Aluminum gas welding material

[TownsendsFJR1300]

While searching the internet for aluminum welding supplies I located this site which looked pretty interesting... The only thing I currently cannot weld is aluminum due to lack of a TIG machine. I do have a MIG machine however I understand the softness of the aluminum wire does not fare well with a spool MIG machine. This material aparently allows you to gas weld aluminum with their rods with much better precision. Does anyone have any experiance with this product? TIA.

https://www.aluminumrepair.com/faqs.asp

 

[Checkswrecks]

While searching the internet for aluminum welding supplies I located this site which looked pretty interesting... The only thing I currently cannot weld is aluminum due to lack of a TIG machine. I do have a MIG machine however I understand the softness of the aluminum wire does not fare well with a spool MIG machine. This material aparently allows you to gas weld aluminum with their rods with much better precision. Does anyone have any experiance with this product? TIA.
https://www.aluminumrepair.com/faqs.asp

I've used some and seen them and their competitors for years at trade and airplane shows and they have their pros & cons.

First, it's really a brazing rod, not a welding rod. For the long continuous seam along the edge of a light airplane fuel tank they are not only an unapproved material, the seam will re-crack. The puddle will have an edge with a different hardness than the parent material, so you do have to be concerned with vibration & fatigue. I don't remember if HTS does, but some of these products use a flux that is really corrosive.

That said, if you're careful about the application, clean REALLY well before and after use, paint or clearcoat to keep out moisture that can enhance corrosion, and aren't risking a life on the results (I personally wouldn't make a fuel tank), the stuff can be really useful for instrument frames, making brackets, and other odds & ends.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

While searching the internet for aluminum welding supplies I located this site which looked pretty interesting... The only thing I currently cannot weld is aluminum due to lack of a TIG machine. I do have a MIG machine however I understand the softness of the aluminum wire does not fare well with a spool MIG machine. This material aparently allows you to gas weld aluminum with their rods with much better precision. Does anyone have any experiance with this product? TIA.
https://www.aluminumrepair.com/faqs.asp

I've used some and seen them and their competitors for years at trade and airplane shows and they have their pros & cons.

First, it's really a brazing rod, not a welding rod. For the long continuous seam along the edge of a light airplane fuel tank they are not only an unapproved material, the seam will re-crack. The puddle will have an edge with a different hardness than the parent material, so you do have to be concerned with vibration & fatigue. I don't remember if HTS does, but some of these products use a flux that is really corrosive.

That said, if you're careful about the application, clean REALLY well before and after use, paint or clearcoat to keep out moisture that can enhance corrosion, and aren't risking a life on the results (I personally wouldn't make a fuel tank), the stuff can be really useful for instrument frames, making brackets, and other odds & ends.

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Thanks, thats just what I needed to know....

 

[scubabiker]

I bought a similar product at a bike show a few years ago. They do a demonstration where they fill a hole in the bottom of a soda can. That's a lot easier than some real projects. It does work, but I would strongly recommend practicing on some scrap before attempting something important. The results don't look anywhere near as good as the bead you can lay down with a TIG, but it's a whole lot cheaper to buy and much more portable. Good for small repairs. Anything large takes a lot of heat to get it to flow and is tough to get consistency.

 

[johnny80s]

Here is a cheap tig

Clicky

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

I bought a similar product at a bike show a few years ago. They do a demonstration where they fill a hole in the bottom of a soda can. That's a lot easier than some real projects. It does work, but I would strongly recommend practicing on some scrap before attempting something important. The results don't look anywhere near as good as the bead you can lay down with a TIG, but it's a whole lot cheaper to buy and much more portable. Good for small repairs. Anything large takes a lot of heat to get it to flow and is tough to get consistency.

I agree with your assessment. Yes, it works -- but, IME, the typical user is not nearly as proficient as the demonstrator/seller. And often in the field (M/C repair) the cleanliness of the area is suspect as well as porous (and, the heat thing you mentioned) -- all conspire against a good weld.

It reminds of the glass cutting demonstrations (at a fair) -- to sell glass cutters. You'd be hard-put, at home, to replicate the successes of the demonstrator/seller.