Dusty MI

Well-known Member
How do you spot weld aluminum ?
I have an aluminum canoe that is spot welded. Just wondering how it is done.

Dusty
 
Spot welding aluminum is just like any other metal,all you are doing is fusing the two pieces together with heat,the hard part is getting the temp
just right,after that it's easy.
 
Hello Dusty MI,

Its all about the temperature. Aluminum has a very narrow heat range from a solid to a liquid. Lots of fun
trying to weld it in bettween those narrow heat ranges...

GUIDO.
 
You got that right! I've tried brazing aluminum, all I could do was make it disappear!

But my ex wife worked at a factory building AC condensers. She was a natural at it! Just picked up the torch and away she went!

Strange she could do that, but had no clue how to boil water!
 
Yes! The first time I tried welding it with a torch about the time I thought it was going to puddle it hit the floor between my feet! But I used to work with a pipefitter that could weld it pretty well with a torch, but the prefered way is with TIG.
 
Hello Mike(NEOhio),


Welders jargon is turn up the heat. So you turn up the current right?

Guido.
 
I don't have the equipment to spot anything, but fixed a good number of boats over the years. One thing
is certain, if you put anything on it to seal the leak like silicone or jb weld as soon as you hit it
with a welder the hole will be the size and shape ofbwhat ever you smeared on. And that is even if you
clean it off so you can't see it first. I always asked the customer if they "fixed it" first, most lied
when I told them what it would cost to fix it if they had, then complained about the hole after. Boats
are so thin that they get contaminated all the way through if you put that stuff on.
 
I was actually certified as an aircraft aluminum spotwelder a few years ago.
The Sciaky machines we used were stand up machines, with copper electrodes in jaws (or posts) that were
water cooled. The current and dwell times were very closely controlled, with a computer. Setups had to
be done, with test pieces that had to pass destructive testing. Welds were accomplished with the
operator using a foot pedal to initiate each weld, and to open and close the jaws for cleaning the tips.
Tips had to be cleaned every few welds because dirty tips will cause successive welds to fail, or burn.
The material being welded had to be cleaned in successive degreasing and acid etching tanks. Surface
resistance for welding had to be virtually ZERO in order to weld.
Spot welding aluminum CANNOT be done with a body shop spotwelder. If you need to repair that canoe, you
should look for someone who can tig weld thin sheet aluminum, or find a way to install flush head
aluminum rivets to replace broken or missing welds.
 

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