Page 1 of 1
TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 12:23 am
by DRJ
I do vintage vehicle restorations and I have been asked to repair an aluminum radiator shell for a 1928 Chevrolet passenger car. The aluminum is about .040" thick. Can you give me some tips on butt-welding this type of aluminum, I.E. type of shielding gas, rod, procedure, etc.?
Thanks!
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 4:03 am
by dave powelson
…….ummm…and you're certain that this shell is AL and not--SS?
I've done old Ford shells and they were SS.
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 9:16 am
by big gear head
Without seeing what you are welding, I'm guessing that it's going to be hard to clean the back side of it. This is probably going to cause a lot of problems. An old radiator is going to have corrosion and lots of contamination in it.
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:16 am
by DRJ
No question that this is aluminum. In 1928, Chevrolet made aluminum and steel grille shells, no SS that I am aware of. I can get to the backside for cleaning without a problem. The shell I have to work on needs some modification, so I'm going to have to cut and weld in several areas.
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 4:55 pm
by LtBadd
DRJ, you'll use argon gas of course, it would help if you could tell us what machine you have, big difference in advice depending on the machine
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 9:34 pm
by Rick_H
Also how much experience do you have welding alum?
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 10:23 pm
by DRJ
I am using a Miller Syncrowave 250. I have quite a bit of experience in aluminum, and I have welded these radiator shells before, but I seem to struggle with it. Thicker aluminum is no problem for me. Should I use an Argon/Helium mix? I know it really needs to be cleaned well and possibly use a steel or copper backing. These shells really test my welding skills. I would really like to get a nice clean small bead with no sagging.
Thanks for all your replies!
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:28 pm
by LtBadd
DRJ wrote:I am using a Miller Syncrowave 250. I have quite a bit of experience in aluminum, and I have welded these radiator shells before, but I seem to struggle with it. Thicker aluminum is no problem for me. Should I use an Argon/Helium mix? I know it really needs to be cleaned well and possibly use a steel or copper backing. These shells really test my welding skills. I would really like to get a nice clean small bead with no sagging.
Thanks for all your replies!
Argon/helium mix will add heat to the arc, you don't need that for such thin aluminum
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:53 pm
by dave powelson
use an AL backer and let it be part of the shell, if at all possible.
A larger mass copper, etc. heat sink block will help--but you'll need to immediately
cool down with water spray and air blow off to stop distortion.
Pics would say much, as others have mentioned.
Need to find out at least the basic type of AL that was used-back then, for
good filler compatibility.
Re: TIG Welding thin aluminum .040"
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:16 am
by dirtmidget33
Practice Welding aluminium cans together. Is great practice and material is easily found. Things go south on a can real quick so after you weld a few together it will make that cover seam like you are welding .125 instead of .040
I hope you are using a pedal will make life a lot easier.