After trying this a few times with no success at all or medium success at best - I had someone show me the right way finally.... and let me tell you it's not all that hard!
Another tool in the arsenal. I have stick welded aluminum in the past and it doesn't get the credit it deserves! I have had good luck with it when that is all you available in the field.
That's great for aluminum stick welding, even when I preheat the part it doesn't come out that even and smooth, I have burned about 5 lbs of 1/8" ALUMINUM electrode, on an eBay $100.00 inverter welder and it hardly runs, from 80-110 amps, but it run 1/8" 7018 great, I also have a Pow Con 400 smt, that burns 1/8" ALUMINUM electrode pretty nice but still not as nice as yours. Great Video THANKS, William
Thanks for this video. I've been practicing some aluminum stick after seeing this. Using a preheat makes all the difference. Now it seems like a usable process.
Welding aluminum with E4043 has to be the most difficult welding to do. I found it hard to start and when started hold and shove that rod in. Now that I have a welder that has the pulse function I may try it again.
Which welder do you have? I struggled with stick welding in general for YEARS. Now i like to believe i can hold my own …. When i meet really good and talented welders they typically “show me up” in 5-10 min. There was this one time i was on the WELDTUBE channel. And i showed Travis, Clay and Abraham “how to stick weld aluminum” Travis never had stick welded aluminum in his life ! Half way through the 2nd or 3rd rod he was running circles around me …. 😂 I am getting used to this …. I can weld, but i am not to talented …. My abilities are a lot of hard work and practice …. Some guys God just gave them the natural ability at birth ….🤷♂️ My “thing” is : for the most part i understand procedures and processes and i understand almost every menu of any manufacture welding machine in a matter of minutes just scrolling through …. That way i can dial machines in really good so i can “show@ others and in 10-15 min they are soooo much better than me …..
@@ZILAwelds I have three welders, a Lincoln 210 MP, a Lincoln Square Wave TIG 200 and a MIller Spot Welder. The spot welder is a lot of fun and I have been able to do some work for people who are repairing old and antique cars where they need to do some body panel repairs. I may go back and try the E4043 again, but after some time doing both MIG DCEP and TIG on aluminum, using E4043 would really be a last choice. I did produce some good welds with the E4043 but I found it much more difficult than MIG or TIG. I have also purchased a spool gun for the 210MP and I am quite satisfied with it. It does have some more weight to balance but it will allow the use of an .030 E4043 wire. I still want to see if .035 E4043 wire can be fed through the regular MIG gun on the 210MP. Also, I may purchase an additional MIG gun for the 210MP but put in the liner for Aluminum MIG wire. Practice is definitely the key to becoming a good welder. As I said before, I am relearning how to weld and I am making significant progress. I rotate through metals and processes. Today I was practicing bead on plate for carbon steel. The beads are OK and I am able to look at them and see what I am doing correctly and incorrectly. Fortunately, I have a 10# spool of ER70S MIG wire. 😀 The stick welding for mild steel and stainless steel came back to me rather quickly. But there are so many things that can be done with MIG and TIG that just cannot be done with SMAW. I figure that in about six months (just welding on the weekends because I have a day job) I will be producing welds that I will have tested in order to be able to have qualified procedures for various metals and positions. Take care, sir.
PREHEAT! Well, why didn't anyone say so? I've tried aluminum stick welding a few times, and it was just a nightmare! When people bring it up to me I just say "Forget it!". This is the first time (years later) I've ever seen anyone do a good job with that. The rods are expensive and really absorb moisture too, it just seems like the worst thing. Now... I think maybe one more try? What I'm really seeing here is preheat, which people try so hard to avoid. Here it only took moments, and seems to have made a tremendous change. I'm thinking of that saying from The Karate Kid... "man who can stick weld aluminum can do anything"!
Looking forward to the next video on this. I have a feeling you'll have mastered it by then. I have a whole box of aluminum rods im scared to run hahaha
I guess Im asking randomly but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account?? I was stupid forgot my password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me.
