Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
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Honda-Tech Member
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From: honky in, nc, usa
Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
Like the title says, what is the best technique for welding thin wall aluminum? What size tungsten, amps, filler, bevel /no-bevel, all at once or let it cool-little bit at a time?
This is for my charge piping BTW.
Thanks for your time!
The search on H-T is for **** since they changed to v-bulletin!
This is for my charge piping BTW.
Thanks for your time!
The search on H-T is for **** since they changed to v-bulletin!
OG Fabricator
Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Re: Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
Tungsten should be zirconiated regardless of machine, my second choice would be lanthanated. You are going to be using about 75amps give or take(with good fit-up),
so you will need a 1/16" tungsten if you have an inverter, or 3/32" for older machines.
Filler rod should be 1/16" in diameter, either 4043 or 5356 will work.
I bevel the tubing just slightly, and weld it all at once.
so you will need a 1/16" tungsten if you have an inverter, or 3/32" for older machines.
Filler rod should be 1/16" in diameter, either 4043 or 5356 will work.
I bevel the tubing just slightly, and weld it all at once.
Honda-Tech Member
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From: ME
Re: Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
I just fit it up nice and tight and fuse it in 4 places around the tube and weld the whole thing. No bevel and 3/32, 2% thoriated tungsten in an inverter machine. I sharpen it and truncate the tip to about 1/32 wide. I leave the machine around 100 but I'm not really sure what I actually use for amperage, maybe 60 to start and 45 once it's heat soaked. I usually use 1/8" filler on 16g aluminum but smaller is fine too.
OG Fabricator
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From: Saint Helens, OR, USA
Re: Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
The miller tig welder/rep demonstrating their dynasty 350s at SEMA told us 2% ceriated orange. I'll be damned if I can tell a difference between ceriated and thoriated though. Our guys prefer 2% lanthanated, but we've never tried zirc.
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Honda-Tech Member
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From: Somewhere in, CT
Re: Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
I use a 1/16" red tungsten and just round the edge of it. I use 5356 1/16" filler, butt weld with no bevel. I set my machine at 115amps but I dont know what it is actually as I vary my pedal as the piece heatsoaks.
OG Fabricator
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From: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Re: Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
The smaller filler takes less amperage to melt, and less time. This in turn limits heat input, and increases travel speed. Consider the weld is the weakest portion in an aluminum project, so affecting the smallest amount of aluminum is beneficial.
Thoriated is fine, but why take the health risk? The ceriated is good, lanthanated works really well, and zirconiated works really well also.
The smallest ripples possible applies to all metals despite some trying for big ripples on aluminum.
All that said, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Thoriated is fine, but why take the health risk? The ceriated is good, lanthanated works really well, and zirconiated works really well also.
The smallest ripples possible applies to all metals despite some trying for big ripples on aluminum.
All that said, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: West Kingston, RI
Re: Best technique for welding 16-14 Ga. aluminum?
I use thoriated for everything, the health risks are pretty minimal in reality. I posted this before, took it off another forum:
Personally on 14-16ga aluminium tube on my old *** transformer machine, I set the dial at ~150 amps but probably weld a lot closer to 100 or so, no bevel, 3/32 5356 filler and do as much as I can in one run until it starts to get too hot. Can't make those nice tight beads like you guys with the inverters though
Thoriated tungsten measurement is in microrads.
So to Clarify smoking =8000 milirads
Thoriated tungsen =1600microrads
Here are a few stats to compare it to
8000 milirads = 8 rads
1600 microrads = .0016 rads
1 rad = 1 rem
Comparative risk exposure estimated days of life lost
20% overweight 985 days
Average alcohol consumption 130 days
Occupational radiation exposure@
5.0 rem/year 32 days
0.5 rem/year 3 days
0.0016/year 6.912 minutes
Therefore if you worked with Thoriated Tungsten for 45 years 5 days a week, 8 hours a day you would loose 5.18 hrs off your life.
This is assuming all appropriate precations are taken.
Reference for the data here (accept Thoriated Tungsten, I had to calculate the dose rate myself)is
THE LOS ALAMOS RADIATION MONITORING NOTEBOOK
So to Clarify smoking =8000 milirads
Thoriated tungsen =1600microrads
Here are a few stats to compare it to
8000 milirads = 8 rads
1600 microrads = .0016 rads
1 rad = 1 rem
Comparative risk exposure estimated days of life lost
20% overweight 985 days
Average alcohol consumption 130 days
Occupational radiation exposure@
5.0 rem/year 32 days
0.5 rem/year 3 days
0.0016/year 6.912 minutes
Therefore if you worked with Thoriated Tungsten for 45 years 5 days a week, 8 hours a day you would loose 5.18 hrs off your life.
This is assuming all appropriate precations are taken.
Reference for the data here (accept Thoriated Tungsten, I had to calculate the dose rate myself)is
THE LOS ALAMOS RADIATION MONITORING NOTEBOOK
Personally on 14-16ga aluminium tube on my old *** transformer machine, I set the dial at ~150 amps but probably weld a lot closer to 100 or so, no bevel, 3/32 5356 filler and do as much as I can in one run until it starts to get too hot. Can't make those nice tight beads like you guys with the inverters though
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