ok im having a hell of a time welding my intercooler together . im trying to fit the end tanks to it but all i seemed to have learnd on aluminum dose not work .

ive practiced for hours and hours on 1/16 and 1/8 sheet and can thorw donw some very very nice beads .. took me a while but i got the rythem down . so now i tryed to move onto welding the intercooler tanks . and

the puddle dose not form like i would on sheet i had been practicing on - i know the intercooler is bigger and takes up a lot more heat . and i have upped the amps to compinsate for it . but then i just blow right trew - or dosnet form and the filler ***** up . the base gets lots of black soot on it , even tho i clean the **** out of it front and back , i also tried preheating and no luck say problem . puddle is unstable and crappy.

the welds i have gotten donw are less then perfect but will seal ( gonna paint it black so im not to worried on how it looks )

any one got tips on welding intercoolers ? what settings , hz , % ,
i have a thermal arc 185 inverter . is ther a diff method to adjusting the paramaters on an inverter as to a non inverting machine ? all the tips on aluminum have been for linclon pt 185 and the 180sd miller .
specs are

thermal arc 185 inverter
3/32 lanthenated blunt point
20cfm argon
8gas lens / cup

 

what are you using to clean the aluminum? what filler are you using? how thick is it, and what amperage are you running at?
Kyle

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blueoval557 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what are you using to clean the aluminum? what filler are you using? how thick is it, and what amperage are you running at?
Kyle</TD></TR></TABLE>

im using a scothc brite pad and acetone .. , 4xxx filler , and i set the machine for 150 way more but i can adjust it .. , its little less then 1/8 inch .

 

 

any tips

 

no tips .. how much amps should one be at when welding a intercooler .. 25x10x3 ..

 

Try filing ALL the brazing off the outside of the header plates around the area you are going to be welding, you can just file it with a fine file then clean with scotchbrite and acetone. You'll find most of your trouble will be the brazing material that is left on the header plates after the intercooler core is made is contaminating your weld and making life fun for you. Weld the backside of your cooler first, nobody will see it and you can work out your settings there, also make sure you're comfortable before you start it helps alot. Hope this helps you out .