Welding cast aluminum? - Midsouth Makers Public List

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Message from discussion Welding cast aluminum?
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Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:19:50 -0500
Message-ID: <CALyLZ1Tywtw3w517JoGTMKR1mX16daLCXOHxSv2xwWJfCqB...@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MidsouthMakers] Re: Welding cast aluminum?
From: Ed Stafford <ed.staff...@gmail.com>
To: midsouth-makers@googlegroups.com
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Wow!!  Didn't realize you guys had gotten that much welding gear up there
now.. very cool!

On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 8:49 PM, Brad Dunagan <brad.duna...@gmail.com>wrote:

> Thank you all for the ideas and suggestions.  I will bring the kicker
> (what is in the picture) to the meeting this Friday (if anyone wants a
> closer look).
>
> On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM, Kitten <skel...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Ok, we have a MIG, DC TIG, DC Stick, and PAC up at the space. there is
>> aluminum wire and a spool gun is not required to do aluminum with mig,
>> it makes life way easier but 100% argon is required either way.  to
>> properly tig aluminum you need an AC TIG machine but you can do DC TIG
>> using ultra high purity helium. or you could stick weld the aluminum
>> using special rods.
>>
>> A few words of warning about welding aluminum. Not all grades of
>> aluminum are weldable, this isn't a huge issue on something like a
>> kick starter but something you should be aware of if there is a chance
>> of someone getting seriously hurt if the weld fails.  The flux on
>> stick electrodes for aluminum is corrosive to aluminum in order to
>> remove the aluminum oxide passivation layer so the metal fuses. thus
>> you should only use stick electrodes if you can get at the back of the
>> weld and you must use caution not to get slag inclusions as they will
>> cause the weld to fail over time.
>>
>> in short without ultra high purity helium (really spendy), we can only
>> weld aluminum using the mig machine at the space.  i didn't measure
>> the aluminum wire we have so i don't know if the liner or tip are the
>> right diameter for the aluminum wire we have.
>>
>


-- 
Ed Stafford

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Wow!!=A0 Didn&#39;t realize you guys had gotten that much welding gear up t=
here now.. very cool! <br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Wed, Mar 21, 20=
12 at 8:49 PM, Brad Dunagan <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"mailto:brad.du=
na...@gmail.com">brad.duna...@gmail.com</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1p=
x #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><font><font face=3D"verdana,sans-serif">Than=
k you all=A0for the ideas and suggestions.=A0 I will bring the kicker (what=
 is in the picture) to the meeting this Friday (if anyone wants a closer lo=
ok).<br>
</font></font><div class=3D"HOEnZb"><div class=3D"h5"><br><div class=3D"gma=
il_quote">
On Wed, Mar 21, 2012 at 7:53 PM, Kitten <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a href=3D"ma=
ilto:skel...@gmail.com" target=3D"_blank">skel...@gmail.com</a>&gt;</span> =
wrote:<br><blockquote style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;padding-left:1ex;bo=
rder-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:so=
lid" class=3D"gmail_quote">

Ok, we have a MIG, DC TIG, DC Stick, and PAC up at the space. there is<br>
aluminum wire and a spool gun is not required to do aluminum with mig,<br>
it makes life way easier but 100% argon is required either way. =A0to<br>
properly tig aluminum you need an AC TIG machine but you can do DC TIG<br>
using ultra high purity helium. or you could stick weld the aluminum<br>
using special rods.<br>
<br>
A few words of warning about welding aluminum. Not all grades of<br>
aluminum are weldable, this isn&#39;t a huge issue on something like a<br>
kick starter but something you should be aware of if there is a chance<br>
of someone getting seriously hurt if the weld fails. =A0The flux on<br>
stick electrodes for aluminum is corrosive to aluminum in order to<br>
remove the aluminum oxide passivation layer so the metal fuses. thus<br>
you should only use stick electrodes if you can get at the back of the<br>
weld and you must use caution not to get slag inclusions as they will<br>
cause the weld to fail over time.<br>
<br>
in short without ultra high purity helium (really spendy), we can only<br>
weld aluminum using the mig machine at the space. =A0i didn&#39;t measure<b=
r>
the aluminum wire we have so i don&#39;t know if the liner or tip are the<b=
r>
right diameter for the aluminum wire we have.<br>
</blockquote></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><br=
>-- <br>Ed Stafford<br>

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