How to weld 0.025” 6061-T6 aluminum?
Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 12:25 am
Hello,
I want to weld some 0.025” 6061-T6 aluminum, on a homebuilt aircraft I am working on.
To practice, I ran beads on some scrap pieces, without a problem. Not pro level, but I felt that I was in control of what I was doing.
However, when I laid a second piece on top of it and tried to weld them together, this was virtually impossible. No matter what settings, how I held the torch or on which area I tried to focus the arc, the upper piece would melt away before the lower piece would form a puddle.
When I tried to melt some filler on the lower piece first, hoping that it would flow into the joint, this also didn’t work.
I spend quite some time practicing, watched tons of videos, read through the forums, but no success. I am now wondering, if I do something wrong with the preparation of the two pieces or if my setup is not suitable for this job.
This is what I have:
Eastwood TIG200 AC/DC welder
Blue, 2% lathaniated 1/16” electrode, ground to a sharp point, but I also tried to ball it
1/16” 4043 filler
100% argon gas
#7 gas lens
Settings:
15 cfm gas flow
25 amp (I also tried more and less)
-2 clearance effect (I also tried much more and less)
0.5 second pre-flow, 5 seconds post-flow
Parts preparation:
Wipe with laquer thinner
Clean with Scotch Brite wheel or stainless steel brush
Wipe with laquer thinner again
Some of the test beads on the 0.025” sheet metal:
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gqxLslPx2Bc_WJSZiZkE-kjeqbTzv_5w-_SRfct41b4kr2TNk6422ViFDeLMbGPRbj3e9PAghH08bNCwdJtU0pcneau0NhviQZMH1P5_Xwkl05oU2KOiJFaxn7xkOjx1qp7U5_jdAd5drO_Jz0IMl9uJAqs-pKnXGoB-zSZ7dMbkCRiKYtkNEdd7zRFaAMSfdLOADefn6DsOsxWbudLk5lZJsTAyhqYp85cHFAJRxb4lvFjil_f9SlpI3u1ghJDpRpJ0Kkk9Ju6NBQ7Rh0M_zEKAbGh_GI5jWDNp9EU_y14qoR3lMhQyopuLHJQZyMx-Omakx1koGyQ8VpP8C6F6dm-x-IBXXFW5x8jxKnGK0kPqitCAlU-4iF27prSLUrUf_-YME27LcO7q_0ISjFpsp8T92lpkSdN2JF1vAhz8Km1D-VXvajlBuEJGzMbzBHxNHkirtDt4o21pZ4fN8Tk-SWOfypxi32XGmLkQX2B4C0ri5DGmhFRVtccg5OWFSJQ-9TJtU30-CzFE2_JFSCSq55BrVEalySIfuEc4dFjM-5pB2pefuazoHpqEdFbDuhc=s600-w450-h600-no)
After the parts had cooled down, I cleaned them, turned them around and positioned them for welding:
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mobyq7Ft7xL9YUXtwCC5I60s5pOUKXKAxLaGeWc5ywtL20FOIw7rybm8qL-NrbOuvOJliwcR4nL5s0ZDly9j6eoFWMXKWH_3hphfg1bKUFk8yjrayZsRFi8haiAo7cUD2pSGTzz_RZ4dE6J0TppzV1TZ1FX_bAITFBkrN91aj1XqX5mW5OnqFk5l0Xp1qR2_BKR630nLM9vBrRDs_3XzfDHXmCXHjsdLH1qi8JI6OFNUA_XhfLZK-Lg8abdjq50Z9FAEDZqPbsyaz2z5EEhBGN2ZAFONVb7AvCa1vWX5DkOmslB3An7sKYjEdellpi7jI5JrP6FWCKhz1gIp5Prm_SGtK4jxCoL8DhKZcmgC9pcJBO6oyiyT2D5U8JxZG9doA0wjmH8JHkvYvHaPTzDvkwe7tN9s3TFpd3YlAGRz0-8m3pwLN1fDP466N1DkXkl-CmhwSn3CTBaKoa05XUozKdeTXaXEopSShNBvofr9doeoyleKKzoHy_O4tQ1VXGhFvcdvqTTrVBvxhDK1a5J9WFi3SY5gBxQDslPM8YdcLd_AUnkfOtgz8WEsdrqZgf1gHzhsf5AU2zYKWipTmNFqkxp7A3eJCdekiVN1CG0K=w600-h450-no)
How would you go about welding these two parts together? Do I need to change something in my equipment / process?
The other topic is, that want to add two more fittings to the fuel tank, which is also only made of 0.025” 6061-T6 aluminum.
