Praticing aluminium TIG welding

[Jigantor]

Praticing TIG welding aluminium today.
Using
2.4mm white electrode,
2.4mm 5356 filler rod,
100% Argon at 7 litres per minute and
110 Amps.

On 3mm thick by 25mm wide aluminium extrusion.

Jigantor

[SundownIII]

100% Argon at 7 Litre's/min?????

You must own a gas supply company.:D

I'd check those flow rates again.

[kcstott]

Actually it not as much as you think
1 Liter/min= .0353 CFM
or 1 CFM =28.32 liters/min
so at 7 L/m is about .25 CFM no where near enough shielding gas

So if any thing he needs to increase his flow rate by a lot.

[Wicked one]

Praticing TIG welding aluminium today.
Using
2.4mm white electrode,
2.4mm 5356 filler rod,
100% Argon at 7 litres per minute and
110 Amps.

On 3mm thick by 25mm wide aluminium extrusion.

Jigantor

You need to clean your material way more and more diligently and you will get better results.

[SundownIII]

KC,

You are correct.

Not used to seeing flow in ltr/min, more used to CFH.:o

[full fusion]

Hey jigantor youl soon get the hang of it m8 it'l look like this before you know it:)


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/jimaximus/th_DSC01929.jpg (http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/jimaximus/?action=view&current=DSC01929.jpg)

i did these welds with an airowave 400 top bit of kit

[Jigantor]

Hi Fellow TIG welders,
I do not weld for a living.
I just purchased a TIG so I could weld aluminium parts for vintage motorcycles.
I only started praticing my TIG welds about two weeks ago and have had no instructions from anyone. The manual that came with the welder is pus and it is very difficult to find any info on how to for my application.

I went onto the Miller welding site and discovered their calculator.
This calculator states that for 3mm thick aluminium corner welds I should use,
17 cfh or 20 psi
1 cfm of gas does equal 28.3 litres per minute but the calculator suggests 17 cubic feet per hour. So if we do the sums we get the following result.
17 x 28.3 = 481 litres per hour
481 / 60 = 8 litres per minute.
My local Miller dealer suggested that I use 7 litres per minute and that seems to work fine.

I tested all these joints and they are very strong. The base metal bends before the weld cracks. That is all I am interested in at this time. I would like my welds to look cool too but that will come over time on the gun (torch).

Cool looking welds Full Fusion how thick is the material and how wide is your weld base. I am trying to get my corner welds to be only 6mm.

Jigantor

[Broccoli1]

Miller also has the Tig Handbook

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/TIGhandbook/

[Jigantor]

Hi Broccoli1,
Thanks mate,
I will take a look and down load any relavent pages.

Ji

[Jigantor]

I love TIG welding,
it allows you to do so much.

The following images are of a Bultaco motorcycle engine head.
One cooling fin was broken off so we TIG welded it back on.
After the head was painted black you could not see the repair.

Ji

[Broccoli1]

Hi Broccoli1,
Thanks mate,
I will take a look and down load any relavent pages.

Ji


Try this chapter on settings:

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/TIGhandbook/pdf/TIGBook_Chpt6.pdf

[Jigantor]

Hi Broccoli1,
That is pretty interesting, thanks.

The only problem is that my inverter TIG has different named dials like,
Pulse width,
Pulse freq,
Clear width,
Base current and
Peak current.

For the open corner weld I have set mine to
Pulse width 70%,
Pulse freq 70Hz (which is the max)
Clear width 65%,
Base current 45amps and
Peak current 110amps.

This was the best setting I could find after a few hours of test welding.

Ji

[Broccoli1]

Turn the Pulse off for AL.

[Broccoli1]

Why don't ya post up what friggin' machine this is?:D

Hey we got over the CFH- L/mn thing I'm sure we can figger out the Controls too-:p

[Jigantor]

Hi Broccoli1,
Thanks mate, I will give that a go.

Ji

[Jigantor]

My TIG is a Mitech Super 200 P.
I believe it is a Riland copy that is made in Hong Kong.


Ji

[Broccoli1]

I think on that machine the Toggle switch with the "Square Wave" Icon on the Top and the Straight line Icon on the bottom is the On/Off for the Pulse. They use the Square wave Icon to indicate Pulse Mode.

[Jigantor]

Hi Broccoli1,
Yes I agree.
I flicked the toggle switch over yesterday and the pulse stopped working.

Ji

[urch55]

I love TIG welding,
it allows you to do so much.

The following images are of a Bultaco motorcycle engine head.
One cooling fin was broken off so we TIG welded it back on.
After the head was painted black you could not see the repair.

Ji

Jig:: It looks like you done a real nice repair on the cly. head. Your a quick learner.!!
Bob :cool:

[Jigantor]

Hi Urch,
Thank you for the kind words.

I have more of a problem welding the internal corner of a T joint.
The bead spreads out to about 10mm at the base.
I did get it down to 6mm yesterday just before I finished.
I turned the Clear Width down to 20% and that narrowed the beam.

