<HTML><HEAD></HEAD>
<BODY dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<DIV>James,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There are several things that can make a good welder look bad when doing
aluminum if they fail to do some basic things but once you have it, it’s real
easy. As far as the ball on the end of the electrode, You can do it the way it
shows on the video or I just slightly round the end on a bench grinder and it
will work fine. It will ball on pretty much anything. I was told you
couldn’t use a sharp electrode like you would use for welding stainless
steel but that will work too and it will round it’s self out relatively quickly
but it’s better to start out with a blunt one. Less chance of transferring any
tungsten to the parent metal if it is a super critical weld.</DIV>
<DIV>When welding dissimilar thicknesses, if you can, put the thick one above
the thin one, favor your heat on the thick one and let gravity do the work for
you. If it is super thin you can put your heat on the filler rod and let it fuse
in but that is a little tricky. It is also important to try and use the proper
sized electrode. I usually use 1/8” but also have two smaller sizes for the
thinner stuff. There are trimixes for your shielding gas that they claim will
give you better penetration but they are pretty spendy and I have all ways used
straight argon with great results.</DIV>
<DIV>Aluminum is a lot pickier than steel when it comes to contaminants. For
good results, It is imperative that you clean the aluminum before welding
it. Even when I am building something with new aluminum from the mill, I all
ways clean the edges where I am going to weld. Aluminum is porous and it may not
look contaminated but it doesn’t take much. They make special grinding discs
specifically for aluminum as well as stainless steel wire wheels and brushes and
do not use them on steel or you will contaminate them. I’ve herd people say they
have used some sort of solvent but I don’t feel that it gets as deep into the
pours as actually grinding the top layer off. </DIV>
<DIV>I get people all the time that bring me stuff that has been out on the
ocean and contaminated with salt air/water and it just won’t take a good weld
unless you can physically remove the top layer to get to clean metal. If you
were to leave a new piece of aluminum out doors for a while and then put a piece
of aluminum next to it that has been cleaned with a grinding wheel and run a
bead on both, you will not only see the difference when welding it but you will
hear the difference as well. Should have a nice smooth hiss rather than a
crackle. There are even things like wave signs that help with the cleaning
action and penetration but I don’t think you can vary that on the cheaper
machines and I believe they are factory set. Hope this helps</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rick P.</DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma">
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=personal_submersibles@psubs.org
href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org">Daniel Lance via
Personal_Submersibles</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, April 24, 2014 2:24 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=personal_submersibles@psubs.org
href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org">Personal Submersibles General
Discussion</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Aluminum Welding Technique
Question</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri"; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline'>
<DIV dir=ltr>James ,
<DIV>I have spent thousands of hours welding aluminum and I agree with your
conclusions . The ability to fine tune the frequency and balance control makes
all the difference in the world . A big ball at the end of the tungsten just
doesn't conduct weld current very efficiently . Inverter type welding machines
designed for use on aluminum are terrific. I wouldn't go back to an old
transformer type with the add on hi frequency box for all the money in the
world. ( the stone age of aluminum welding ) .</DIV>
<DIV>Dan Lance</DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_extra><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Thu, Apr 24, 2014 at 3:13 PM, James Frankland via
Personal_Submersibles <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org"
target=_blank>personal_submersibles@psubs.org</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV>Did anyone get my response and attachment to this post about aluminium
welding? I was braced for a firestorm of criticism but nobody said
anything. Either everyone agrees, doesnt care or didnt get it....which
is it? :)</DIV>
<DIV><BR>Kind Regards</DIV>
<DIV>James F <BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=HOEnZb>
<DIV class=h5>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On 23 April 2014 15:32, James Frankland <SPAN
dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:jamesf@guernseysubmarine.com"
target=_blank>jamesf@guernseysubmarine.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV>Hi All,</DIV>
<DIV>I was going to write my 2 pence worth (UK version) in reply to this,
but im just going to attach a sheet i wrote which covers all i was going to
say. I know there are a lot of expert welders on the forum, so this is
just my personal take on it. I can get good results most times.
