I am finally set up to TIG Aluminum!

[DFBrews]

Aluminum tig has always been a goal especially after watching the 6061 guy on YouTube.

I am now able to weld it.
this is a 1lb of filler rod and lots of argon later.
I am getting the hang of it but it?s a whole different animal compared to any other process I have done. I have also never tigged with a foot pedal so there another learning curve.

https://i.imgur.com/bHTfmIY.jpg

[BPTactical]

Love TIG'n with a pedal, tried a finger knob a few times and didnt like it so very well.
With AL the longer the bead you can usually ease up on the amps as you go seeing how the heat transfer is so quick.

[Irving]

Which end did you start on?

[DFBrews]

Which end did you start on?

It’s not linear there are 5 different coupons all welded together after I filled them with weld

[TFOGGER]

I'm usually happy if I can run a bead without blowing any holes in the base material or leaving any gaps. I am NOT a welder, I'm a guy that can usually stick metal together with heat.

[ChickNorris]

This ^^^^

[OtterbatHellcat]

Nice on your efforts, Brother.

As you continue to advance your skills, I do have a few things that I would pay you to practice on if you're interested.

[NFATrustGuy]

What setup did you buy for the TIG welding. I keep threatening to buy a TIG welder, but other projects and hobbies keep getting in the way. My last “final answer” was a Miller unit.

I haven’t welded much of anything since high school shop class a little more than 30 years ago, so I plan on practicing a lot, watching YouTube videos, and making a lot of good metal into scrap metal!

[ChickNorris]

I call that making sparks.



Practice practice practice ...grind. Repeat.

[JethroBodine]

Your getting it. The seam on the smaller box looks pretty good. With all welding, especially aluminum, clean parts is your friend. It takes a while to get your timing down of when to add filler wire to keep the bead uniform. The foot pedal gives you a lot of flexibility to control the bead also. My biggest problem is keeping the tungsten far enough from the weld to not contaminate it and keeping my hand back far enough on the torch. I weld a lot of SS and Titanium and you usually want your tungsten closer to the puddle. It looks like your getting good shielding gas coverage. What welding machine do you have? If you ever want to weld thicker aluminum using a mixed gas might help, they sell 75/25 argon/helium and other mixes.

[Bailey Guns]

Looks pretty good to me for a first time...or beginner anyway.

I bought a TiG-capable machine a few months ago but haven't got the torch or pedal yet. Looking forward to trying it out. I also wanna try MiG with a spool gun.

[JethroBodine]

I tried Mig welding aluminum with a spool gun once. It was fast but really put off a lot off smoke so I went back to Tig welding the panels. I had a Speedglas Adflow helmet on so I was getting filtered air while I welded but as soon as I lifted my hood I was sucking in the smoke.