Aluminum Welding Training on your own at home

[doyou133]

This is a great video, Im definately going to learn from this. Thanks

[buttugly4u]

yur tutorial is so dead on but transmission cases require preheating because of the aluminum content and the casting process. yes it can be done again good video

[asmeIX6g]

no offense but it looks pretty poor IMHO!! consistency...? where?? those who can do... those who cant, teach! or make youtube vids on welding!

[bassadger]

@asmeIX6g Step up and show how you're better. Those who can't, rip on those who can.

[bman20000]

@asmeIX6g rofl in your humble opinion huh? sounds humble to me. they arent perfect, but im also betting hes not attempting to make it perfect, hes just telling people a good way to practice. love the internet tough welders that just want to rip other people apart...

[RKTologist]

i've always wanted to weld on my own home, thanks!

[MrModelShipwright]

Looks easy, when you do it, have, since the 80's stayed away from aluminium work. Broke a cast aluminium part and was told there is no way to fix such, must cast new or buy new. (did the later) I am the type of person whom rather buy the tools needed to fix things than send it away for repair(unless stil under warrenty) In the years of trade-school I never come across work with aluminium(only steel,kopper,brass and iron) regards to welding, brassing and soldering... Your vid.-clip helped!

[fawnication]

this guy lives in a bead house & eats 'stacked' beads for b'fast :D

[sh4p3shifter]

is welding a good job or does it fuck your eyesight and lungs? I might do a course in welding.

[Ignerence]

I have a question for you Jody, I have been practicing butt joints, and T joints on .125" aluminum with my 250ex. I have got the stacked dime thing down ok, but the last 3/4" of each weld gets too hot, I loose the appearance. I have tried limiting amperage near the end of the weld, but it just doesn't seem to help much. Any hints do finish up to the edge on alumium without getting too hot? Thanks, great videos!

[manic74]

@Ignerence I'm not Jody, but sounds like you need to back off more as you reach the end. I am a TIG novice, and found out real quick you have to back WAY off as you get to the end on aluminum. I still don't get it right, not enough material to practice on.

[cbman96]

hey i got a question, i am learning how to tig in my school (tech school) and we have a miller, but when ever i try to tig, i cant get the base metal to melt, we know the machine is good and all, but i cant get it to melt, ive turned up the amps, did nothing, any ideas ? i am welding aluminum too

[dougspair]

@cbman96  Are you running AC...

[colecross24]

@dougspair You can tell by the sound it's AC

[manic74]

@cbman96 Still not hot enough. How thick you tryin to weld? Aluminum disapates heat VERY quickly. If your material is too thick for your amperage ability you will never get it to melt unless maybe you preheat the material if you are close on amperage.

[cbman96]

@manic74 its not that thick at all, but i did get it to weld, not 100% on what the problem was, i cleaned the aluminum alot better and we grinned the tungsten differently

[manic74]

@cbman96 I would guess it to be the cleaning, aluminum has to be very clean to be welded.

[cbman96]

@manic74 not 100% on it, it may have been that the aluminum wassent "pure" aluminum, but i use the same aluminum i used with the tig, with our miller millermatic 252 with the aluminum gun and it welded good

[sicroly]

in other words.. start playing...

[dynomike1964]

AHHHHHHHHH MY EYES !

[heresteven]

I found that the instrumentation techs would throw away calibration gas cannistors. These aluminum cylinders are a free source of aluminum to practice on.

[opferte]

You are THE MAN. Thank you for this video, I learned a lot. The 3 negative votes are from people who are jealous of your skills.

[signal44]

@opferte I agree, great info!

[koitorob]

@sidemountdiver1 Contact your local supplier and ask them. The cost will depend on the size of cylinder you have, which will depend on how much you intend to use. If in Canada, like in England, you have to pay rent on the cylinder, you will need to add that into the equation. I have an account with BOC and they charge you for the gas, the cylinder rental, which i pay annually, and to change your empty for a full one. I only use an argon/CO2 mix so i have no idea how much argon is.

[TheMitchtuber]

great vid very helpful cheers..



