CAN i WELD ALUMINUM ?

[escavader]

Im in the planning stages of a nice. cab for my bx. Im a pretty good self taught welder[arc]am sure i could do a great job with steel,was wondering about aluminum.thought i saw somewhere rods that would work on it.Probably would lighten things up alot .Plan on keeping unmodifyed steel rops intact ,so wouldnt think cab had to be super strong.so can it be done with an arc welder?
ALAN

 

[digger2]

There are aluminum rods meant to be used with an arc welder.All i've ever used them on is 1/8" and up.It takes awhile to get used to using them.
The "puddle" is very hard to see,slag running all over so you cant really tell what kind of job you are doing till you are done and chip the slag away.
I also think they are kind of expensive,but i did'nt buy them,i used them where i used to work and thats what my boss told me.
Maybe you could fab all your peices up and then have them TIG welded.
If there isnt too many joints it should'nt be that much $$$.
Aluminum when properly TIG welded is beautiful.I cant say that for the
aluminum stick welds.I tried for quite a while to get a real good looking weld with those rods,and although they do work,its not really pretty.
I think they are more meant for jobs when theres no TIG machine around.
But like i said,they do work.....Good luck.....Digger2

 

[rpoage]

Welding of non-ferrous materials (Alum, Mag, ect.) requires gas shielding (argon)to reduce weld contamination. This means MIG and TIG. A lot of fun but your buy in for equipment will not be cheap. Also Alum construction requires good engineering as fatigue cracking in areas with a lot of flex is not uncommon.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Those aluminum rods also have to be run on DC, I think DC- so if your machineis not capable of DC welding and is an AC machine only then you're out of luck.
I have also heard it is difficult and not pretty to weld with.

 

[firedog]

There is an aluminum stick electrode that does not require gas sheilding.
The Lincoln # is E4043, it requires a DC machine. (DC+)(TSC should carry them)

Like Digger2 said, it takes some getting used to.

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[skippy957]

A DC machine will weld aluminum but it wont be as good as a MIG or TIG.
Those MIG or TIG welders are equip with high frequency devise inside that minimize the contamination of oxidation during the welding process.
Forget the ac/dc welder and go with MIG equip with a push/pull gun on it or go see a shop.
It is hard to weld aluminum without cracks or bad finish with a ac/dc welder.

 

[rpoage]

If I was building a tractor cab I would use a steel substructure (1" x 1" sq tubing?) and attach alum sheet, diamond plate or fiberglass using mechanical fasteners. Easy to do and durable. IMO

 

[escavader]

Well,thanks all you answered my question.Looks like ill stay steel,since i have an ac welder,and want to do it myself.The planning continues

 

[DieselPower]

It's a shame you don't have a MIG welder. All you would need is another tank and a spool of aluminum wire.

 

[RonMar]

Even a small MIG can do aluminum. The 6000 series alloys weld well, with the right wire and a little weld area pre-heat. You have to be aware of the weaknesses incured by welding in your design. 6061 T6 yields at around 45000 PSI. When you weld it, you remove the temper in the weld area and that area is only around 1/3 as strong, unless you re-heat treat the entire structure(big oven, lots of hours). Unless weight is absolutely critical, I would stay with steel, especialy since you already have the tools for it...