Personally, i dislike the "balled electrode" thinking. It will ball to
a certain extent of course, but I dont like it to become bigger than the
diameter of the electrode. With correct frequency and as little
cleaning as you can get away with, i can keep the ball small and arc
tight. The only thing not on this sheet is that torch angle is
important. As near to straight up and down as possible, this prevents
the rod turning into a sausage before you get it into the pool.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Just my 2p. </DIV>
<DIV>Kind Regards</DIV>
<DIV>James F<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On 23 April 2014 01:01, Steve McQueen via
Personal_Submersibles <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org"
target=_blank>personal_submersibles@psubs.org</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV>Thanks Dan. I did use 100% argon gas but my tungsten has a red
band (2% thoriated). I am also getting to know my machine settings
so I'm sure they where off. Lots to learn!<SPAN><FONT
color=#888888><BR></FONT></SPAN></DIV><SPAN><FONT color=#888888>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Steve<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_extra><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 7:28 PM, Daniel Lance via
Personal_Submersibles <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org"
target=_blank>personal_submersibles@psubs.org</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV dir=ltr>Steve,
<DIV>Are you using pure tungsten ( green band on one end ) and argon
shielding gas ? . With the torch set on DC+ you will usually experience
a tungsten melt down. Just set the machine on AC and run a pass on some
scrap aluminum . You will get a balled end . Not to complicate things
but a balled end is not exactly the most preferred condition in the
world. But unless you have an inverter type machine with lots of
parameter adjustments you really don't have much choice. Alec is
correct the amperage setting depends on the thickness of the material
you are working with . If you are trying to join a thin piece to a thick
piece its ok to preheat the thick piece first , just don't exceed 250
degrees F. Old oxidized aluminum is very difficult to weld unless the
crusty white scale is removed . It should be nice and "shiny" before you
start . And of course a little preheat never hurt anybody . Aluminum is
a near perfect material for marine use , it is easy to cut , form ,
shape and weld . It can be painted , anodized or just left in its
original mill finish. </DIV>
<DIV>As far getting welding advice from Youtube , the only source I
would recommend is "Welding Tips and Tricks" . This guy is really,
really good .</DIV>
<DIV>Hope this helps,</DIV>
<DIV>Dan Lance</DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=gmail_extra><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>
<DIV>On Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 11:49 AM, Steve McQueen via
Personal_Submersibles <SPAN dir=ltr><<A
href="mailto:personal_submersibles@psubs.org"
target=_blank>personal_submersibles@psubs.org</A>></SPAN>
wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>I attempted some Aluminum welding this weekend. I needed to
tack 2 together pieces of a trolling motor mount I modified for my
stern thruster.<BR><BR></DIV>I watched a video that said it is
important to first first strike an arc on DC+ for a few seconds to
create a "ball" on the tungsten tip prior to going back to the AC
mode.<BR></DIV><BR>It was unclear in the video if the arc was being
struck on an Aluminum piece or the Steel welding table surface.
Does it matter?<BR><BR></DIV>Also they said the amp range should be
set to 55-75. Seem
OK?<BR><BR></DIV>Thanks,<BR></DIV>Steve<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>_______________________________________________<BR>Personal_Submersibles
mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org"
target=_blank>Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org</A><BR><A
href="http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles"
target=_blank>http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles</A><BR><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Personal_Submersibles
mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org"
target=_blank>Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org</A><BR><A
href="http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles"
target=_blank>http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles</A><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Personal_Submersibles
mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org"
target=_blank>Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org</A><BR><A
href="http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles"
target=_blank>http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles</A><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Personal_Submersibles
mailing list<BR><A
href="mailto:Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org">Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org</A><BR><A
href="http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles"
target=_blank>http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles</A><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
_______________________________________________<BR>Personal_Submersibles mailing
list<BR>Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org<BR>http://www.psubs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/personal_submersibles<BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>