I also had a problem with the filler rod balling. I had the torch at the recommended 70 degs from the horizontal. So I change the angle to 90 degs or perpendicular to the work piece and that allowed me to get the filler rod to the puddle.

Ji

[kcstott]

KC,

You are correct.

Not used to seeing flow in ltr/min, more used to CFH.:o

Neither am I so I calculated it to be sure before i put my foot in my mouth.:D Like i usually do. And just did as we are talking CFH not CFM
Just read the follow ups and yeah my bad CFH is a bit different then CFM so 7L/min would be fine equal to 15 CFH

[Jigantor]

I am also using a size 5 cup which is about 8mm internal bore.
This allowed me to only project the electrode out about 1.5mm past the cup.
I found if the electrode was out much more I would touch the puddle every now and then. The small cup size allowed the torch to get right into the internal corner. Once every thing was right the arc starts, the puddle is formed and the filler rod can be added to where it is needed.

Ji

[ridesideways]

Jig:: It looks like you done a real nice repair on the cly. head.
yep, agreed. and as usual, the actual welding is but a tiny fraction of the success of the overall job.

[Jigantor]

The good thing about the fin build up is that the weld does not have to look good as most of it is ground away and then bead blasted.

Ji

[Jigantor]

My first ever go with TIG was a classic.
You have to make all the mistakes so you know what not to do.
The attached image is my first attempt.

The corner was to many amps.
The left hand black spot is when I touched the electrode to the plate.
The right hand black spot is when I forgot to turn the gas bottle on after cleaning every thing for the third time.

Ji

[Aerometalworker]

Small welds on aluminum? Same rules apply no matter what welding type is used. Small welds are done hot and fast, and that comes with being very comfortable with welding, and being in control vs. letting the puddle control you. Thats probably the #1 hardest thing I have to get students to understand in OA aluminum welding. I tell them that a tack weld should take 1-2 seconds to make on .050" sheet, and that 10" long weld about 30 seconds, and they give me a funny look. But thats how you get those nice "production" like welds, you have to be as comfortable with the welding, and the joint, as the person was that welded them for a living. Keep up the practice.

[spotsineyes]

There are too many knobs on your welder. I have to take a nap just from looking at the picture.

[Jigantor]

Hi Aerometalworker,
Yes I have seen a tack in 2 seconds.
I makes me try harder to get it right.

It is hard to believe that TIG welding will become easy one day but I will keep trying as I have come so far in a short amount of time.

My next practice on the same day I started my TIG career was forming a puddle and working it.
Not very straight but this dogs leg snail trail lead me to the next step.

It is a bit of a joke looking back now, but I guess all the pro TIG welders would have started the same way.

Ji

[Jigantor]

Hi Spotsineyes,
Yes I agree with you. To many dials.

With a manual that told me less than nothing and no one to guide me it was quite a fight.

I would burn something, then turn a dial, then burn something again .........

But after three days of use I finally worked out most of the settings.

Pre flow 1 second
Base amps 50amps
Peak amps 110amps
Down slope 1.8 seconds
turn off pulse
Post gas 5 seconds
Clear width 20-30 % for T joints and 70% for open corners

See pretty easy.
Oh well may be not.

Ji

[Jigantor]

After turning every dial at least 4 times and cleaning soot and alloy deposit off everything I finally laid down my first aluiminium TIG weld.

So much effort for so little gain.
Oh well one step is followed by another.

Ji

[Jigantor]

After the first bead was laid down I finally had the welder able to be adjusted in a forward direction.
This allowed me to do a few runs without to many problems. The dial turning started to slow.

Still not pretty but getting there.

Ji

[Jigantor]

Laying down welds onto a single piece of aluminium is great but welding is about joining two members together so I moved on to an open corner weld.
This joint design is quite strong for a single pass.

Still not pretty but getting there.

Ji

[pcwelder]

been watching your progress, it's looking great! My Dynasty has all the bells and whistles that your machine has and once you get them dialled in you can concentrate on your technique. The machine has more talent than I do, that's for sure. Hot and fast is the rule for Al, and for anyone learning it seems kind of un-nerving. Once the base Al gets hot the heat needed to continue welding starts to lessen some so welding with some form of controll sure helps.

Keep up the great work.

SS

[jdustu]

Looking good man! Definitely on the right track.

[Jigantor]

Hi jdustu and pcwelder,
Thank you very much for the kind words.
Yes, my first learning curve was with all the dials, second is technique.
I am practising every day, just an inch or two of welding internal corners on a T joint but this is how we learn. A little over time.

I agree once the tack is established the aluminium flows like water and you have to move quite fast to keep up with the filler rod and torch. As a learner you read this and hear this but it is not till you see it happen under your own hands do you understand.

It does make you feel proud when a friend sees your welds and they say nice comments like "Where did you get that bracket made, nice welds"

Ji

[Jigantor]

I have ordered a ProFax flex head 26 torch and a CK Worldwide pyrex cup and gas saver kit. They should arrive this week so I will let you know how they fit together and how well they work.
As I have found out torch head position is the key to good TIG welds and being able to see what is happening should allow me to learn even faster.