I keep a few lbs of aluminum rod around for when a job comes in. Dont get enough aluminum jobs to justify tig, or a push pull setup. Done a few bellhousings this way.
I've tried alum stick a few times in the last few years and pretty much wrote it off as a lost cause. Seeing your results I guess I would try again if a good application comes up. I just threw a couple of pounds of alum rods away a year ago. They had blue flux. Not sure if there are flux choices to consider as I'm not versed in alum rod selection. Do you consider pulse stick to be a critical factor? Thanks for your video. Mike
the critical factor is temperature and machine (from what I can tell) Jeremy has a miller TB325 and I tried previously with a miller TB302 and for sure it is not as smooth as this ... My Lincoln vantage 400 has much more arc dynamic! Arc dynamic and arc "quality" is so important but yet - no spec sheet in the world covers it - that is something you can only experience. Now as far as temperature - the preheat is VERY important as well as controlling the "heat" amperage while welding... I have another few videos in the making about that... the pulse helps considerably with the looks of the weld and being able to weld thinner material (heat control)
Die Nähte sehen richtig super aus. Danke für das tolle Video Peter. Aber das mit dem mal vorbei kommen wird ein ewiger Traum bleiben, die Flüge sind ja hölle teuer. Schönen 1Mai wünsche ich Dir und deiner Familie.
It ain't pretty like a TIG weld but those beads did look pretty decent. As someone that only learned to weld a short time ago (I'm still learning) I was told to forget trying to stick weld aluminum, that it was impossible. Guess that isn't true and now I have something else to try. I don't have a pulse setting on my welder but I'm going to get some rod, clean it, preheat it, and give it a shot. If my welds look anything close to these I'll be happy as shit.
pulse does help but is not a necessity. you can run on a regular stick welder. there are some rods that work better than others. if you don't have pulse you maybe just want a little bot less over all heat and do a little whip and pause to get some nice bead profile. this here is the stuff that I used www.usaweld.com/Messer-405-Aluminum-Stick-Welding-Rod-p/mg405-18-1.htm hope that helps
@@ZILAwelds i agree, and the 208cc engine i welded to a bicycle frame is ridiculous. i took it out today the thing actually works and it is vary fast. I fabricated the frame extension and welded on two of the gears for it. 1.25lbs of weld i made holds it together.
1/4" you can run an 1/8" electrode .... 3/8" you need to run a 5/32 electrode ... 1/8" runs at about 100 ish amps ... 5/32 runs at 130 ish amps .... so you need a DC stick welder with at least 150 amps ...
Depends: if your aluminum is room temperature (70F by definition) or close it it or more and if you either A) have some sort of hot start on your mig machine or B) trail into the joint, then grind the starting trail off or C) you a piece of aluminum as a run in tab and break that later off Then usually you get away without pre heating If its cold AF like less than 50F or only 10F you definitely need to pre heat even with a hot start function on your machine … Larger pieces ( boats, semi trailers, truck beds etc ) you are more likely to preheat, smaller pieces like brackets, or whatever you are less likely to need pre heat
@@ZILAwelds I just watched this one and the overlay near the beginning said EN so I was confused too. Lol. I just edited that comment because I just read your reply to that other guy. What brand and size rod and brand was that.? Thanks
Sorry if I missed this but you're using an AC welder in order to accomplish this? Or will a DC stick welder suffice? So long as I'm preheating the material.. Thanks
Face is all up in that plume! Really super not good when using aluminum. I know it can't be helped sometimes. You really should use reperator when welding Alu though.
Jarvis Tech if you saw my other videos - i am pretty religiously wearing respirators when welding aluminum. Here a total of 3 rods were burned between him an me. Not saying that i couldn’t have worn a respirator but for the amount of welding i did not consider it being a necessity What about stainless? Hexavalent Chromium ( or Chromium 6?) are your wearing a respirator every time you do stainless ...? That is an accumulative damage which means your body never gets rid of it. It just adds every time you inhale it. Did you know that?
