Ok guys, If you were going to weld up something rare and valuable that is an aluminum casting what is the best process? I own a tig and am a decent welder but my forte isn't welding dirty, old, ancient, irreplaceable castings. Do I need to learn to operate a henrob or meco? Farm it out in Socal? Who? (hate to do that but it is an option) Someone drilled a lot of holes in this old mag drive and I want to restore it to a functional piece without destroying it's character. I would like to discuss cleaning,preheats, filler rods, all you can bear to type. Thanks
I have my aluminum stuff TIGd. But clean that ****er up first, possibly going as far as overboring the holes 1 size to really clean em up. Welding AL is equal part skill and cleanliness. Good luck
Aluminum needs to be CLEAN to weld properly. "Clean enough to eat off of" isn't good enough. Aluminum Oxide melts at a higher temperature than the base metal. If you feel brave,get a bunch of Aluminum s**** to practice on. Pure Tungsten electrode,blablabla...
I know how to weld aluminum and hold a cert or two, We don't need to waste time on basics, If ya got any non run of the mill tricks for welding "cast" aluminum I would love to hear it. Thanks for the tips thus far.
It's not that hard to weld. I welded a cast aluminum primary cover for my Triumph using MIG with 100% Argon shielding gas. I figured out very quickly that I had to run the wire speed maxed out, but once I learned that, it was easy. Finished the welds with a carbide grinder and even used a "cheese grater" plane for body work to refinish a gasket surface. Main thing is to make sure it's aluminum, not magnesium. A spray of vinegar on a spot that'll be hidden will let you know. Bubbles or fizzing, it's aluminum. I cleaned the cover with Simple Green several times to remove all traces of grease and oil before welding it. 8656 wire, if I'm not mistaken. It was recommended by the welding supply for welding any cast aluminum that you can't verify the grade of. TIG would be the best choice, using the same filler. Check Lincoln Electric's web site for more specific info.
Go and get a bottle of aluminum weld prep solution,degrease very well first, bore out the hole to get to clean metal.use 43** fill rod.apply your prep solution and wipe off the excess(follow package directions)that solution is weld through and chemically? removes oxides.preheat to 500 or so I use temp stick,use a br*** or copper backing plate for full fill and weld up,Idont post heat I throw it in a dry sand box.I have peened a weld for appearance one before but ti was AL mig
if its a rare or you dont want to take a chance thke it to a real welder some one how has a lot of time welding that mat. he will know how to clean it . so what if it is 30.00 its worth it. if you have to ask you cant doit your shelf . dan
"If you have to ask you can't do it yourself?" That is a defeatist at***ude my boy. Embrace the hot rodding spirit and learn here. Lots of people asking questions here about expensive stuff. Lurk some more before you make stupid comments.
Hey got a lot of expierience welding castings from working in a foundry get it clean we used s/s wire brushes to kinda polish surface either preheat or kick up the foot pedal to get a puddle work from there with your foot pedal to control heat too hot it falls out to cold no penetration do one area at a time so it dont warp if it warps it has to go thru heat treat again welding shop should have some rod according to base metal it looks like old aluminum cases was base metal always easier to do it if you know the base metal, but get a few rods n go for it remember a good welder can weld anything but the crack of dawn and a broken heart Ken
I had the license frame made for my old car while I was drunk at the LA fair. It says "3800 lbs of US steel F$%# your import." After sobering up I realized it would be a losing proposition on a daily driver. Funny that ended up in the pic.
I have welded **** like this on my 49 panhead cases before to repair cracking. Obviously clean the **** out of it. Degrease then GL*** BEADING the area helps alot. Your part looks really big. Put the thing in vice. Then hit the whole thing with a rosebud tipped acetalene tourch and get the whole part hot. Im sure you are aware that aluminum disbursts heat very rapidly. If you get the whole part hot than it will be easier to get a nice puddle formed with a tig tourch. If tha\e part is cold than the aluminum draw all the heat from you tourch making it annoying to strike a good arc and keep your foot at a consistant angle. Also, with the tourch, hit the area that you are about to weld. You will actually see, the area that you are heating up, push the natural oil that is drawn into the material while being cast come to the surface. The oil will bleed out a little bit. After the part is a little cooler then take some caberator cleaner and wipe the area clean with a rag. Make sure its not so hot it will flash and kill you. I will feel kinda bad. Then do it again, and again...... I probably did that about 10 times before a felt that I had extracted enough **** to start to weld my peice. good luck.
Clean up the entire piece with any number of techniques. The important part is to get down to the unimpregnated material in the weld area. Use a carbide burr to remove the bulk of the material, clean further with a stainless steel brush, and then acetone. I would stay away from carb/brake cleaner. Normalize in your home oven to about 400 degrees for 20 or 30 minutes, turn off the oven, weld slowly, place back in the oven as soon as you are done and let it warm down until it is cool to the touch. Definitely take your time welding, and maybe cover it up with a fire resistant blanket between p***es. I think the rod you will want is 5303, maybe 5053 but I am havin a hard time remembering right now. There are probably a dozen ways to do this well, but this has worked very well for me. It is pretty easy if you already know how to TIG. Anyway, good luck. It is a cool piece.
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