Ok, so I got some money for X-mas gift and I'm thinking of getting a TIG welder (a used and cheap one) its a Kemppi Ekatig 160HF (Well atleast one of the options I'm looking at). but its DC, now I'm thinking maybe some aluminium would be nice to weld, so is it 100% so that you cannot weld aluminium with a DC tig?

 

aluminum needs a lot of cleaning action and thats what the positive / negative pulses of the AC help it acheive. DC can't do this, while i have a feeling there would still be some sort of welding going on, it would be a nightmare for sure.

my only idea would be if you cleaned the aluminum right before welding it with a grinder perhaps it wouldn't oxidise and you wouldn't need the cleaning action of aluminum?

i have no idea though dude, just save your pennies for a good tig it will be worth ti down the road

 

aluminum starts oxidizing in less than fractions of a second after you clean it, so even that wont help much.

 

http://www.millermotorsports.c...minum

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dfoxengr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">aluminum starts oxidizing in less than fractions of a second after you clean it, so even that wont help much.</TD></TR></TABLE>

do you always have to have an answer thats not relavtive to what the OP asked? We know you got your degree...now come back down to earth.

OP,
If you can change your AC balance...you can set it to etch more than penetrate. This means it will "clean". Odixized aluminum has a higher melting point than plain *** aluminum. The thicker the oxidized aluminum "coating" the more you notice that your aluminum will melt underneath but the oxidized aluminum wont. making it difficult to weld. Your etch on your welder will "break up" the oxidized layer...then your penetrate will melt the aluminum. the amount of time (duty cycle) of these two current processes is adjustable (miller sync200) the duty cycle is called "balance" in welding lingo.

No...you cant weld aluminum with dc...get a welding machine that does AC as well.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eric@HorsepowerFreaks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

do you always have to have an answer thats not relavtive to what the OP asked? We know you got your degree...now come back down to earth.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Man...that's beat...and on Christmas eve and all

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eric@HorsepowerFreaks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">OP,
If you can change your AC balance...you can set it to etch more than penetrate. This means it will "clean". Odixized aluminum has a higher melting point than plain *** aluminum. The thicker the oxidized aluminum "coating" the more you notice that your aluminum will melt underneath but the oxidized aluminum wont. making it difficult to weld. Your etch on your welder will "break up" the oxidized layer...then your penetrate will melt the aluminum. the amount of time (duty cycle) of these two current processes is adjustable (miller sync200) the duty cycle is called "balance" in welding lingo.

No...you cant weld aluminum with dc...get a welding machine that does AC as well.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This is absolutely a wonderful answer

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eric@HorsepowerFreaks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

No...you cant weld aluminum with dc.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not True at all.

 

Must I repost the link

Hawk and Engloid in the same thread

 

I can live without welding aluminum, but it would of been a nice addition. However as with other things in life, my funds towards a tig are also limited, I got about 1000euros to spend as a christmas gift, and I dont think I'd want to spend it all on a tig machine, although I am looking at used machines, AC machines are roughly double the DC machines are.

 

for all intensive purposes you cant compress a fluid.

Just like in this case...you can't weld it with DC.

BUT if you want to be a sarcastic *******...then yes you can. But not without the joints being preped in caustic solution prior to welding. And running straight helium for a shielding gas. So unless you have caustic solution and have an extra tank of Helium...then NO YOU CANT WELD IT WITH DC.

 

i dont know why you have to act that way, when i wasnt trying to be rude to anyone. and getting mad because i goto college, thats stupid.

do all posts in every thread have to be relavant to OPs ? or can i not go on a tangent and respond back to another post, lol? youre mistaken.

actually im still in school
get off the horse, i want trying to show anyone up. just spread some useful info that people might find helpful.
oh and i learned that from an old welder, not in one of my ME classes. thanks
and great attitude.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eric@HorsepowerFreaks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">for all intensive purposes you cant compress a fluid.

Just like in this case...you can't weld it with DC.

BUT if you want to be a sarcastic *******...then yes you can. But not without the joints being preped in caustic solution prior to welding. And running straight helium for a shielding gas. So unless you have caustic solution and have an extra tank of Helium...then NO YOU CANT WELD IT WITH DC.</TD></TR></TABLE>

What are you talking about? you or anyone else CAN weld it DC and it works great and has some advantages over AC. Obviously you need to get the right supplies.
Its like telling someone they cant cut steel with a jig saw because it has a 12tpi wood blade in it...swap out a fine tooth bimetal and you can cut it.

It has nothing to do with being sarcastic or an ******* It works great and is done all the time, espicailly when you need lots of penetration or need to work fast.

 

Aluminum does oxidize nearly seconds after you clean it. But if you've ever welded aluminum...you would know that if you clean it prior to welding...its MUCH more effective than not cleaning at all. Which goes to say how thick...or to what degree of oxidization has occured. So your reply was "non-relevant" in that it does not actually serve purpose in this thread.

B.S. in Applied Physics and Mathematics

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bailhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


What are you talking about? you or anyone else CAN weld it DC and it works great and has some advantages over AC. Obviously you need to get the right supplies.
Its like telling someone they cant cut steel with a jig saw because it has a 12tpi wood blade in it...swap out a fine tooth bimetal and you can cut it.

It has nothing to do with being sarcastic or an ******* It works great and is done all the time, espicailly when you need lots of penetration or need to work fast.</TD></TR></TABLE>

point taken.

OP was asking if he could weld aluminum with dc with his offbrand tig welder under the impression that HE thinks that you're telling him....turn machine to DC and weld.

thats why I said...for all intensive purposes...YOU cannot weld aluminum w/dc.

See my point? I see yours.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eric@HorsepowerFreaks &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

point taken.

OP was asking if he could weld aluminum with dc with his offbrand tig welder under the impression that HE thinks that you're telling him....turn machine to DC and weld.

thats why I said...for all intensive purposes...YOU cannot weld aluminum w/dc.

See my point? I see yours. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Ya, i see where you are going but especially when you are talking to someone that is new to TIG like the OP, a blanket anwser of "NO" is really not very helpfull and certinally isn't true as you know. For all we know he might be awesome at DC welding aluminum with a little practice (and the right accessories). Personally I thought AC welding aluminum was ******* hard after doing steel, some people have the opposite experiance. I dont know, im not the most constructive poster all the time either, but your original post sucked

I think the best anwser is going to layout what the costs are of getting setup each way, the practicality, the capabilitys and the desires of the OP. Chances are that AC is the going to be much more sucesfull for him but he already said the cost is prohibitive so who knows, maybe helium is super cheap where he lives or his dad owns a ballon store or something....

 

Dont get me wrong, I have _some_ experience in tig, but mostly done stuff with MIG, OXY-ACE and some stick too, because we have limited facilities over at the motorsports institute for tig.

I'm just trying to keep costs to a certain level, I could blow it all on a DC/AC tig, but theres so much other things I have to consider aswell. Now if I can (with practice and right gas) weld somewhat aluminium parts, then I'll be happy with it. But it really narrows down to funding. An used DC tig goes for 400-600euros, an used AC tig goes for 1000+euros, closer to 1500, so its 3x the price for one.

As for the welder, I'm not looking at those crappy ebay welders from china, I'm going for Kemppi/Esab/Wallius, all of which are major brands over here.

 

I've done it on DCEN, and for the short answer: yes you can do it, but you won't want to. I'd personally save up and delay your purchase til you're comfortable enough to purchase an AC/DC tig