Me personally or people in general? yes I can weld magnesium but I only know how to do this with an AC/DC tig machine You need 100% argon gas and very expensive magnesium filler rod.
@@earlc5990 I have yet to hear of magnesium stick rods (I did hear of silicon bronze stick rods though!) and I have yet to hear of gases aluminum flux cored wire and stuff like this ... not saying that someone does not sell a product somewhere ... ???
i challenge you to stick weld sheet aluminum which used to make tanks and containers , usually 0.7mm thickness , then you know running a bead is not welding , i can run a bead with stick welder on 0.3mm stainless but can never weld same thickness joints or tubing , really need Mig or Tig specially on aluminum
I have successfully stick welded 2.0 mm aluminum with a 3.25mm electrode …. And it looked good ( not great, perfect, immaculate …. But good) My guess is that with a 2.4mm electrode i could maybe weld as low as 1.5mm …. MAYBE …. 0.7 mm aluminum is unobtainable with my skill level
great video ! stick welding Aluminum docks on site would work .I like 200 degrees preheat when trying to mig Alum .really like that HTP stick machine ! what welding rods you guys using ?
gary mathews eutectic castolin 4043 1/8 .... and yes mig pre heat is good but not half as critical than on stick. If you have mig with an adjustable hot start and if it is a warm sunny day ( your aluminum could be already 100 or 120 in the sunlight) vs a cold winter day - single digits .... on mig pre heat helps but especially if you have hot start its not an absolute must have
www.usaweld.com/HTP-Inverarc-200-TLP-Stick-Welder-p/inverarc200tlp.htm that is the welder - if you want one wait for a sale or use coupon code ZILA when you call your order in
I believe the rods and flux are identical - the once that I used said something like "suitable for gas welding"... i will try out of position in one of the next videos
Yes you have to wash the flux off, with acid then you have to wash the acid off, if the same flux is used for stick welding the same will apply. That will rather take the shine from welding aluminium with stick.
Hey zila, i have to do some aluminium welding on my boat, more a project I have purchased. It may be some of the only aluminium welding I do. How do you determine what to purchase, AC Tig or Mig and spool gun. How do you determine what machine is better for what job.. how do you decide what you will use?
tom, in a nutshell, how thick are you welding? (max material thickness) how good or bad will your fit up be? (gap width that needs to be filled? and I guess a little bit personal talent level. THOSE would be my main concerns. Money would be a secondary concern (from my point of view) because the way I think is: If you are rebuilding a boat you want to do that right - you don't want to have welds that are not leak-tight or compromised somehow. If this is the only project you will ever do - you could always sell the welding equipment afterward or buy equipment that you can use for another project later? Do you currently own any welding equipment?
if you want to send me your email or phone # in a comment here. then delete the comment a minute later so you keep your information private - I should still have an email with your info then ...
ZILA I'm in Australia, I can get a good deal on a esab 215ic at the moment. The boat material is 4mm which is 5/32 where you are I believe. Probably will use it a bit to either weld aluminium and stainless...
Tom s edab 215 is not bad. The “drawback” with spool gun ( or all non pulsed aluminum) is that you can not weld anything thinner than 2.5mm or 0.100” Poor fit up is a HUGE PROBLEM because you cant really bridge any gaps either ( unless you use copper backing on the other side and then back gouge the other side and back weld it) .... over all i think it will work for you
So I bought this esab unit today. It has this sMIG which not sure what it is, When I was looking at the adjustments looks like it can weld down to 1.2mm in Aluminium, I cant be sure because I only turned it on for a minute. I got this with a redemption offer so they are sending out their mask and Mig gun for aluminium which should be here in a week so I can actually test it then. Have a look and tell me if I am reading this wrong th-cam.com/video/iRmHpzqYns0/w-d-xo.html
do you want to stick weld? how thick is the material? if you don't have pulse you need to have at least 3/16" 4mm or more material thickness - otherwise, it is not going to work. if you want to tig weld DC it needs to be just as thick or thicker. if you want to AC weld you need a high frequency generating box to keep the welding arc lit.
