shock absorber bracket

[Brad93]

There’s no use for a grinding stone on aluminium unless you’re removing crap welds...

 

[123hotchef]

They are rubbish

ha ha

 

[123hotchef]

Thanks Brad i have miller dynasty 200 dx tig plate is only 3 mm thick, esab have replied saying use 4043

https://www.rapidwelding.com/dynamic/Category.aspx?c=4043A&o=0&zl=3&sq=14

 

[Dcal]

@Richard. Which repair are you referring to?

 

[Brad93]

https://www.rapidwelding.com/dynamic/Category.aspx?c=4043A&o=0&zl=3&sq=14

Don't buy from rapid unless you specifically quote Lincoln or ESAB. They send you Sif crap.

 

[Richard.]

There’s no use for a grinding stone on aluminium unless you’re removing crap welds...

He ground the weld flush so the patch would sit on top
There are better choices of abrasive yes but the general job wasn’t bad at all

 

[123hotchef]

Don't buy from rapid unless you specifically quote Lincoln or ESAB. They send you Sif crap.

they sent me bohler whats wrong with the sif carp

 

[Brad93]

they sent me bohler whats wrong with the sif carp

No proper certs with any of it. I ordered a few of the more obscure alloys and got sif crap through. Luckily it’s only for repair work.

 

[123hotchef]

No proper certs with any of it. I ordered a few of the more obscure alloys and got sif crap through. Luckily it’s only for repair work.

huh does it weld ok or shall i avoid then

 

[Brad93]

The end result looked ‘okay’

But if you look at what the guy actually did and then covered over:
Craters. Undercut. What looks like some abomination of a weave.

 

[stuvy]

Is that the same as too cold a mig weld @Brad93

 

[Brad93]

huh does it weld ok or shall i avoid then

Bohler will be fine mate it’s good stuff

 

[Brad93]

Is that the same as too cold a mig weld @Brad93

No you don’t get that issue so much with tig if done properly because you watch the parent material melt before you add the filler.
That’s purely a set of ultimate weld strength and quality discontinuities.

 

[123hotchef]

cool thanks

 

[morssdn]

This thread is some coincidence; just been watching a series on YouTube with a Yank who buys salvaged cars and fixes them - guess what he has an R8 with a cracked suspension mount that he has tig-repaired.
I’d not be buying one of these cars, personally.

Edit ah it’s the same story as brad’s post

 

[mechman]

Just watched that vid, astounded at the accuracy and the precision of everything. NOT. (The lord save us).

 

[Dcal]

I'm in the @Brad93 and @mechman camp, but are we all talking about the same repair? (I'm referring to the Yank vid above)

I don't mind being the stupid one here and freely admit I know nothing about welding aluminum, but I'm keen to learn and try to better understand the process.

This looks like a perfect opportunity where a "controversial" repair could be taken apart and the approach critiqued so us numpties could learn.
If that repair is acceptable there is hope for all of us and I'd have go, but I think it's a botch and the prep is suspect at best. If it's acceptable it a lot more forgiving a process then I'd imagined.
I'm maybe just thinking about this from a mild steel bodywork approach so If I've got the wrong of the stick and we are talking at cross purposes, apologies, but I'd still like to know what people with aluminum experience think of that yank repair.

 

[stuvy]

He’s an idiot that did more damage then good

Where do you start, a side ways pull on an axle stand.... what the f... is he trying to test his steel toe caps out

 

[Slowcoach]

I blame Audi for being donuts.

 

[jimbo84]

It’s a bad state of affairs if you’ve bought an R8 at however much they cost and are then having to spend another 20 grand or so on repairing the thing ten years down the line.