[joek0617]

@DjCantFuckinMIx what is your problem? i did have to look up for the advantages to three phase, but so what, is it any less true? just because i disagree with you, doesn't mean i'm a "dumbfuck", does it?

[joek0617]

@DjCantFuckinMIx i did look around, and yes, some heavy-duty TIG welders run on 3-phase OR single phase. the primary advantage to 3 phase, as I understand it, is that it's easier on motors because it give a smoother power transfer. it also eliminates the need for a commutator or brushes. in the case of welders, it simply is easier on the welder, and easier on the rectifiers used with DC modes.

[joek0617]

@DjCantFuckinMIx Tungsten Inert Gas, or GTAW, Gas Tungsten Arc Welder, mig is Metal Inert Gas, or GMAW, Gas Metal Arc weld, and i do realize now that name calling is pointless, and apologize for that.

i may not have 22 yrs experience, but I am not stupid, i'm not a straight A student either. i am a High School Senior, and i'm 18, and i have spent enough time in our shop that i know that our tig and arc welders run on single phase 220. our drill press runs on 3 phase 220 or 340, not sure which. 

[joek0617]

@DjCantFuckinMIx i'm not even gonna argue any further

[morgorth3242]

i have a question what type of tig, migmag machine do you need to weld aluminium?



[TWOJTKOWSKI03]

when i tig weld alumium i weave it and i get the tighter stacked dime look but im going to have to try your method of what looks like whipping it like you do with SMAW 6010 Great vid very helpful and you have really good consistancy but also like you said it takes seat time and im only 16 years old so i have a ways to go

[ahunted1]

How was this helpful at all? All I heard was him saying stack beads, stack em, left to right, up down, practice, practice, weld, that how you get good, stack em, practice, helmet time, seat time, seat time, stack em. and a bunch of pictures of welds.. lololol.. Stack em.. Seat time, arc time,, stack em.

[ahunted1]

How was this helpful at all? All I heard was him saying stack beads, stack em, left to right, up down, practice, practice, weld, that how you get good, stack em, practice, helmet time, seat time, seat time, stack em. and a bunch of pictures of welds.. lololol

[joek0617]

@ahunted1 that's how u get good... practice practice practice

[eddiequest4]

Thanks for the tips in this video. I heard you need a hi freq machine. Is that true? Also - how does TIG'ing AL compare with MIG'ing it?

[95tt]

You sir have improved my welding skills by miles. and that goes for both TIG and MIG. :P thank you very much :P :P

[efprax]

... you do realize that aluminum oxidizes, right?

[ILUVJDM0051]

Dude ur badass

[was6868]

I'm looking at getting a Tig welder and I've heard that you need to get one that is AC/DC I'm not sure what to look for before I buy one. Looking at a Miller Maxstar 91 or Miller Maxstar 150 STL.

[maxinpains]

How much is decent Tig weld machine? My frind has it but he won't let me use it because he knows I'm little bit better than him..( experiences..LOL) thanks

[wade239]

long live tig welding!

[wade239]

nice, lightsaber effect when he pulls out the tig torch lol

[DonBrazo4life]

I have two years primarily with welded aluminum TIG.Nu I am mainly working with stainless steel. But I do aluminum welding still a whole lot easier than welding stainless steel. It's really a matter of much to do. Aluminium is a truly fantastic material assets to work. I have not even read certificates, but I read better than many welders with certificates. Just by doing a lot, and really focus what others do. Tig welding is really great!

[GameFishermen]

I got a question, I'm getting more into aluminum tig. When I do aluminum it makes a weird high pitched crackling sound, compared to the quiet hum of steel. I'm using a Miller syncrowave 250 with it set to 1-2 on ac balance, puddle control at 3, 1/32 2% lanthanated tungsten with a #7 cup with a cfh of 17-19 . Is this a normal sound with aluminum, I'm kinda thinking somethings not right.

