Aluminum Tig, BBQ number 2, and A trailer update

Hey guys, hows it going??

Well, Im kind of excited, because today at school I got to sit down and tig up some aluminum for the first time ever. Well actually its the second time ever, my first time was once last year when us juniors got to spend a few hours with the senior class, but that was really just an excuse to hang out with the cute senior girl who was REALLY good at aluminum...

But today I got to sit down with a Lincoln 255 tig (that things a BEAST) for a few hours and practice. I know these welds sure aren't pretty, but I defiantly enjoyed running them, the way the AC sounds, the way the aluminum puddle "flows" (or doesnt, it doesn't seem as "fluid" as a steel tig puddle), but I loved it, and tomorrow Im hoping to get some more time in. I got cut short today when that old lincoln blew a water line for the torch and I had to stop. I was halfway through one of beads, too. Oh well... I finished it up on another machine after a (bad) restart.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Besides "grind the tungsten EVERY time you contaminate it"? I know im supposed to do that, lol... But go easy on me, Im new at this.

Its a lincoln 225, A/C, 3/32" red tungsten, 3/32" and some 1/8" filler, and running it with a foot pedal. I want to get good at this aluminum stuff, just think of all the cool stuff I could make!!













And also, today I started on the second BBQ, since the first ones 98% done. Im making this one out of a small well tank that we got replaced. Its much thinner metal and I wouldnt bother with it if it wasn't free, but since it was, I think its just a fun project. More to come on that...



That trailer got picked up on Saturday, and both the owner and his brother were VERY impressed with the repair, and looked straight at the gusset, and felt the welds up and down it. They were really happy with it, and so its all good. Im really glad I put that gusset on there!! They also expressed interest in a custom BBQ, and I told them that I would give a deep discount if they supplied the tank, so they're on the hunt for a used air compressor tank now!! Haha..

Well guys, I just wanted to share all this stuff. Hope everyones doing well, and having a nice week

Lanse,dont know how good the welds really are as i dont weld very well but these sure look good to me.1000 times better than I could do for sure.keep up the good work. bill in western ny.

I have never used the Lincoln TIG. The aluminum looks good for a "newbie". At 65 yrs young, I am just learning aluminum TIG welding myself. I use a Miller Synchrowave 250. I don't get the opportunity to practice, as I repair what needs repair. Keep it super clean and it doesn't run too bad. Congratulations. Dale

Not bad for a beginner. For Aluminum you should be using the green tungsten (Pure). The end should be ground to a spherical shape.The red is for stainless and carbon steel.What I can see of your pictures you are not getting to the bottom of your bevel. Might need a little more heat.
Does your machine have a balanced arc setting on it, It will go from like 1-10?

Looks good from here, but I think I'm 200 miles from you lol. Just jokeing looks good. I wouldn't know how to begine to weld alum.

Just in the past couple of years, I have started using the 2% thoriated (red) electrode for everything. Still just grind it to a point, and bring the current up gradually, not slowly, but ease into the heat,it will ball up nicely. I also run 15-20 cfh of argon. I have read some books that say to run as much as 45,but IMHO that too much can cause some odd behavior at the arc. Stick the electrode out there where you can see it. You will eventually get into some welds where you have to go by feel, but you really need to see what you are doing. Along those lines, I don't set the helmet face down when I take it off, it lets dirt build up on the inside lens, but then I am a stickler for lens cleanliness. Now for the fun part. Practice, practice, practice. When I left my welding job for a machining job, nobody in the shop wanted to take over the aluminum work. It's not that hard, just different. Good Luck.

Lanse - I really enjoy your projects. I check out every one of them. You do nice work, and as you grow, it's going to get even better.

I'd like to offer a word of caution on your agreement with the trailer owner to build a BBQ if he supplies the tank. Most folks who deliver a tank for you to cut into have only a "word of mouth" idea of what that tank was used for in it's previous life. Always approach a situation like that by thinking the tank might contain flammable vapors. I'm positive that you already knew that, but I couldn't resist saying something to warn you of the possible danger. Be careful with unknown tanks! I remember when I was your age I thought I was invincible. I've either gotten smarter or scareder (or both) as I've aged. . .

Paul

I prefer to use the pure tungsten for aluminum. The 2% thoraited tends to not get contaminated as much when it is touched to base metal or the filler rod. I have not used 2% on aluminum for so long I have forgotten what I did not like about it. Pure tungsten ground spherical on the end is the suggested tungsten and shape for aluminum in every welding book I have ever looked at.

You can save on your argon consumption if you use a gas lens. A gas lens gives you a more even distribution of the gas.

I have found that a long stick out of the tungsten tends to cause the tungsten to get shorter quicker. Some joints will require a longer stick out; the stick out should be kept to a minimum.