Another Dave when it comes to stick welding aluminum - ABSOLUTELY !!! If you happen to be really talented and you could stickweld 1/16” thick (or thin) aluminum please let me know - i would like to visit you and get schooled.
is this a question or a statement? if it is a question - the answer is: NO this machine here in the video is DC all aluminum stick is DC welding all aluminum spool gun is DC welding most aluminum pulse mig is DC welding even thicker aluminum tig can be DC welded. but most aluminum tig is AC welded..... does that help?
To finish a job? Waaa? No way man this is only used on a boat that's sinking and you're on it 😂. Really though I can't see any real practical application for alum stick. I've welded alum for a good while and not once have I ever wanted to or had an urge to stick weld alum. Imo its a novelty.
ive used it to tack weld a part in the field then bring it back to shop to finish due to weather/wind. I would not plan any type of work around an alum stick, ever....ever!
The link don't work, but I was able to figure it out. In case this link dies too, this is the search terms. MG 405 ALUMINUM STICK WELDING ROD usaweld.com/products/messer-mg-405-stick-welding-rod?_
Well, if your tank is 1/8” or thicker and if you cleaned and prepared it correctly, you have good chances of it working …. On thinner material i’d choose a 3/32 rod
When you 1st opened your shop how did you advertise and start getting Business ? My shop is not on a main road but I've been passing out business cards And it seems to be a very slow start.
Really nice job, stickwelding aluminum isnt easy. Ive tried to weld 6mm (1/4in) with 2.5mm (3/32in) electrodes without preheat with 130+ amps (way more the electrodes could handle) and it sort of worked but it was a mess with a lot of spatter. Then later tried to weld 2mm material and it worked way better, so as u said prehead is key i guess. A timer for the "hotstart" funtion on stickwelders would be nice to prevent cold starts i guess. Ive even saw a video where a guy tig welded aluminum on dc using aluminium stick electrodes as filler metal without even removing the flux. Anyway good job as always keep it up!
stay tuned I have another video coming with an "adjustment" twist... I welded with those same 1/8 3.25mm rods some .100" 2.5mm aluminum a few days later .... at 65 amp (same thing parameters way out of range) and it worked great !!! (with 2.5hz pulse)
it was all the teacher! I tried it before and miserably failed ! it looked like birds shit.... then I drive 8 hr and have a more experienced welder show me all about the preheat and how it works ...
the student just got lucky and had a good machine by dumb luck - THANK YOU for teaching me everything about the heat and the patience on the slag removal! those things really were key! so I just experimented a little bit from there...
sivi8272 according to the rod manufacture any dc stick welder will do. What i have found is that good arc dynamic helps ( if your machine can run 6010 that will help) Also if you can adjust the amperage withe welding - that can be a HUGE help and pulse helps you to get the nice ripples or run out of position .... To learn more see the video “what happened at my welding class”
You can, this requires some practice. Try on a scrap cylinder head first ! I dont think that you will be successful the 1st time… Use an aluminum rod that is suitable for cast. usaweld.com/products/messer-mg-405-stick-welding-rod
I consider myself to be a pretty good welder in all different processes but I’m hoping I don’t have to try this any time soon lol I’d definitely butcher that!
David White this coming from you i take this as a compliment .... its really not that hard once someone shows you how to do it the right way .... i am planing on making a couple more videos on this - i am getting better at this and i found something else out that helps a lot - although its a pretty old trick its really effective too ...
At 2:32 of your video you listed electrode negative... I thought EP might help with both over heating and cleaning. Now I see in your comment EP, which did you end up using?