[thierryxxthierry]

i got a request can u weld alumiun tubing with staks of dimes and tight ribles en put em in a pulling force so we can see its the same strength of the weld cause idk cause staks makes it see like its just on the aluminum and not welded in the aluminum and that makes me distract u need a good burn in thats what i am learning

[MrChimochay]

DIY dune buggy

[TheWoodWerker]

Hey all you pros! I am just learning to weld. I have a question (might be a dumb one). I have a dual mig/flux 220 volt, 110 amp welder. can I weld alum. with it? Be easy on me guys!....(smile). Thanks in Advance! ....TheWoodWerker.

[PatrickTheSaxPlayer]

There's a reason why aluminum is so difficult to weld, the reason behind this is because aluminum has an element in it called "Chrominium" This element gives the aluminum a VERY thin layer on the surface called "Chrominium Oxide" Now here's the catch: this layer has a melting point between 3,300-3,500F the aluminum itself has a melting point of 1,600F A good way to deal with this is to scrape the surface of the aluminum to break up the Oxide, it recollects instantly but in less volume.

[PatrickTheSaxPlayer]

@PatrickTheSaxPlayer cont. I also recommend using AC using around 115 for a setting, this is just what I find works the best for me. I also either use a 1/8 (or a 3/32) Pure tungsten electrode (Green end) or a 1/8 2% thorinated tungsten (Red.) Normally for the gas flow, I use argon over helium as a shielding gas running around anywhere between 25-30 psi.

[walterbrunswick]

@PatrickTheSaxPlayer I believe you are incorrect. Pure Aluminum is an element itself, so it cannot contain an element (Chromium, not "Chrominium") "in it." Actually, aluminum forms an oxide, alumina, or "Aluminum Oxide" (Al2O3) which has a much higher melting point than aluminum itself, and hence is very difficult to melt. My professor has welded TIG and uses high frequency to "break through" this coating.

[PatrickTheSaxPlayer]

@walterbrunswick I've done some digging and found out that you are indeed right about the name of the coating, I must've crossed referenced it with one of my other courses. But still a lot of it comes down to personal preference, for me I find that scrapping the surface over with a wire brush in order to break up the coating makes a big difference, the type of welder that you're using also makes a difference as well. What do you normally use as a setting for welding aluminum?

[walterbrunswick]

@PatrickTheSaxPlayer Good job researching, you're a man after my own heart. To be honest, I've never welded aluminum. I've actually only began welding last week--the first time in my entire life. I just never had the opportunity before. However, I have done my reading prior to, so I'm far from being naive, unlike the other yahoos in my class. I actually ran a very decent bead on 1/4" mild steel with an arc welding at the end of today's class. What course/college?

[PatrickTheSaxPlayer]

@walterbrunswick It's good that you're researching into it as well as getting practice, that alone already gives you an edge, tig welding takes time and it is tricky, but the skills and info for a resume are well worth it, I'm going to school at a technical school in central Wisconsin, North Central Tech. Collage, I normally practice with aluminum, stainless and mild steel. What were your settings for the weld with mild steel? Was it with Tig welding?

[aknonnerd]

did you not ball the tungsten at 3:20

[TheFr1ch]

@aknonnerd you dont really need to its best ,from my experience, to get a sharp tungsten and let it naturally ball up when you weld aluminum

[kargmeister1337]

at anoka tech we have to build up on the edge and have be the same width as the metal which is extremely hard cause we have to use 3/32" tungsten and same thickness filler on 1/8" metal. I still haven't got it yet cause the damn amps have to be so low to be able to make the bead 1/8" wide without over hang on the edge.

[thinace]

awesome tip man, i want to to take welding course but would my color blindness play a big roll on welding? thanks man.

[260muscle]

@thinace not unless your welds come out lookin like a rainbow lol

[totalpackagification]

Best info I have seen

[rookis25]

I keep burning up the electrode but im not touching the steel with it, so wat exactly do I set the amp and the gas to...im just trying to fuse the steel pieces together and am not using a filler, idk wat to do, got shown how to do it once and did pretty good, shut the machine off and couple weeks later set it up myself and now cant even get a proper puddle..any tips plz?

