welding aluminum Cancel The title field is required!

1. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   11/28/2017 6:11 AM

   This year we purchased a lift for our shop. since we have a small shop 24' x 40' I am in need of redesigning the shop. I basically built or designed it in 1995 when I took over the club. We do have a much larger storage building where we keep the bulk of our equipment and mainly use this one for mechanic work and storage of our greensmowers. Over the past years I have collected a lot of aluminum material. the best is I-beams from our old back patio cover as well as the poles from our 30'x30' tent. I plan on replacing some of our wood work benches by using this material. to be honest termites have been eating parts of our cabinets for the last 10 years. Most of what I build will be mounted to the wall for extra support. my problem is I have never mig or tig welded before. I am a decent welder in steel which I do all of the repairs with. so can anyone give me some ideas as to what I can get by with on a welder and what to look for. Money is tight and I will most likely have to buy my own welder but I have plenty of material to practice on. ideas or pictures of work benches would be great.

   
   
   
   
2. John Moore

   

   0 posts
   
   11/29/2017 6:11 AM

   For welding aluminum you would need argon for your shielding gas and a spool gun for your wire. Very important that the spot to be welded is very clean with no residue, acetone does a good job. You also need lots of practice and patience. Perhaps get some instruction from "You-Tube" videos.

   
   
   
   
3. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   11/29/2017 6:11 AM

   John B Moore said: Perhaps get some instruction from "You-Tube" videos.

   
   
   
   I agree. YouTube is a great resource for this. We've watched many videos on how to weld aluminum.

   
   
   
   
4. John Weidler

   

   13 posts
   
   11/29/2017 1:11 PM

   The type of welder used for Aluminum is not cheep. 2400 to 5500. Mig with a spool gun and pure Argon is the simplest way to go. But for a best weld tig is the way, more time consuming. Cleaning the surface prior to welding is necessary to remove the harder shell of the aluminum oxide. Dedicated stainless steel wire wheels are available for hand grinders just don't use it on anything other than aluminum . A spool gun is bulky to use in cramped areas generally for production work. Don't let any salesman tell you they can push aluminum in a normal mig gun even 6 feet, you wont be happy. Amperage is higher with aluminum and you have to work faster with mig. If your club has Club Car sell them on the basis of making repairs on the aluminum frames. Tig is great for kitchen repairs on the stainless steel items and works on all aluminum. Hope this helps.

   
   
   
   
5. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   12/4/2017 2:12 PM

   All advice helps, I do plan on doing a lot of practicing and have read and seen about the need to be clean. I also plan on watching the you tube videos as I have learn how to do many things that way. I am also just interested in learning how to do it after welding steel for the last 40 years. Thanks

   
   
   
   
6. Ensor Lewis E

   
   12/5/2017 6:12 PM

   Weldingtipsandtricks.com is a great place for the info your looking for. There is also a forum.

   
   
   
   
7. Wade Borthwick

   

   0 posts
   
   12/7/2017 11:12 AM

   Great tip! That is a nice website with some good info, thanks for sharing.

   
   
   
   
8. Brian Kolar

   

   0 posts
   
   2/1/2018 10:02 AM

   John Weidler said: Don't let any salesman tell you they can push aluminum in a normal mig gun even 6 feet, you wont be happy. Amperage is higher with aluminum and you have to work faster with mig.

   
   
   I've actually done this with some success.
   Lincoln 180HD
   .035" wire
   Feed and amps cranked
   100% Argon
   
   The would be sufficient for welding broken tabs on Carryall beds, but I wouldn't try it on something like the Space Shuttle.
   
   Now I have a Miller Synchrowave 200 TIG. With alum and TIG in general, there are so many extra variables to account for or else the job will be ruined. Make sure you have a good gas lens. I struggled for 10 years and just figured it out after buying some cheap lenses on Ebay. The torch they supply these (expensive) units with is absolute trash.

   
   
   
   
9. John Weidler

   

   13 posts
   
   2/15/2018 11:02 AM

   I have done it to. Ran a .040 mig gun tip on .035 aluminum wire. Even installed a Teflon liner in the wire feed. It will still bird cage the aluminum wire in the feed rollers. Just a waste of time and money for the Teflon liner. The manufactures of aluminum equipment run much larger wire and there welders are overhead angled down to promote better wire feed.