christofloffer
if it says 'dont', then it must be fun!
- Messages
- 64
- Location
- shropshire, UK
hi guys,
so i have been playing with an aluminium set up on my mig. some major flaws have presented themselves. in that its a fairly basic welder and the settings are switches and not dials so fine tuning is very limited. i made a chair from an old damaged brewing barrel i was given. it has done the job in that its stuck together and has withstood me jumping on the weld and dropping it off a wall.
its far from tidy though. its very thick stuff so i know full well that is hasnt penetrated right through as it is about 12mm thick at the join. its just stuck on at the edge, but its just a chair for the garden and was more of a project to experiment than anything else.
i did have a play with one of the bits of scrap and got to messing with the settings. the plate was about 6mm and in the end i had got it sussed that i was getting a nice bulge on the other side . the top was not pretty but i guess thats got a lot to do with technique and the grade of ally.
i realised quickly that i needed to move really quick, and one or two bits came out nicely folded and neat. however i was going to try some thinner stuff, about 1-2mm pipe. i am aware that this is not where a mig welder should be. like i said, its experiments to get an idea of how the metal reacts.
i managed a few quick runs on a bit of thin scrap and it was riddles with holes. i did get one or two joins without destroying it but they didnt hold up to the hammer. i was doing it electrode positive, as negative seemed to just ball up the wire and fall uselessly away. using pure argon at 14lpm.
any advice on getting a joint without blowing it to pieces?
or any other advice on where the mig would be best with this set up? or other experiments to try?
specialist metals are where i am aiming so i want to get as much experience with things as i can. even if its failed experiments its still time with the materials. still got most of a bottle and loads of wire so plent to mess with.
so i have been playing with an aluminium set up on my mig. some major flaws have presented themselves. in that its a fairly basic welder and the settings are switches and not dials so fine tuning is very limited. i made a chair from an old damaged brewing barrel i was given. it has done the job in that its stuck together and has withstood me jumping on the weld and dropping it off a wall.
its far from tidy though. its very thick stuff so i know full well that is hasnt penetrated right through as it is about 12mm thick at the join. its just stuck on at the edge, but its just a chair for the garden and was more of a project to experiment than anything else.
i did have a play with one of the bits of scrap and got to messing with the settings. the plate was about 6mm and in the end i had got it sussed that i was getting a nice bulge on the other side . the top was not pretty but i guess thats got a lot to do with technique and the grade of ally.
i realised quickly that i needed to move really quick, and one or two bits came out nicely folded and neat. however i was going to try some thinner stuff, about 1-2mm pipe. i am aware that this is not where a mig welder should be. like i said, its experiments to get an idea of how the metal reacts.
i managed a few quick runs on a bit of thin scrap and it was riddles with holes. i did get one or two joins without destroying it but they didnt hold up to the hammer. i was doing it electrode positive, as negative seemed to just ball up the wire and fall uselessly away. using pure argon at 14lpm.
any advice on getting a joint without blowing it to pieces?
or any other advice on where the mig would be best with this set up? or other experiments to try?
specialist metals are where i am aiming so i want to get as much experience with things as i can. even if its failed experiments its still time with the materials. still got most of a bottle and loads of wire so plent to mess with.