Welding a tank connector to aluminium

[Retired]

Hi,

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/blown-my-welder-up.94007/

I too am pretty new to welding aluminium and wish you the best of luck. I was taught arc and gas welding 55 years ago and am now learning to TIG aluminium; TIG welding isn't easy and it's expensive. I don't wish to put you off or to discourage you in any way but I agree fully with slim in #5 what you are planning to do is very ambitious because you're in for a ballistic learning curve if you've never welded before.

Please keep us informed.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[James7519]

Hi,

https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/blown-my-welder-up.94007/

I too am pretty new to welding aluminium and wish you the best of luck. I was taught arc and gas welding 55 years ago and am now learning to TIG aluminium; TIG welding isn't easy and it's expensive. I don't wish to put you off or to discourage you in any way but I agree fully with slim in #5 what you are planning to do is very ambitious because you're in for a ballistic learning curve if you've never welded before.

Please keep us informed.

Kind regards, Colin.

thanks for your input. The only other thing I can think of is to use some of these on the ends of my aluminium tubes and solder them in place but they are stainless steel is that possible?

 

[slim_boy_fat]

that my profit margins go up

Is this to be a 'one off' for your personal use? I appreciate that you originally said it was for "a little hobby", but are you now planning to manufacture for onward sale? One wording doesn't gel with the other. Your wording would seem to indicate the latter, in which case a whole other set of 'problems' will arise.

You appear to have researched the subject, based on folks' answers in the thread - irrespective of a number saying that your proposals are ambitious, to say the least? Apologies in advance if any offence is taken, as it's not the intention here, nor I'm sure in other Members' input.

 

[James7519]

Is this to be a 'one off' for your personal use? I appreciate that you originally said it was for "a little hobby", but are you now planning to manufacture for onward sale? One wording doesn't gel with the other. Your wording would seem to indicate the latter, in which case a whole other set of 'problems' will arise.

You appear to have researched the subject, based on folks' answers in the thread - irrespective of a number saying that your proposals are ambitious, to say the least? Apologies in advance if any offence is taken, as it's not the intention here, nor I'm sure in other Members' input.

no I’m not sure what your getting at?
It’s a hobby but I do make a small profit from what I do. The things I make won’t be sold but to be used as a method to cool my setup

Yes it’s a one off as I won’t need any more than I need to cool my setup

I’ve researched the subject but welding is new hence I’m now considering other options based on the responses here

oh and when I said hobby I meant building this cooling system is a little side hobby. I’m gonna use it for my small business

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Post # 5 edited to remove accidental strikethrough.

no I’m not sure what your getting at?

Until you actually try it, you have no idea how difficult this is going to be for you to 'master' straight off the bat. That's why I recommended practise originally, and on similar materials to those planned for the 'project'. Factor in gas usage/filler wire/tungstens [if you go TIG] etc and you're already ahead of the cost of having someone else do the fab work to your drawings etc.

It's like all things, watch someone who knows what they're about and it looks SO easy - in the words of Yosser Hughs "I could do that, gis a job"

I wish you luck and will be interested to see progress pics and the finished article.

 

[James7519]

Post # 5 edited to remove accidental strikethrough.



Until you actually try it, you have no idea how difficult this is going to be for you to 'master' straight off the bat. That's why I recommended practise originally, and on similar materials to those planned for the 'project'. Factor in gas usage/filler wire/tungstens [if you go TIG] etc and you're already ahead of the cost of having someone else do the fab work to your drawings etc.

It's like all things, watch someone who knows what they're about and it looks SO easy - in the words of Yosser Hughs "I could do that, gis a job"

I wish you luck and will be interested to see progress pics and the finished article.

Do you think it will be easier for me to solder/braze join those end caps above?

It’s a bit higher initial cost to buy the end caps but if it’s likely I will spend 500 quid on a tig welder and not be able to do it then it may be worth spending the same amount on the caps and soldering

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Do you think it will be easier for me to solder/braze join those end caps above?

Given I've made my thoughts on your plans clear several times, I won't be commenting/trying to help further on what you're proposing.

But as I said, good luck - it all sounds terribly complicated. Maybe photos of the system as is or drawings of the plans would help others who feel so inclined.