@@davidwilliamson9162 LOL. I lived in Europe for 27 years..... not once have I seen a 3,1mm or 3,175mm stick electrode ... LOL good thing you are not agreeing with me ....
my aluminum story of the day.... You should have seen me trying to fix my t-top on my boat today, utter disaster looking weld and performance. Started off Getting my new spool gun which i super pumped about, after getting my heat settings dialed in the garage and laying some decent fillet welds and decent looking for mig, i thought i was ready...... Boy was i wrong. Got windy like 10-20 mph winds on 20 year old aluminum thats been hounded by salt water, couldn't get it clean because of the angle. Had 1 foot on the boat rail , and my waist on the center console on a 45 degree angle with my arms extended all the way out like i perfect swim dive, all while my buddy is holding cardboard to block the wind unsuccesfully. Helmet kept auto darkening from the sun which is not a big deal but an inconvenience. The Monstrosity I layed down, was an utter dissapointment. First my heat setting were too low with piss poor penetration even though i just welded the same material thickness in the garage albeit new clean material. Think the oxide on the boat t-top had a big play in that... Regardless I cranked up the heat and poured into it. Had to grind it, and i hate grinding. Just had to get the boat out in the water today. The best part is i started to tig these cracks in my t-top like a week ago, All my good looking tig welds were of areas that aren't visible! I was running wide open on my lincoln square wave 200. mostly 1/4 to 1/4 inch but I started smoking my torch and decided it wasn't worth burning up my torch up and it finally gave me an excuse to buy a spool gun for my 300 amp mig. realizations of the day: -Mig aluminum is a pain in the ass, especially when its dirty, out of posistion, over head, and in the wind. Two things i feel good about is: 1.)It's done 2.)It's the ugliest welds on the boat but just barely. Payed some guy 3 years ago to weld a crack on the boat t-top whose been welding for 30 years. The shit he layed down (spoolgun) was a sin. Now i know what he had to deal with and go through as far as welding outdoors and body posistioning so i don't feel as bad.
Willow, that is exactly how 90% of the "first times" or "homeowners" or "small shops" (who "can" weld aluminum but don't do it every day goes..... I typically use a little sandblaster gun (just like on that most recent transmission welding video) - it REALLY helps deep clean the metal no matter what condition it was in... also everybody things a spool gun is like a magic wand and had magic powers... Professionals who build parts out of aluminum for decades have been using clean aluminum and pulse mig technology .... unless you experience it first hand you would not believe how much of a difference it really makes... and as far as adjusting the settings .... with a spool gun you can unfortunately only adjust wire speed (in 99% of the cases at least) and with the new synergic machines there is a way to adjust both, wire speed and voltage together, I will make another video on that soon..... thank you for sharing your experience
mini sand blaster is genius! how come i didnt think of it?!? actually have one lol. well theres always next time. Boats in the water and fixed, and what a beautiful day it was out on the water.
Bigfoot has one... he drives it around in the back of his Ford 6.0 Diesel pick up with 800k miles on it - original motor, never repaired no rebuilds... LOL you find bigfoot - you find that aluminum magnet
Jeremy, its ok - we all learn some lessons the hard way ... LOL i had a 6.0 also .. i bought it in "really good" condition very much below "market value" and it was great for about 4-5000 miles ... and then i sunk 5 grand into it and drove another 2000 miles ..... and then i had another 9g coming up and i was just happy to give it away .... bought a 7.3 IDI then and put a hypermaxx turbo kit on .... that is like the best truck i ever had now ... its all good
ZILA I bought mine with 174,000 miles for 12000....I put 4000 into right after I bought and shes been amazing ever since...coming up on 240,000 miles...its got a few of the "bulletproff" parts but nothing fancy..edge programmer and religious maintenance is all I've done to it....I keep archoil in with 16 quarts of rotella T6. Factory filters all around...and so far no signs of giving up yet
DCEN?
