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Onorius |
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A BIG Thank you to Peter and Matt for sharing that information.
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Chris (trying to be the best me I can be) |
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Here in the US, the approach/technique can vary somewhat but overall it is pretty much consistent:
For O/Acet torch welding of aluminum - Clean the aluminum to bright, first with an acceptable solvent and then by brushing with a clean ss brush. Choose tip dia that is 3/4 to equal to your metal thickness, so ... since tip dia per tip number varies per tip manufacturer, Meco Midget #2 = SmithAw1A #AW204 = Henrob Dillon Cobra #1.25 = Harris15 #2 = Victor J #0, and etc. Set flame with torch knobs open 3 turns using regulators, then turn flame down so inner cone is equal in length to 3x metal thicknesses, with a slight fuel-rich feather (carburizing or reducing flame setting). Hold torch at a 90deg angle to heat your spot to weld and when the surface gets shiny, tilt torch to a 45 deg angle. Keep inner cone at a nickel's thickness from the surface to be welded. Move quickly - more quickly than steel - The Rule for welding aluminum via any method is "HOT AND FAST" ... In my workshop trainings I teach flange welding first, with zero filler. Then butt welds, either with or without filler. With filler you tack where you can along the full length of the weld, then go back and tack every 1inch to 1.5 inches. Without filler you can simply start your weld at the second tack, and by holding the loose panel tightly against the fixed panel you fuse them together - while gently moving the loose panel as you progress, so that the seam is tight and even along the way. Large panels of 2 to 5 feet may be joined this way, without tacking or filler, depending on your physical ability. American race car builders like Jack Hagemann, Dick Troutmann, and Quinn Epperle often welded panels this way. Jack Hagemann worked for Porsche racing, building spyders in the early 1960's. I would get information from him when I was restoring an RSK and an RS60. Since the US focused mainly on producing high-production steel cars, aluminum autobody working was limited to custom coach shops, like Brewster, Brunn, Coachcraft, Hibbard and Darrin, LeBaron, Judkins, Fisher and etc. WW2 halted all auto production and aluminum welding was carried out to produce 330,000 airplanes in 3.5 years for the War effort. By the way, TM Tech uses the aluminum welding instruction used by North American Aviation, which trained people to torch weld aluminum in 6 hours. Here is a short clip showing O-H lap welding of tubing to sheet for an old airplane: https://www.facebook.com/19094894868...5187514488690/ (very sorry it's not yet on youtoob for y'all) Celebrating Tradition,
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Kent http://www.tinmantech.com "All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919. Last edited by crystallographic; 01-04-2019 at 05:15 PM. |
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This is becoming quite a treasure of a "how to gas weld aluminum" thread- thank you to Peter, Matt and Kent.
One detail about flux & flange welding that hasn't been addressed- how much of the panel is fluxed? Is flux only used on the vertical portions of the flanges that will touch the adjoining flange or is it applied to a greater area?
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AC Button II http://CarolinaSculptureStudio.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzSYaYdis55gE-vqifzjA6A Carolina Sculpture Studio Channel |
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No tacks at all, simply start at one end and weld continuously to the end Peter
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P.Tommasini Metalshaping tools and dvds www.handbuilt.net.au Metalshaping clip on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEAh91hodPg Making Monaro Quarter panel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIpOhz0uGRM |
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Thank you very much to all of Matt, Kent, Peter for the precious information.
In these pictures are my first gas welds of aluminum after about 5 hours of practice after watching the DVD (Gas welding ALUMINUM 2.1 The Difficult), the welding is without filler rod even when I'm tuck. That's not what I was going to do, but I could not use fiiler rod while I was welding. It was difficult for me to co-ordinate both hands at once. The idea was that I thought it was not right to weld aluminum without filler rod like steel. Then I cleaned the car I work with the old paint and surprise I found this type of welding. And then I wondered how I could do this kind of weld in the correct way "not how I invented it accidentally".
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Onorius Last edited by galooph; 01-05-2019 at 10:00 AM. |
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That's a good start I'd say. Keep practising and you'll get better and better. It's all about eye coordination and muscle memory. Keep at it 👍
Matt |
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Looking good. For the "blows" - and they occur every now and then - clean the flux off and hammer/dolly the thick spots around the holes and the holes close up - then you can re-weld easily to finish the weld. Your surface looks like your: water is not clean or the flux is thin or your gas is a bit dirty. Rough surface means some contamination, someplace. Welds should be smoooth.
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Kent http://www.tinmantech.com "All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919. |
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Onorius
Your practice is looking good keep going and you will get the hang of it The only suggestion I have for you is to use equal size pieces of ally when practicing, this way equal heat goes in to the 2 pieces and it will help you reducing holes on the weld . After that when you have mastered the welds , then try to have a smaller piece at on end and try to control the heat on the two different size pieces Peter
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P.Tommasini Metalshaping tools and dvds www.handbuilt.net.au Metalshaping clip on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEAh91hodPg Making Monaro Quarter panel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIpOhz0uGRM |
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Onorius |
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