[kargmeister1337]

@rookis25 if its burning the tungsten you need to set the balance correctly. first you can't sharpen it you need to ball it at the end. you set the balance to 35 and bring the tungsten close to the table on top and push down on the pedal slowly. the tungsten will turn a bright color and when you keep pushing down more, still slowly then it should form like a ball at the end. when your done you set the balance to like 60 so it doesn't burn it up. just some stuff im learning at anoka tech.

[rookis25]

@kargmeister1337 thx I figured it out already and now using fillers in order to "stack dimes".... thank you for the help though

[Hector49er]

@drMerkwuerdigliebe Yeah, you do Aluminum with AC. And the really nice ones (Like my friend has :D) Are over $5,000 for thte complete setup. I have done a little Aluminum welding with TIG... Fun, but I dodn't have an instructor that really knew how to do good welds... so it was kind of experimentation.

[samboheena]

I am right handed but have learned to TIG left handed, it was just easier and I started getting better faster when i put the filler rod in my right hand. I've been welding for 2 months. Every now and then I try switching it up and it just does not look good. Do you think this will be bad for me in the long run? I'm wondering if maybe I might be sacrificing some skill later on for the sake of not having to wait for my left hand to get good at filling.

[antyshmuk]

@samboheena over the past couple years i've learned to weld any which way with tig. Its a good thing keep practing it'll only improve ur hand eye..

[exspertwelder]

Actually the more ripples in a weld the weaker it is. As a ripple is a stress riser and for each ripple adds 10% more stress to the weld…thought you would like to know.

[palehorsepalerider]

name of this video should have been "stack em"

[M1ST3RHYDE]

I need help in a big way. I have yet to get a puddle. On the Miller at work running Electrode + & - with all ranges of amps from 50A - 120A & the closest I get is a black colapsed blotch. I even took my time the last 10 trys but nothing. Thanks for any direction.

[Hector49er]

@M1ST3RHYDE You have to be running AC or it won't work.... also I believe the high-frequency cleaning cycle thing... (Refering to a setting on the Syncrowave 250 DX) Is awesome for breaking up the Oxides. Also use 100% Argon. (CAUTION Welding Nub Giving advice LOL... although what I said is trustworthy).

[M1ST3RHYDE]

@Hector49er

The shop Miller does look like the Syncrowave 250 DX but 30% taller. I guess the best way to find out is actually look at the model number but im usually in a rush gettn jobs done just under the wire. Thanks for the advise ill give it another go.

[morenoredd]

do u need to sharpen the tip or not im a new b a this will like to learn how to weld good

[BeeRich33]

Question. 3:40 "stack of dimes" versus 3:56. The latter is much faster. If the welds are the same, wouldn't you want to complete the job quicker?

[MrSmackhappy]

you actually don't have to clean the aluminum very well if your welding ac with aluminum because the ac cleans more than 95 percent of the weld pool so contaminants are nearly gone, if your doing your cert then yes you need to clean it like crazy and run gas on the front and back side of the weld joint or else it will fail

[cobrachoppergirl]

I don't get it. How is this going to help me weld tubes on a bike frame when the tubes go around in a circle, not a flat surface.

[rudeboyzero]

@cobrachoppergirl

Because this is just practicing to coordinate your feed hand with your torch hand...

Once you've got that down, start the more difficult stuff, like different positions and odd shapes.

The stuff he's doing here should be second nature before you start on bike frames and stuff...

[schlaznger]

@cobrachoppergirl You have to be able to weld flat before you can start going to different positions like 2g & 3g and so on. Practice flat welding and get consistant beads with good penetration then move on to more complicated dtuff like tubing and other 3d welds

[MinNeStrOta1]

everybody goin ape crazy over dem dime ripples cant get enough of dem dimes nigga

[jordzzzzzzz]

GOOD TIP- Clean the basemetal with a SS wirebrush (only been used with aluminum) and weld it as quick as you can... aluminum oxidizes very quickly

[HTKMotos]

Gret tips, great job. One question by a non-welder and welder-to-be. Is it absolutely necessary to have argon running while you're welding just for practice or is it possible to Tig weld without any gas at all just for practice purposes? I would really like to know that. Thanks.

