Welding Tips and Tricks

Help ?.....Does anyone know wich tigrod to use on alloy wheels ? Trying to repair a crack in a big alloy wheel from a bmw X5 M series. Does a 200 amp 60% dc Freetech (european version of Everlast 210 ext) has power enough ? Sidenote: the rim has no magnesium in it,as far as I know...

Repairing alloy wheels for use is a big no no. Don’t do it.
If you are just practicing on junk then ok. 200amps should be enough but you need an ac power source. 5356 filler unless you know what grade alloy it is.


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Max5 wrote:Help ?.....Does anyone know wich tigrod to use on alloy wheels ? Trying to repair a crack in a big alloy wheel from a bmw X5 M series. Does a 200 amp 60% dc Freetech (european version of Everlast 210 ext) has power enough ? Sidenote: the rim has no magnesium in it,as far as I know...

Crack is where on wheel?
Crack section is wrought or cast?
Look up the brand of wheel to try and get clues to AL type(s)
Full pen. welds in any case, backgroove and do opposite side.
Maxall 4943 for 'normal' cast, 5356 for wrought.
200 amps @ 60--HAS TO BE AC--NOT DC, is a sorta/maybe/probably preheat.
The final finishing of the weld area is critical to get flush and matched to adjacent surfaces--
AKA- tire bead, inner/outer lips of rim.
Cracking normally comes from a very hard road hit, which often distorts the wheel--radial/lateral runout,
which means wheel is junk. Inspect the wheel for this before even considering repair.

Problem solved...My neighbor has an appointment with a "specialist" in alloy wheels restauration,so I am "off the hook" on this one. Nice to know "wich tigrod" anyway...Could be usefull for later.Thanks for the advice;Its hard enough for an amateur to do things the right way. Now the reason my neighbor wanted his rims "repaired",is simple....They cost $ 1650 a piece !

Out of interest I checked ozzy law for repairing alloy wheels. I was surprised. Cracks that run perpendicular to the outer rim are allowed to be repaired, the rest not. There are specialist repairers out there that will also true up roundness and run off. Interesting.


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