Ji

[Ultrachop]

Jiganator,

I like your attitude! Keep up the practice and you will get lots of good help from this site! There are a lot of pro's here that are more than willing to help those that practice, practice practice!
Your Bultaco broken fin reminded me of the good old days in the late sixties when I was racing a 250 "Pursang"! Wish then I had a tig welder!
I have only been tig welding for about 8 months and in the first 3 months I used up 3 bottles of Argon and enough AL filler to make a parking garage! But like has been said you "WILL" get the hang of it and will be mighty proud of your practice time!

Keep it up!

Tim (look at some of my early posts on practicing AL tig and you will see we are in it together) :>):)

[Jigantor]

Hi Ultrachop,
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
I will look into your old postings.

Thanks
Ji

[Burnt hands]

Jigcantor,

You are getting better much faster on aluminum than I did when I started long ago.

ok - I will admit that it took me over 30 years of trying and the purchase of a Dynasty 350 to get ok looking welds on aluminum.

It seems that all I have to do is look the wrong way at my pieces and they get even with me by giving me "pepper flakes".

This is after I brush with a stainless brush and clean with acetone.
I would not hesitate to eat off my pieces when I am done cleaning them but sometime I still have problems.

I still can't get good welds using a Syncrowave so it has to be me as my mentor and friend who lets me try his Syncrowave still can make better welds with his eyes closed. (He still uses a passive helmet)

Here is a 3" cube I made using 1/8" aluminum with my Dynasty.
Second set as I learned the hard way to drill a vent hole before I closed up the cube.

Aluminum is harder for me to work with than stainless or titanium.

Time to go back to school................

Good luck,

[Jigantor]

Hi Burnt hands,
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I don't think anyone has every picked up a TIG torch for the first time and laid down a perfect bead.
Practice is what we all need when learning.
Through practice we see how things work and how things melt.

Those alloy dice you made are terrific, they have inspired me to practice more.

Keep well
Ji

[Jigantor]

I am currently constructing a parcel tray to get the gazebo and spare parts boxes off the bike trailer floor.
I purchased some 6060 T5 aluminium RHS today for the main members.
After doing all the prep work I decided to see how this stuff TIG welds before the main event tomorrow.
With some 3mm scrap and a small piece of the box section I pulled the trigger and it welds real nice.
Looking forward to a day of TIG welding tomorrow.

I did not clean the surfaces which contributed to pepper in the weld, I also pulled the torch away from the last part of the bead and that is why it is a little pourous.

Ji

[Frank Motoweld]

I love TIG welding,
it allows you to do so much.

The following images are of a Bultaco motorcycle engine head.
One cooling fin was broken off so we TIG welded it back on.
After the head was painted black you could not see the repair.

Ji

Hi JI,just wondering if there was any warping on the heads' deck after all this?Did you have to plane it? Frank

[Jigantor]

Hi Frank,
We checked it and no, none.
The head was still straight.
We have just increased the compression on another Bultaco head. I will post images tomorrow.

Ji

[Jigantor]

When we go to the track for the weekend we use a Horsepower float to transport the bikes and stuff, but lately the stuff required to make our weekend perfect has started to over flow out and over the tailgate and it is worse now we can transport three bikes in the float.
So I had a great idea, We need a mezzanine floor. Of course Mrs Gantor says she thought of it first.

Anyway this weekend past I fired up the TIG welder for some aluminium welding.
The main joists are 40x25x2.5 RHS 6060 T5.
The flooring is 4.5mm Hwd ply and we covered it with marine carpet.

Ji

[Jigantor]

First we cut the ply so it was the right size and shape, then we tec screwed the aluminium joists to the ply.
This should keep the aluminium members from distorting and going out of square when welded.
The only problem with this design is that you can not weld too close to the ply or it may catch fire.

Ji

[Jigantor]

As I have found out it is one thing to weld up a small aluminium bracket on a bench while seated it is another thing to weld a 1.8m x 1.6m floor frame.
This is the largest TIG welding project I have done by far.
Some times I was sitting on the slab and other times I was on a ladder trying to work the foot controller, very difficult.
But all in all I had no melt downs nor burn throughs.
Some welds when I was sitting on the slab with no room to move or actuate the foot controller came out a bit sad looking but still strong and oxidation free.

Ji

[Jigantor]

With the carpet stapled on and installed the mezzanine floor looks great.

Ji

[Jigantor]

Installed and ready for action.

Ji

[Jigantor]

To increase compression on your old Bultaco TIG weld the head and mill it.

Ji

[Jigantor]

Today I TIG welded the aluminium cargo restraint brackets for the mezzanine floor. This was my first time welding tube onto a flat plate.
The tube and plate are both 3mm thick 6060 T5.

Ji

[Jigantor]

The thing to remember with alloy tube is to S/S wire brush both plate and tube, extend your electrode past the cup by at least 12mm and aim the most of your heat into the largest member so you don't get a burn through.
When welding a 50mm diameter tube you can only weld about 12mm before you have to stop and rotate the job. Between rotations and start ups give the job another hit with the wire brush just in case there is some carbon or other contamination.

Ji