Tacking Aluminium, will it work?

[HasBean]

Got home tonight to find my coldframe and the 20 odd trays of plants face down and squished
Wife reckoned it was the wind but it's died down overnight and tell tail signs of paw prints in the debris show (I think) that the new cat on the block (that's dug up and sh*t everywhere in my garden) has pulled it away from the wall trying to get to the bird feeder.

I shall have speaks with aforementioned moggy in due course

Back to the point, the crappy little clips that hold the frame together are kaput so after straightening things out how can I reassemble it?
It's about 1mm aluminium extrusion with a corrugated plastic as glass.
Can't use thin strips of aluminium and self tappers, haven't got AC tig and reckon mig would be too much for the alloy & plastic windows.

Would it be feasible to tack weld the joints using scratch start TIG on DC (+ or -) using a bit of alloy MIG wire for filler if required and using a disposable bottle of argon.
Reckon TIG would be less vicious and less likely to melt the plastic but any suggestions gratefully received.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[Drains]

Theoretically (no, i've never tried), you can tig ally on dc, electrode positive, but you need a whacking great electrode, as a normal 1.6, 2.5 etc will burn out in seconds. Forget electrode neg, as you've no cleaning action.

Also though, tig is hotter than mig, generally.

Can you not find a mechanical solution?

 

[snowcat]

I would say No, you would stand more chance of gas welding it than D/C ,and another burning issue is the frame is proberbly a nasty casting rather than proper Aluminium..

 

[Welderpaul]

Can you not find a mechanical solution?

mmm. What he said
Pop rivet/self tappers to fix a bracket on the joints?
Post a picture?

 

[HasBean]

Mmm, as it's extrusion and the angles involved are a bit odd at the best of times it'd be difficult to find a way to add brackets as the clamps grip the inside of the extrusions and if it were riveted/screwed it would need very small fixings not to interfere with the workings (yeah I know it's difficult to visulise without pics but I know what I mean )

 

[HasBean]

Some thin alloy strip made into brackets would do but fixing it is the problem as they'd be under tension (uneven floor, twisting etc)

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

could it be soldered?

Regards
Peter

 

[HasBean]

Soldering would be ideal but what solder/flux would I use?

 

[rtbcomp]

Soldering would be ideal but what solder/flux would I use?

Do a Google on "Aluminium Solder". It's basically silver solder with an aggressive flux. Expensive though.