 

[James7519]

I don’t see what your saying is complicated

I just want to seal the end of this square pipe

 

[Paul.]

I just want to seal the end of this square pipe

Weld an aluminium plate on the end of it then, if you want a threaded hole in it make it 10mm thick and drill and tap it, forget trying to solder or braze stainless to ally, its not going to happen.

 

[James7519]

Weld an aluminium plate on the end of it then, if you want a threaded hole in it make it 10mm thick and drill and tap it, forget trying to solder or braze stainless to ally, its not going to happen.

thanks for your input. Will it matter that the box is only 2mm thick?

 

[Paul.]

thanks for your input. Will it matter that the box is only 2mm thick?

Not at all, except that it may challenge your welding ability as a beginner, also I would think very carefully about linking a thin walled aluminium heat exchanger to a domestic system, they rot from the inside quite quickly,

 

[James7519]

Not at all, except that it may challenge your welding ability as a beginner, also I would think very carefully about linking a thin walled aluminium heat exchanger to a domestic system, they rot from the inside quite quickly,

aluminium rots ? How’s it different to me buying an aluminium radiator for my heating?

 

[WorkshopChris]

Don't take this the wrong way, I know very little about server cooling. But have spent lots of time around process plant and such in industry. Not sure of the best way to say this but at the moment you appear to be struggling with what would appear to be a simple element of the project.
How are you planning on:-
Choosing a suitable pump.
Integration with the home heating system.
The connection hose diameter/insulation? between the two.
Are you planning on some sort of manifold or linking in series.
Is this just for the winter or do you have a plan to dump excess heat in the summer?

 

[James7519]

Don't take this the wrong way, I know very little about server cooling. But have spent lots of time around process plant and such in industry. Not sure of the best way to say this but at the moment you appear to be struggling with what would appear to be a simple element of the project.
How are you planning on:-
Choosing a suitable pump.
Integration with the home heating system.
The connection hose diameter/insulation? between the two.
Are you planning on some sort of manifold or linking in series.
Is this just for the winter or do you have a plan to dump excess heat in the summer?

All those things are sorted and planned out already I didn’t include it as I wasn’t sure it would confuse as I had a welding problem not a coooing problem

 

[WorkshopChris]

All those things are sorted and planned out already I didn’t include it as I wasn’t sure it would confuse as I had a welding problem not a coooing problem

That's good then if you already have the problem bits sorted out, now you just have to decide if it's going to be worth investing in around £1000 of AC Tig or getting some drawing sorted and outsource this if it's one-off.
If you think you will be doing more it's definitely a skill worth devoting some time and resources into.

 

[James7519]

That's good then if you already have the problem bits sorted out, now you just have to decide if it's going to be worth investing in around £1000 of AC Tig or getting some drawing sorted and outsource this if it's one-off.
If you think you will be doing more it's definitely a skill worth devoting some time and resources into.

that’s my main question to you guys. What tig welder can I get away with using? I’ve found one for 250 quid... do I really need to invest 1000?
Cheers

 

[WorkshopChris]

You need a machine with AC output.
For a machine, you will be looking at something with specifications similar to this.https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum...nector-to-aluminium.98400/page-2#post-1494866
You will also need an auto-darkening mask gas regulator and rods to suit the grade to aluminium you are planning to weld.

 

[backpurge]

that’s my main question to you guys. What tig welder can I get away with using? I’ve found one for 250 quid... do I really need to invest 1000?
Cheers

If you’ve sourced a decent AC/DC TIG set for £250 I’d snap it up

 

[qwakers]

its probably the same one i bought a year ago, on ebay. lasted less than a bottle of gas before it died, with a loud bang, and tripped the 63a mcb in the house...

 

[daleyd]

Daft question, but won’t you still have warm water going back to your heat source, not cold? The return heat from a heating system is still pretty warm, so I fail to see how this is going to help to cool your servers...so you’d likely need an ac unit to chill before it goes back anyway.

I’m thinking places like google and amazon spend billions on keeping data centres cool and can’t imagine they have missed something as fundamental as this...maybe I’ve misinterpreted what you are doing but good luck anyway.