Lanse, that's really good for your first attempts on aluminum. Is the machine a Squarewave 255 with digital control panel? You're using the wrong tungsten for a conventional TIG welder on aluminum. Aluminum uses pure tungsten or for more heat/longer life zirconium tungstens. The tungsten will naturally form a round ball on the end which is what you want for aluminum. Good aluminum TIG welders will have the tungsten almost flush with the nozzle and almost no stickout. If the tungsten is only slightly contaminated, you can put the machine on reverse polarity and strike an arc on a piece of copper to clean it. Some guys have even used pennies for this. Only strike an arc for a second or 2 though on low amps or you'll burn the tungsten up. You just need it to get red hot for a split second to clean it. If it's contaminated too bad, snap the contaminated tungsten with 2 pairs of pliers.

If you ever get to try a machine like Puddles Dynasty 300 inverter welder, it's a whole other ball game for aluminum. You use the same tungsten as for steel as well as a pointed end. Inverters also don't require continuous high frequency on aluminum.

Hey, thank you PJH!! Its nice to know that I have some following.

I know that a lot of people have built some really nice BBQs out of propane tanks, fuel tanks and the like, but I cant say thats for me. There are ways to prepare the tank for cutting (purge with co2,etc) but they're generally time-consuming and cutting into a tank with flammable contents (even if its just residual gas, etc) will ALWAYS be dangerous. Maybe on some other projects or something, but for a couple hundred dollar BBQ, no way. lol.

I told them air compressor tank, and if they show up with anything that doesnt have brackets and feet, Ill probably decline the job. Or charge a lot more and co2 purge it.

I appreciate the tip, however. Our teacher has some kind of a gas meter that you can stick into a tank and see if its safe to cut, which would always be another option.

Thanks again man!! Ill have a lot more projects to come

Hahaha, thanks Rusty!! I think!!

Aluminum isnt that much different, I think the main difference is just the way that it ""flows" as you weld it, its not nearly as fluid as steel. On an ac/dc tig machine, you just have to set the polarity to "AC", move the high-frequency to "Continuous" and you're set. Im no expert or anything tho, I wonder how it is out of position? I bet it would be easier than steel because the puddle isnt as "runny" and youd have less risk of a run-out...

Thanks OP!! Those syncrowaves are nice machines, but all but one of them at my school are 1980s machines and dont always work right... Theres a newer lincoln which has kind of become "my" machine, we all go to the same one everyday lol.

Just out of curiosity, what kinds of repairs on Aluminum do you do? I always wonder what I might have to fix in the real world out there...

Haha, thanks dude!! I was happy with them, considering my past first attempts at various welding processes. Its not that hard, Im sure you could do it!!

You're good S.W, thats exactly what the machine is!!

We somehow missed the tungsten talk last year when we started tigging, and I think all we have right now is red-band. We've been setting the machine to DCEP and flooring the pedal, the tungsten balls up instantly. How big of a ball do we want? I find that it gets too big, too fast...

Ive never welded with an inverter honestly, but I think it'd be cool to!! lol. I want to, but our school has all transformer machines, 7 in total. 5 syncrowave 250DX's, and two lincoln 255s...

Thanks for the advice man!! I really enjoy Aluminum, and Im trying to get better at it.

I've recently taken on tig welding at work along with the mig that I have been doing time to time. I don't do much aluminum yet as I don'tr have the experience to get the welds required on most of what we do in aluminum, but I dabble here & there.

I think we've got the same or a similar welder at work, can't remember the model off the top of my head as I don't use it often enough.

Set it DCEP to ball the tungsten (green band) and ball it so it's about the same size as the tunsten itself. When welding the aluminum, AC continuous, and just take your time. What kind of aluminum were you welding? At work we use several types of aluminum, and at times have to weld them all. 6061, 7015, Mic 6, QC 10, and a couple others in the QC series.

Today I welded up some heat treated S7 tool steel.

Donovan from Wisconsin

The tungsten will ball on its own leaving it on AC.

The tungsten will ball on its own just leaving the machine on AC at the current you need for the tungsten. The ball should be just sligtly bigger than the diameter of the tungsten. I had a brand new Squarewave TIG 255. I liked it better than a Miller Syncrowave 250 and it was a cheaper to buy. The Lincoln also has the auto balance control for aluminum that's nice. I heard they stopped making the 255 with digital control panel because guys were changing the amperage while holding the TIG torch and poking holes in the control panel and burning up the circuit board. Be careful with that. Try playing with the pulse control on the machine and see what difference it makes.

Aluminum takes a lot of practice but good TIG welders can do miracles with aluminum. Don't try to weld aluminum boats that have been rivetted. They will just crack again. I think you need a lot more experience before you start taking on aluminum jobs but get all the practice you can.

If you've got an air compressor get yourself an air nibbler. I have a friend who does gas station work that has a couple back-up ones in the truck.

I tried TIG when I was taking night classes. I couldn't keep the tungsten out of the puddle.