No dcep
Mig and stick aluminum always dcep
Only tig plasma cutting or gasless wires are dcen
@@ZILAwelds yes, you wrote dcen in an overlay at the beginning of your video
@@joewest2560 i am sorry, then i screwed up!! Good catch ! Thanks
Another tool in the arsenal. I have stick welded aluminum in the past and it doesn't get the credit it deserves! I have had good luck with it when that is all you available in the field.
exactly - its not your "first choice" but when you are running out of options it can really get you out of a bind
Hi 🙋♂️ great 👍 information ℹ️ keep up 🆙 great 👍 work 💯 amps! I’ve learned something today!
That's great for aluminum stick welding, even when I preheat the part it doesn't come out that even and smooth, I have burned about 5 lbs of 1/8" ALUMINUM electrode, on an eBay $100.00 inverter welder and it hardly runs, from 80-110 amps, but it run 1/8" 7018 great, I also have a Pow Con 400 smt, that burns 1/8" ALUMINUM electrode pretty nice but still not as nice as yours. Great Video THANKS, William
Thanks for this video. I've been practicing some aluminum stick after seeing this. Using a preheat makes all the difference. Now it seems like a usable process.
Derbador the weldor i am glad the video helped you. That was the intention
They look like stainless welds, they're pretty cool.
Welding aluminum with E4043 has to be the most difficult welding to do. I found it hard to start and when started hold and shove that rod in. Now that I have a welder that has the pulse function I may try it again.
Which welder do you have?
I struggled with stick welding in general for YEARS.
Now i like to believe i can hold my own ….
When i meet really good and talented welders they typically “show me up” in 5-10 min.
There was this one time i was on the WELDTUBE channel. And i showed Travis, Clay and Abraham “how to stick weld aluminum”
Travis never had stick welded aluminum in his life ! Half way through the 2nd or 3rd rod he was running circles around me ….
😂
I am getting used to this ….
I can weld, but i am not to talented …. My abilities are a lot of hard work and practice …. Some guys God just gave them the natural ability at birth ….🤷♂️
My “thing” is : for the most part i understand procedures and processes and i understand almost every menu of any manufacture welding machine in a matter of minutes just scrolling through …. That way i can dial machines in really good so i can “show@ others and in 10-15 min they are soooo much better than me …..
@@ZILAwelds I have three welders, a Lincoln 210 MP, a Lincoln Square Wave TIG 200 and a MIller Spot Welder. The spot welder is a lot of fun and I have been able to do some work for people who are repairing old and antique cars where they need to do some body panel repairs.
I may go back and try the E4043 again, but after some time doing both MIG DCEP and TIG on aluminum, using E4043 would really be a last choice. I did produce some good welds with the E4043 but I found it much more difficult than MIG or TIG. I have also purchased a spool gun for the 210MP and I am quite satisfied with it. It does have some more weight to balance but it will allow the use of an .030 E4043 wire.
I still want to see if .035 E4043 wire can be fed through the regular MIG gun on the 210MP.
Also, I may purchase an additional MIG gun for the 210MP but put in the liner for Aluminum MIG wire.
Practice is definitely the key to becoming a good welder.
As I said before, I am relearning how to weld and I am making significant progress. I rotate through metals and processes. Today I was practicing bead on plate for carbon steel. The beads are OK and I am able to look at them and see what I am doing correctly and incorrectly. Fortunately, I have a 10# spool of ER70S MIG wire. 😀
The stick welding for mild steel and stainless steel came back to me rather quickly. But there are so many things that can be done with MIG and TIG that just cannot be done with SMAW.
I figure that in about six months (just welding on the weekends because I have a day job) I will be producing welds that I will have tested in order to be able to have qualified procedures for various metals and positions.
Take care, sir.
