigourously with a stainless steel wire brush before welding to temporarily remove the oxide film from the surface of
the aluminium. This film has a higher melting point than the aluminium itself and removing it will allow the use of more controllable settings,
resulting in a more satisfactory result.
[Edited on 5/7/04 by DavidM]
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 6/7/04 at 06:49 PM |
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Try it with sexy ahotalene, my efforts were passable but not brilliant - VERY difficult
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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spunky
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 posted on 6/7/04 at 08:37 PM |
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Ali welding
If you think MIG welding ali is tricky, you should try arc welding the stuff. Thats what I had to do at work 'till I convinced them to buy a
TIG....
John
The reckless man may not live as long......
But the cautious man does not live at all.....
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albertz
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| posted on 7/7/04 at 12:27 PM |
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I was just about to post this very question, then i noticed this link.
I am considering trying this technique to modify the inlet plenum on my engine. From the responses above, it seems that it is just about possible but
looks crap.
In my limited experience, of welding in general, i have found that welds that look crap actually are crap and sometimes welds that look OK are still
crap.
What i really need to know is about the weld strength. I dont think that i need incredible weld strength for this particular part, mainly it needs to
be airtight and just strong enough to hold its own weight etc.
Do you think this is a reasonable item to attempt this ali welding on?
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 7/7/04 at 04:13 PM |
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Try you skills and equipment out on some scrap first!
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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MikeP
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| posted on 7/7/04 at 04:52 PM |
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MIG welding on something like the 4AGE intake plenum Albert? The guys here should be able to help, my first thought is that it's pretty thick
ali and an unknown alloy. You may need a serious amount of current to get penetration, and the weld will need to stand up to a good amount of
vibration.
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albertz
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| posted on 8/7/04 at 08:00 AM |
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I might give it a try on some scrap and then batter is senseless with a big hammer to get an idea how good a weld i am getting.
As the intake plenum is quite prominant on the engine, it may be better to get it TIG'd, purely for cosmetic reasons as much as anything.
I have two, so i might as well have a go on one of them.
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andrew morrall
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| posted on 12/8/04 at 06:28 AM |
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This stuff is supposedly good
I came accross this product, bought it but have not yet tried it. Check out the website http://www.alumiweld.com
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 12/8/04 at 09:33 AM |
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its also sold under the name of technoweld.
its 'ok' on the very small jobs i have done (joining corners of folded panel flanges).
Its a bit like solder. It doesnt 'stick' well unless you stir the 'weld pool' with a wire stick. (This is recommended in the
leaflet that comes with the starter kit - and you get a metal stirrrer too.)
Might be ok, but dunno how suitable it is for a big job.
atb
steve
http://www.hindleys.com/technoweld/
[Edited on 12/8/04 by stephen_gusterson]
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wilkingj
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| posted on 12/8/04 at 11:47 AM |
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Alliweld / technoweld.
I have had this Demo'd to me, and its brilliant. Ahhh but the bloke was an expert user!. However what I learnt was that you need the right
blowlamp for the job, I got a Primus Sievert with interchangeable nozzles, EXPENSIVE or wot!. Nozzles £15-30 each, and the gun was £107. But its the
Mutts Nutz of blowlamps. I have used it for loads of jobs not all alli welding!
When it comes to alli welding, I found it difficult. And being a very good solderer (35 yrs on BT/ GPO) I still found it hard. there is a definate
technique here. But it does work and makes a good weld. The little I have used it, has produced good although not pretty results. The hard bit is
trying NOT to melt the whole bloody issue!. I warmed the whole area, then used an on / off technique ie removing and replacing the flame / torch on
the work area. This is what the expert did, and it takes practice, but its easier than trying to get a steady temperature with a permanant flame on
the work piece.
Anyway, thats my 2d worth on this..
Reasonable results but need more practice.!!
Regards
Geoff
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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