Welding Tips and Tricks

My job generally requires me to weld 6063-T6 aluminum pipe from 2 1/2" thick up to 8" schedule 40 and 80, which I am certified and comfortable welding with a spool gun. However, all the welding I do is outdoors and when it's windy it's a pain in the you know what to produce a good weld. I would like any insight on welding aluminum with stick vs. the spool gun. Any help would be appreciated as doing this type of work in west Texas isn't fun at all.

You better practice a whole lot. It is not easy.

Is it worth trying to avoid the wind carrying the shielding gas away, or should I continue to hunker down under a welding blanket and deal with it?

I would do the best I could to avoid the wind and go with it. Maybe buy a pound of rod and try it. You might get the hang of it pretty quick. Be prepared to GO FAST.

Mig would work best for this scenario, i used to work in the same scenario, and what we would do is turn the gas up as high as possible, and it would take a strong wind to blow all that away. The problem with aluminium stick rods, is that the metal start out cold, and about two inches down ends up way too hot. this is why the foot pedal is considered so important while tig welding.(although personally, i never used them). Anyway, I found aluminium stick rods to be only usefull for tacking, or non critical applications, becuase the heat changes so quickly.

So i think your best bet is to try to turn the gas up, but maybe see how the stick rods turn out too.

so i hope this helps,

-Rick