Hey guys, I am kind of new to welding. I took a class and they did a ton of ss and different types of stainless. Well the shop that my friends and I have all threw in and bought a miller syncrowave 200. It works amazing and were really getting some good experience. Now I am doing an intercooler project for a buddy and am trying to figure out the best way to prep aluminum. The only way I get a decent bead is going over it with a wire brush very abrasive. I am going to get some acetone after work should that basically do it? I do not like scarring the metal to get a nice bead laid. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

a dedicated stainless wire brush and acetone or Citriclean

 

Acetone works well, just wear gloves when you use it. Acetone will absorb straight through your skin and mess with your internal organs.

 

if the metal doesn't have a visible oxidation on it, just a quick wipe with a clean rag with a tab of acetone and weld away. If it is oxidized/has a mill scale finish you need to clean it off with a belt sander/DA with dedicated abrasives for aluminum. I don't use a brush on stainless unless I **** up and dip the tungsten and then its just to wipe off the black **** I just made.

Playing with the cleaning action of the welder, A/C frequency and learning to weld aluminum has more effect on running a good bead than scraping the **** out of it with a wire brush.

Tungsten type and size play a bit of a factor too depending what your using. Also, if you dip your tungsten AT ALL, you have to stop and prep the tungsten again. Run enough post flow to keep the tungsten from oxidizing as well... aluminum makes a lot of heat.


Post some pictures of the troubled weld and we can help you out a little more.

 

Don't forget your gas, you using Argon? The angle and position you use will affect the weld also, there's a lot of factors so I takes practice practice practice!