selecting the right rod for aluminum and steel fence fabrication also right amperage

My dad just purchase a lincoln 225 arc welder and I would like to know what rod we need to weld those square pipes sold at homedepot they're about 1" and hollow inside and we plan to stick em to a 2" side bar with the same thickness.

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for steel, I would choose a 6011 rod. probably 3/32 diameter because the wall thickness on what you describe is probably only about .063"

for aluminum, unless you have done quite a bit of stick welding, its gonna be a lot more difficult than the steel.
I would recommend going to a local welding supply and buying a small qty of aluminum stick rod and give them a try before you jump into anything.

Aluminum Wheel Troubles

by Vince Bunting
(Long Beach, CA USA)

Wheel Mounting Face

Hey Jody.. .First off your site is amazing and I can't tell you how much I've learned or how many hours I've spent reading material on this site. I have an unusual aluminum wheel off a late model Mercedes. This wheel has been through the unfortunate event of almost falling off due to striped threads in the hub. The face where the wheel mounts is all banged up with some deep gouges. The only person who is willing to sell me a rim wants $4,000 for it. Soooo. . .I'm going to try and repair it. My plan is to pre-heat it in an oven to around 400 degrees and weld it with a argon/helium blend.

1st: I have no idea what type of aluminum this is. . .what filler rod would you recommend? I have to build up the face and then machine it.

2nd: Is there any advantage to blending your own argon/helium mix as you do in your shop. I have used a pre-mixed blend to great effect before but am curious if a larger helium to argon ratio would increase my penetration. I have read somewhere that automated welders sometimes use straight helium for penetration. If there is an advantage to being able to play with the ratios this job would be a good time for me to invest in a new setup.

Thank you advance for any tips that will save my butt on this and for your willingness to share your craft with others!!!

Vinny

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Vinny,

a 200 f preheat will do.

I dont mix my own helium to get a certain percentage. Sometimes I use straight helium on aluminum...its rare and the aluminum has to be ultra clean. But thats why I mix .

you could get a cylinder of 50/50 or 80% helium and be just fine.

a way to get an idea of the alloy is to puddle a small area.

if you see a green tint on clean metal, it might be an aluminum alloyed with magnesium...

more thank likely, its a silicon alloyed aluminum casting and can be welded with 4043.

Aluminum Welding

Having trouble Viewing this aluminum Welding Video? Click here to watch it at Welding-TV.com

When you click the image below, and then add a tig finger to the shopping cart, you will see a product in your cart called "Aluminum Welding with The Tig Finger" with a price of $0.00.Thats because This Video is a free download when you buy a tig finger.

What is The "Aluminum Welding Drill"?

Its a practice drill ...and its a way to get better at tig welding aluminum as well as steel...by welding a bunch of aluminum beads on a single piece of aluminum.

Will welding aluminum will improve your overall tig welding technique? ...even on stainless steel and carbon steel?

I Say it definitely will.

I am sure I will get a few emails disagreeing with me on that, but I dont care.

Aluminum pretty much exaggerates everything that happens when tig welding steel. Arc length and angle have more effect than on steel, touching the electrode to the puddle makes a lot more difference than on steel, varying amperage using the foot pedal is harder, the puddle characteristics change more quickly due to conductivity, even gas flow rates require more care.

In short, after mastering aluminum welding, steel becomes easier.

Tig welding aluminum is harder to learn than steel for most people so I dont advise doing this drill unless you have at least a few hours of arc time under your belt.But just as soon as you can lay down a good bead on steel, you are ready for this drill.

Here is the drill...

Using a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum about 3" by 8" give or take.

This is a way to get lots of arc time without being distracted by grinding, sanding, brushing , etc.

For the sake of this drill, only a wipe down with acetone or alcohol along with a quick wire brushing using a stainless steel brush is needed.

In fact, if the piece is fairly clean, you can just start welding without any prep at all.

So here is what you need for the drill...

1. a piece of .125" thick aluminum , 3003, 6061, 5052, 2024, or pretty much any grade....even grades not recommended for welding work ok for this practice drill.

2. some 1/16" and 3/32" aluminum filler rod.

3. a #5 or #6 tig cup and 12-15 cfh of argon flow, and a 3/32" 2% thoriated electrode

try all kinds of different techniques....

short arc, long arc, tapered electrode, rounded electrode, make tight ripples by adding filler rod frequently , make a loose rippled stack of dimes bead by spacing the ripples about 1/8", try different torch angles, try small rods and big rods, stack beads on top of beads, weld backwards, weld forwards, try some weave beads, try pulsing with the foot pedal, try using the pulse function and dial in some good settings for future use.

Another thing to do is pay close attention to how the bead looks when the piece of aluminum gets too hot.

When the bead starts to look grainy, it means the solidification rate is too slow ...if the ripples begin to disappear, thats also an indicator that it is time to let the thing cool before welding more.

A small piece of aluminum like this heats up quickly. After one bead, the whole thing is pretty warm.

There is no time spent cleaning beads and while welding bead after bead is good for getting practice, its not good practice if it welds like solder.

You have to stop and let cool. In fact, its good to have a bucket of water next to your welding table and just give the piece a quick dunk every few beads, leaving it warm to the touch so water evaporates quickly for welding.

here are some more tips for doing this aluminum welding drill...

? weld around the very edge first using the 1/16" rod.

? change hands and weld left handed often.

? try different electrode prep,...use a tapered electrode vs a rounded point

? experiment with tig settings. like ac balance and frequency

? experiment with pulse settings or even pulse manually with the foot pedal

? let cool or dunk in water every 3 or 4 beads.

? try welding backwards to build up beads on top of other beads

? Get a TIG Finger.

When you click the image below, and then add a tig finger to the shopping cart, you will see a product in your cart called "Aluminum Welding with The Tig Finger" with a price of $0.00.Thats because its a free download when you buy a tig finger.

Learn More about the TIG Finger here