This is what the factory installed fitting looks like:
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tPbRUAJ7JvN2B3gD_7SLOupfgYKeTXeYVysp9kjVNlpF6LePb6yeyfMXaAHtBZHII_vBIdXOwA8Ep5yd1EANWQucmr7EGp5g3yYnYUtN9AcCNEEMPvqiC7LuwXOutPCYjOnXuHtmmh2BJH2YZNwZYNJofmWwtYR4YaJxcpVQ11qbSOX6djtep-zkeVK5-bd2bKckr21jc8A6QP9_AFV5HC5ATPtNdFsuQ-_aa5CLVEUbM5UXf8rS4Wa-ZTxJxnAuX_GPZYNYJALjkQZ0h3u7Ktzzfm3kaJW6Ea1jz1K0Y-qnoY5lcYw3bDpncuLzzA1s2XiPoDZ1RQFv513K6EPNUBnLHkS6rCs7thiWNQV3PJibQybfHj8bWxM4KBZJ7JRiErkp8slCmQecZz0A5XFtkDyBEH-lvuunZfR3E9cr6MjnSgbYQeFpcQfPa1jhrdxbthsENWBpDxisqtg_XkTABj4Tx5_-5dC9SR61kw2-rfpcUwPitIkrrsfbdAWbU0M54WycEB7MBHVakV4phSPPrD9-ix2gO4OwpYtg2zgitr8oijWdaFaOJjcxZh3aQK9iK-khZST0gOqVQgCLbsdCsxDiMhkOXsGYGmzuYSk4=w600-h450-no)
This is the type of fitting I want to install:
![Image](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sNawjmkOf1L0q31Gi-RPulb8cCpb3BWhgK3Wby4N4-lmBEPVMY4UalhIHZDnEGMtDcIxr2PH45-9gPJDssCTszwBewCzcOHfn_EJbbHQO0h8aAL7mtFnjv7HigD8AHJuxMg1f8QKlyISSslvlFLDip-0_UHb_2iKG6oB5C3Dm1VVADRC7KzBxDIQjvo-R4c95ph0EmFw6N6-2oljjm3QmsulxZYTyh7JmHBvDus4nT6bHiV-SCpGhKpaznPTChXHFyKCpgY1eXmyReoBdJLLn1TwFkNNZepdIyLvbiZqHPsqOeFhNPmSwnZiNZi_vxYC_bRS6VCg0SBPDRr5ItQa0FtR8SM_PamLyDjaGkbVtUAgTw_a1zyCOeLWFO3SIPlsr99py_GsEID0rbIUpUVV_sxERvzHI0GOVDqo_43Lc1GmOqGrRovsb96hguuOODLhsbwQNNmmtbubTDXe7FadPzrxxGZDZ45KbmQXi5FOiV79AHzeWPUWcPkZb8dwWIKgeflTMA1kvJFcD5EMcsv9RvjVKfrUEH8xbsmUsqggd5kLlwBnMdKzMJJVPJhw95f_7FYzdaqEVZLZeNVfLxrNWqP0W_yAN-CTww5dI7Rx=w500-h428-no)
A friend suggested that I should heat the fitting up with a torch and then start to weld at the tip of the red arrow, letting the filler run down to the sheet metal. What are your thought on this?
I will order a few extra fitting and practice first, at over $3 / piece, I however want to keep scrap at a minimum.
Finally, note the fine weld in the edge of the tank. It goes along the edge of the tank’s side wall and the bottom. How would you go about making such a weld?
Thanks for your help in advance!
Oliver
I want to weld some 0.025” 6061-T6 aluminum, on a homebuilt aircraft I am working on.
To practice, I ran beads on some scrap pieces, without a problem. Not pro level, but I felt that I was in control of what I was doing.
However, when I laid a second piece on top of it and tried to weld them together, this was virtually impossible. No matter what settings, how I held the torch or on which area I tried to focus the arc, the upper piece would melt away before the lower piece would form a puddle.
When I tried to melt some filler on the lower piece first, hoping that it would flow into the joint, this also didn’t work.
I spend quite some time practicing, watched tons of videos, read through the forums, but no success. I am now wondering, if I do something wrong with the preparation of the two pieces or if my setup is not suitable for this job.
This is what I have:
Eastwood TIG200 AC/DC welder
Blue, 2% lathaniated 1/16” electrode, ground to a sharp point, but I also tried to ball it
1/16” 4043 filler
100% argon gas
#7 gas lens
Settings:
15 cfm gas flow
25 amp (I also tried more and less)
-2 clearance effect (I also tried much more and less)
0.5 second pre-flow, 5 seconds post-flow
Parts preparation:
Wipe with laquer thinner
Clean with Scotch Brite wheel or stainless steel brush
Wipe with laquer thinner again
Some of the test beads on the 0.025” sheet metal:
After the parts had cooled down, I cleaned them, turned them around and positioned them for welding:
How would you go about welding these two parts together? Do I need to change something in my equipment / process?
The other topic is, that want to add two more fittings to the fuel tank, which is also only made of 0.025” 6061-T6 aluminum.
This is what the factory installed fitting looks like:
This is the type of fitting I want to install:
A friend suggested that I should heat the fitting up with a torch and then start to weld at the tip of the red arrow, letting the filler run down to the sheet metal. What are your thought on this?
I will order a few extra fitting and practice first, at over $3 / piece, I however want to keep scrap at a minimum.
Finally, note the fine weld in the edge of the tank. It goes along the edge of the tank’s side wall and the bottom. How would you go about making such a weld?
Thanks for your help in advance!
Oliver