URG8RB8

Paul:

Looks like you are getting better fast!
Those look very nice. The guy here at work made me a new 2" vacuum line today. I will attach some pics so you can see how clean the welds are on bigger pipe, quite remarkable with no cleaning before or after! We can go up to twice this diameter in 1/4" increments with the same results. For somebody that does a lot of tubing and or exhaust this thing is the bomb. Takes less than a minute per weld.

URG8RB8

Well I guess this site won't allow multiple pics from IPhone. Strange it shows the multiples attached, but after hitting submit, only one posts.

Paulyy

Thanks Eric!

Those welds are pretty much perfect joins! It would be good for exhausts, but not sure about pre turbo though.
I think people leave it like how i have done it because of the colour effect you get from the temperature from the TIG.

P.S try the rennlist app for iPhone.

URG8RB8

I have the app, not sure why it doesn't work. Yes, I see your point about the kind of titanium look. I think that is an acquired taste though, maybe for the younger generation. I should have taken some inside pics, they are so smooth you can run your finger nail across them and not feel the gap! That is without touching them after the weld. This is in Thailand as well, I have seen better in Germany and the States. Sometimes you can't spot the weld seem at all. You could make some really cool fuel rails with this and maybe some SS brake hard lines but might be heavy.

reno808

Thats pretty nice pauly

Lightningmcnulty

Who makes a half decent quality welder that will work on 110v that can weld aluminum?

I really don't want to spend over $1000 if I can help it, don't know if thats possible though?

thanks

Kim

fortysixandtwo

You can get spool guns for MIG welders, but I don't know if any of the 110V units have enough amperage to really be able to weld aluminum. I've tried with a mid grade Craftsman MIG machine, and it basically just made aluminum *****, that sometimes stuck to the base metal. We tried preheating too.

67King

There are two MIG alloys in aluminum. I think the most common is a 4XXX series, I forget the number. It will gum up a gun extrememly quickly. The other option, 5356, will feed through the gun quite well. However, it does not wet out at all, and makes really ugly welds.

All that said, just kind of an FYI on the whole thread - cutting wedges and welding together will not give you the same flow capabilities of a mandrel bent piece. It'll probably be better than crush, but if anyone is expecting similar flow to mandrel bent piece, you'll be disappointed. You'll get turbulence on the inside of the angle, which will create a slight vena contracta.

Paulyy

I just like the look and effort put into it. other then that, i wouldn't make my whole intake out of it as mentioned below that the flow properties isn't as good as a mandrel bend

Oh yes you'd be silly to run your fingers down a nice hot weld. But i think those welds would be something i'd want to use if i was trying to squeeze every little horsepower out of an engine.

Cheers mate!

My one was over 10k so to speak. Like i mentioned earlier it's a Lincoln Electric precision 375.

You need something that can weld in AC & DC to do aluminium and stainless steel. AC is for aluminium. And pulse also. Need to be capable of 100 amps to do small aluminium stuff, and 200+ amps to weld onto something 1 inch thick.

I agree here, it is not the same as a mandrel bend. it may look smooth inside but straight edge to straight edge, the air will just bounce off.

m73m95

There isn't much 110v that will do aluminum. A GOOD 110v mig will, but only 1/8" max and only for a few inches at a time.

Aluminum does not conduct electricity as well as steel, so you have to use higher amps, then you would with the same thickness of steel, to get the base material to melt. Most anything 110v just isn't powerful enough.

I've got a 140a Hobart (Made by miller) that will just barely do it. Full power I can get about 4 or 5 inches of weld before I trip the breaker in my garage

And then as 67King said, the proper aluminum wire is very soft. It will not feed from the machine all the way to the welding tip. A spool gun is almost a must. That's another several hundred dollar attachment to your welding rig. Then you need a special gas mix for aluminum, so add that on.

And then, even if you get all the stuff to make good strong welds in aluminum...you can't do it. Welding aluminum is extremely difficult. It doesn't get red before it melts. You have no idea if the temperature of the surrounding metal when you're welding. So, you'll be welding the most beautiful bead in the world....and all of a sudden a molten blob of aluminum drops to the floor and you're left with a hole the size of a golf ball in whatever you were trying to weld.

Its fun to play with (I've seen guys that can weld pop cans together), but don't think you (not you specifically...I mean anybody) can just start making good aluminum welds right off the bat.

Paulyy

Wouldn't it be better to use a TIG to weld aluminium?

m73m95

Yes, absolutely...I was just answering the question for using an inexpensive MIG someone asked about above.

Crazy Eddie

I am not a chemist nor a welder ... but I can tell you Aluminum is a way better conductor of electricity than steel ... It's almost as good as copper but because it oxidizes very quickly it will cause issues .... That's why they stopped using it houses for wiring, otherwise it's a great conductor ...
Just thought you would like to know
Regards
Ed

mclarenno9

It's all about getting the metal in question to liquify (obviously!). Aluminum is a great conductor of heat (high thermal conductivity), whereas something like stainless steel is not. That means the heat is transfered through and out of the material very quickly. This requires more amperage to maintain the puddle.

m73m95

Ahh, very good

Learn something new everyday. I thought the reason they used aluminum in home wiring was it was half the cost of copper...and *all* metal conducts electricity.

I know welding aluminum takes ~double the amps to weld vs the same thickness of steel.... But I was wrong on the reason why