[Richiroo22]

@HTKMotos Hell No, Gas must be running at all times if you want to lay a bead.

[citydriver]

i see you keep the tip at the end of the seam a couple secounds after ending the arch why is that? thanks for posting this

[jordzzzzzzz]

@citydriver the weld puttle is still quite hot, and is still subject to contamination from the atmosphere, untill it has cooled enough, it needs shielding

[sapper3ern]

True, you can set your machine to post flow gas until the puddle has cooled. Just gotta hold the torch in place for what ever time you set the post flow.

[Mars11911]

Thanks for the Tipps. I will test it.

[worldtravel101]

takes a lot of practice. i find it difficult, because i dont have the chance to do it often enough. most of my work is not tig, but dual shieldmig

[JCVDFan1]

Tig welding is much cleaner, haven't seen any jobs hiring for stick welders....

[plantboy2221]

@JCVDFan1 We can't get enough welders in Houston with all the oil refineries we have.

[tijuanacerca]

wahoo !! hes realy good bacuse he made it look so easy!!!!!!

[adolfo8580]

i am currently working on a tig cert on aluminum 3g 10 gauge square groove with backing 7 inch long and am having a little trouble could you do a video on this thanks.

[heresteven]

Tig welding is so relaxing, and satisfying when you look back at nice bead that you just made.

[moseseseseses]

Offshore welders earn $2,775.00 per 84 hr. work week. If you would like to work offshore, send to me your email address. If you would like to go offshore as a welder's helper, or roustabout, or galley hand, or cook, send me your email address.

[mrbozoman1]

wow you rock..you have shown me loads im a artist and you,v put me in a now place wiht my artwork ...big thanx

[dono9560]

where can i find a good tig welder

i just started the trad

[edgarjesusrodriguez]

how many psi do you recomend when tig welding aluminum

[weldingtipsandtricks]

@edgarjesusrodriguez

with a #7 cup, 12-15 cfh...read the top of the ball.

[tijuanacerca]

@weldingtipsandtricks

Thank you so much for the tios i realy need some one to help me out with this tig welding I can handle mig alredy but now I'm trying tig so thanks for help us all !!!!!!!!

[thinace]

@weldingtipsandtricks awesome tip man, i would like to take welding but would my color blindness play a big roll on welding? thanks man.

[ghostynoises]

The main reason I believe that the 'stack of dimes' look has permeated the industry as a standard is it conveys a sense of uniformity and consistency which are both highly important to a welder. I once a long time ago was refused a job tig welding stainless for yacht builder because one side of my 1" round tube the bead was approx 1/8" wide and the other side was 1/32" wider. I was ticked, specially because their shielding gas was wrong. I've never tig'd stainless and had it turn out sooty.

[VEC7ORlt]

Hm, I wonder how is that different from soldering ?

Can you feed the wire continuously ?

[mondi26mig]

Great tips! i watched this couple of times already, and again today, and i love it! GREAT!!!

[blaxpear]

Thank you

[der1488]

Thanks for the tip. I'm getting ready to do some tig welding test to get a job. I will keep that in mind

[pletcgm]

I agree. That helps a lot because I was under the impression that bead welds were necessary for a good weld. That's good to know that they aren't.

[cky450mm]

just from watching this video made my welds so much better just being able to see how some one does it 1/8in a and hold a sec helped out so much thankyou im going to skillsusa in ca next week hope i bring home the gold

[Xxsyper]

I really liked how you mentioned that welding aluminum, regardless, the skill will transfer over to the other steels:

I don't know exactly what it was, but after I got my inconel ticket, when I switched over to practice 6010 roots on piping, "everything" just made sense. From electrode inclination, angels, stacking, etc.. the weld just made sense, and I had literally enhanced the skill ten-fold. (especially while practicing another process)

[turbotrana]

how about doing a video on welding cylinder heads. I just recently started getting clean welds on thick ally heads by reducing the stickout to about 1mm and using a large cup. Otherwise using a stickout like the one on the videos just gave me dirty welds on thick ally. Thin ally OK

[elvinsg]

i need a apprenticeship my 1 day a week college course ant enuff exp