Gas welding old thin ali (don't laugh) its not easy

[lotus 30]

just using my small porto pack system to see if i could weld (well join together) old thin ali 20gauge and 18 gauge. this is the result i have beaten seven bells out of it and it has not split. lost my large bottles now barcoding put a stop to that so just an experiment I have an old ali bodied car to repair the body is 60 years old a new one will cost 20 to 30k so it is well worth persisting with

 

[shed or dead]

Gotta admire anyone who takes on such a task, especially as you seem well aware what you are getting into!

More pics of the body please.

 

[lotus 30]

These are just practice i have not started on the car yet done the chassis which is posted under gas welding lotus eleven

Gotta admire anyone who takes on such a task, especially as you seem well aware what you are getting into!

More pics of the body please.

 

[Gareth0123]

When I was at college (35 years ago! )as part of my block release (Agricultural Engineering) apprenticeship, our welding tutor successfully welded in front of the 15 of us on my course, aluminium foil cake cups that came in boxes of Mr Kipling.............. not quite aluminium turkey foil from off a roll, but still very thin stuff when compared to what we were welding.

 

[lotus 30]

I would have to leave the cakes in there as a heat soak. LOL
I think i will get some thiner rods and see how that goes.
I am using some ray band reading/sunglasses to gas weld with but the flux flair is dificult to see through is there a mask to try as i wear glasses and i can't use goggles.

 

[Gareth0123]

I wear glasses...... reinforced prescription safety glasses with side and top guards when I am working and I have no problem with one piece welding googles, 2" lense pop-up goggles, or the 1 piece flip-up auto darken goggles (which I bought in an open unreserved auction on the bay for only 1p, yes 1p with free P&P from Hong Kong!) over my specs

 

[lotus 30]

I wear glasses...... reinforced prescription safety glasses with side and top guards when I am working and I have no problem with one piece welding googles, 2" lense pop-up goggles, or the 1 piece flip-up auto darken goggles (which I bought in an open unreserved auction on the bay for only 1p, yes 1p with free P&P from Hong Kong!) over my specs

Do they work with the ali flux flair as my mig welding helmet is to dark

 

[Paul.]

For gas welding aluminium you should look for proper gas welding goggles with lenses that are marked GWF, the "F" is for welding with flux and will reduce the flare, as there is no colour change when welding shade 3 will be dark enough for ally, darker ones 4's and 5's only needed for steel, copper etc, as in arc and mig welding, selection of the correct equipment makes all the difference, sunglasses....

 

[hotrodder]

Dunno if the lenses are replaceable or they're available to prescription but UVEX 9103 are clear safety specs with flip-up welding lenses which look like they might just be the regular 50mm round style. If that's the case you'd be able swap in whatever shade GWF lenses you fancy

Sellstrom make wrap around lab style glasses for oxy fuel and some people (Ron Fournier who sells 'em and IIRC some allmetalshaping members) rate them highly for welding ally. Whether they'd fit 'over' a pair of glasses i don't know but FWIW http://www.sellstrom.com/series-detail?xid=107

I've no idea what they're like but there's also a couple of options here http://www.plasmatech.co.uk/page/safety-glasses including clip ons. Some sources on the internetz claim cobalt blue (at least the traditional/old lenses) ain't safe and while it's good at cutting the glare from flux still doesn't give a very clear view of the weldpool. One of them is Kent White who sells his own lenses that are supposed to be the nuts and certainly appear to give an exceptionally clear view in the vid demos. Just don't ask what they cost!

 

[octo0072000]

i wear glasses and use the flip up type in the second picture no problems