What do you pro's use to clean this **** up? I've had issues with it recently, even when I prep it there still seems to be contamination that my welder pulls out. It pisses me off. And this is new sheet aluminum.

Also, what about something like an aluminum oil pan? Something that spends the majority of it's life essentially covered in contaminates. I welded a bung on the front of my oil pan after cleaning it heavily with acid and a parts washer then using scotch brite and acetone on the area where the bung was to go. I got it welded but it kept pulling contaminates out and made the weld not very visually pleasing. lol.

And the next part. What do you guys use for cutting aluminum and SS pipe with a chop saw? SS piping wears the $10 chop saw wheels out QUICK! lol. Aluminum isn't rough on the blades (using different wheels for the materials) but I always have to spend a lot of time with a grinder smoothing the inside of the piping back out.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

I use a normal "wood cutting" blade for cutting aluminum. Might not be designed for it, but it works well and there is almost zero cleanup. You must make sure you keep the material stable though. Binding can throw/crush things pretty quick.

 

Even with all the cleaning on the oil pan you will have the surface clean but as soon as it heats up contaminates will come out of the metal.

 

Balance settings are key when welding dirty aluminum... I always get these dudes coming in to have me weld old crappy stuff, it sucks lol.

 

Have you tried running a few cleaning passes over the area on castings before you weld it? That has always worked pretty well for me...

 

i'm assuming that your $10 cutoff wheel is a friction blade??? get rid of it, what you want is a toothed blade to do this, cause the friction blade is throwing all kinds of dust and contaminating everything, leaving a very dirty surface, and when the heat is applied to the aluminum, its practically melts in the contaminates, kind of like heat treating...also, make sure that what you are using (IE, sand paper, scotch brite, etc.) on your aluminum, you are only using on aluminum. use something else on your steel and other materials

 

See I figured that, but was hoping you guys who have been doing this longer had any tips to help with that?

PFI,

I have a Diversion 180 so I don't have any balance settings.

Sobe_Death,

I'll try that to see if that helps.

That-guy,

I am using a friction blade, any particular toothed blade you recommend? I do use different pieces of scotch brite, sanding disc, etc for the different materials. I try not to cross contaminate that stuff.

Thanks guys

 

i just recently picked this up (link is in the thread) works great. if you can find a blade like this for your chop saw than you would be in the money, but the speed and such of this chop saw is amazing. best money i have spent for fab equipment yet

 

As was suggested, if you cannot adjust the AC balance, you're going have to do something to burn the contaminants out of the oil soaked cast aluminum.

I had a diversion 165 and had a lot of trouble on cast AL. As was stated, i did a few passes with no filler surrounding the area of the bung (or w/e you're welding). Heat it up just enough to where you can watch and smell it burning out of the metal. I would burn it out, sand blast, burn, sandblast, wire brush, acetone and it'll weld just like normal. If you have an oxy torch it would be even better. Its prolly the gayest thing to prep ever for sure.

 

I had no issues welding cast with a Diversion 165, I just clean the part in a parts washer, spray it with brake clean and let it dry, take a 3m green pad to the area to smooth it out then I make my pass with low amps and just sit there till the part heats up to allow it to cover better before I start moving, if you use a high amps you will melt deeper bringing up the contaminants to the surface of your weld.

 

sometimes u just cant clean it all the way. ive had times where it was so bad ive had to go back over it with a carbide and grind the bird **** away and take another 2 or 3 go's at it before i was able to get a somewhat clean bead on bungs going onto valve covers or oil pans. i use a dry cut saw which uses a 72 tooth blade. when its new or freshly sharpened it leaves machined cuts and no additional clean up of the cut site is necessary.


mike

 

Absolutely under no circumstances should you use brake-clean as a cleaning chemical for welding. Welding over a brake cleaned surface can create enough chlorine gas to really ruin your day. (or week, month, etc)

 

I dunno, I use brake clean cause it will quickly take away the parts washer solution and dry quick, I usually wipe down with acetone, but Im still here breathing and living, im sure the particles flying off my plasma table mixing with exhaust from the cars on the dyno were way worse to me

 

when i use brake clean i make sure that **** is all gone before i weld and evern then i hold my breath and move away before i take another breath. i was told not to **** with brake clean and tig welding along time ago.


mike

 

It's only the chlorinated brake cleaners that will do this. Non-chloro ones won't, but you still really should use straight acetone to clean parts before welding.

 

Acetone is definitely the best choice. It's easier to blanket all brake clean into a group and say "don't use that" than try to explain the non-chlorinated is ok.

 

I hear ya, I always saw it as Green means go, red means stop when it comes to welding with brake clean. But like you said, better safe than sorry, I only use Acetone when it comes to welding.