Aluminum welding!

[Tawm Bwady !!EtTFwK1V7aB No.278392]

Calling all welders!

I know how to weld, but my only machine is a cheap stick unit from Harbor Freight. So I'm limited to SMAW.

Anyway, I've got a few repairs that need to be made at work. The trailers and whatnot are easy, but there's some step-ladders and a skeet-thrower that need fixing (well, the skeet-thrower was given to me, but I'm going to fix it before I take it as I cannot plug my welder in at home). These pieces are made of Aluminum.

I've welded Aluminum before, both stick and MIG. Flux-core Aluminum MIG is like fucking CHEATING, it's so easy. Stick is kind of a PITA, but it's do-able.

Here's the quandry: Aluminum SMAW rods are fucking expensive. Last time I had to buy them, I could only find them from Fastenal and got a deal because I knew a company rep.

Does anyone have considerable experience with this? I want to know if it would be feasible to make my OWN Aluminum welding rods. Thinking it over in my mind, maybe I could dip the rods in a paste of Borax (and maybe powdered glass?), let them dry, bake them, and voila.

Any thoughts from my brothers of the arc?

[Anonymous No.278439]

you could use thick aluminium filler rod from a tig and run argon over it? maybe in a "habitat" i haven't done ally arc only learnt about it. alloy flux core? never heard of it. done a lot of welding with push pull hand pieces running solid alloy wire and argon though. and tig i got an arc welder here i'd like to run some alloy in it

[Tawm Bwady !!EtTFwK1V7aB No.278445]

>>278439
Believe me, if TIG was an option I'd be all over it.

Alas, I have no access to inert gasses.

[Anonymous No.278455]

aluminum welding fluxes are sodium-based. you could try making a paste of some table salt and paint the rod with that right before trying.

if the single rod won't hold enough of it, then get some plain aluminum welding wire (MIG) and twist 6-8 strands of that together like rope.

[Anonymous No.278465]

found some handy info:
http://www.hildstrom.com/projects/stickaluminum/index.html
http://www.instructables.com/answers/Can-a-stick-welder-Weld-aluminium-/

[Radiofag No.278475]

Oxy-fuel?

[Tawm Bwady !!EtTFwK1V7aB No.278477]

No access to torches. The shop at work is pretty slim, and we're on a tight budget (I'll be lucky if I still work there a month from now).

My only option is SMAW, so my only real question would be how to cheaply produce my own fluxed Aluminum electrodes.

If I have to buy them, so be it. I'm just really trying to avoid it.

Either way, I'm still getting a free clay pigeon thrower.

[Anonymous No.278483]

>>278477

from what i can gather shop bought alloy electrodes aren't very good and alloy needs some tight parameters to weld nicely. i can't see you easily making good electrodes but if you really wanted you probably could find out exactly how to make the flux consistently/with the right chemicals. you could always rent a machine or find someone in your area maybe a co-op or a metal working tafe or something (ausfag here)

[Anonymous No.278532]

sounds like a plan do you know where to look for the cheapest welding machines available but still have quality? ehow.com/how_6006005_make-silver-soldering-flux.html

[Anonymous No.278535]

btw I just found this one is it quality or shit? ww.farmandfleet.com/products/037779-arc_welder.html?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googleb
ase#.UDb9-WEaBko

[Anonymous No.278585]

I have a Miller Dimension 180 TIG that I use for all of my aluminum stuff. I use a 80/20 Argon to Helium mix of gas. Fastenal is expensive for their welding supplies. Call a few local gas supply companies. Thats where I get mine. I can get about 5 lbs of 6061 rod for about $35.

As a note, MIG welding aluminum is only effective with thinner gauge material. I don't care how much ampres you throw down. It will not penetrate the way a TIG will.

[Anonymous No.278594]

>>278585
that's bullshit alloy mig is is better and more efficient for thicker material. you need a powerful tig to weld the same thickness often resulting in power upgrades having to be done. not to mention the price of a good powerful tig and the fact that you'll be at the job longer with a tig and if you can't get reinforcement on you welds your doing it wrong.

[Anonymous No.278620]

>>278594

Just about everything you said was either wrong or didn't make sense. You are correct in that MIG is faster than TIG so long as the machine is already setup (including feed/wire/etc) and your feed doesn't fubar/run out.

[Anonymous No.278684]

>>278620
i dunno were your from but we know how to set and take care of machines so they're quite reliable. In my experience you need a 50 amp 3 phase outlet to run a tig that'll weld aluminium thicker than 8mm. while a normal 15 amp 3 phase socketed mig with a push pull hand piece can happily weld up to like 15mm.