PREHEAT! Well, why didn't anyone say so? I've tried aluminum stick welding a few times, and it was just a nightmare! When people bring it up to me I just say "Forget it!". This is the first time (years later) I've ever seen anyone do a good job with that. The rods are expensive and really absorb moisture too, it just seems like the worst thing. Now... I think maybe one more try? What I'm really seeing here is preheat, which people try so hard to avoid. Here it only took moments, and seems to have made a tremendous change. I'm thinking of that saying from The Karate Kid... "man who can stick weld aluminum can do anything"!
Leonard Pearlman lol
Well did it work?
Looking forward to the next video on this. I have a feeling you'll have mastered it by then. I have a whole box of aluminum rods im scared to run hahaha
its coming - editing the videos from the class right now
I guess Im asking randomly but does anyone know of a tool to get back into an instagram account??
I was stupid forgot my password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me.
It would be interesting to hear how yours turns out.
I keep a few lbs of aluminum rod around for when a job comes in. Dont get enough aluminum jobs to justify tig, or a push pull setup. Done a few bellhousings this way.
I am thinking of welding intercooler tubing? Is it too thin?
I've tried alum stick a few times in the last few years and pretty much wrote it off as a lost cause. Seeing your results I guess I would try again if a good application comes up. I just threw a couple of pounds of alum rods away a year ago. They had blue flux. Not sure if there are flux choices to consider as I'm not versed in alum rod selection. Do you consider pulse stick to be a critical factor? Thanks for your video. Mike
the critical factor is temperature and machine (from what I can tell) Jeremy has a miller TB325 and I tried previously with a miller TB302 and for sure it is not as smooth as this ... My Lincoln vantage 400 has much more arc dynamic! Arc dynamic and arc "quality" is so important but yet - no spec sheet in the world covers it - that is something you can only experience.
Now as far as temperature - the preheat is VERY important as well as controlling the "heat" amperage while welding... I have another few videos in the making about that... the pulse helps considerably with the looks of the weld and being able to weld thinner material (heat control)
Die Nähte sehen richtig super aus.
Danke für das tolle Video Peter.
Aber das mit dem mal vorbei kommen wird ein ewiger Traum bleiben, die Flüge sind ja hölle teuer.
Schönen 1Mai wünsche ich Dir und deiner Familie.
Danke gleichfalls
I was just asking myself yesterday if you could stick weld aluminum
aluminum can be stick welded - its possible
It ain't pretty like a TIG weld but those beads did look pretty decent. As someone that only learned to weld a short time ago (I'm still learning) I was told to forget trying to stick weld aluminum, that it was impossible. Guess that isn't true and now I have something else to try. I don't have a pulse setting on my welder but I'm going to get some rod, clean it, preheat it, and give it a shot. If my welds look anything close to these I'll be happy as shit.
pulse does help but is not a necessity. you can run on a regular stick welder. there are some rods that work better than others. if you don't have pulse you maybe just want a little bot less over all heat and do a little whip and pause to get some nice bead profile.
this here is the stuff that I used
www.usaweld.com/Messer-405-Aluminum-Stick-Welding-Rod-p/mg405-18-1.htm
hope that helps
Thank you!
Tengo entendido que para soldar aluminio con stick, tienes que tener electrodo a positivo, EPDC.
How important is pulse to getting good aluminum stick welds? Can you still get decent welds without it?
you can do it without - its just faster and hotter, less controllable
going from using a transformer welder out on the farm to using a DC inverter welder on a good service... everything is easy.
everything looks 10 times easier on youtube ....LOL
@@ZILAwelds i agree, and the 208cc engine i welded to a bicycle frame is ridiculous. i took it out today the thing actually works and it is vary fast. I fabricated the frame extension and welded on two of the gears for it. 1.25lbs of weld i made holds it together.
What kind of machine do I need to get started. Mostly under 1/4. Maybe 3/8 rarely
1/4" you can run an 1/8" electrode .... 3/8" you need to run a 5/32 electrode ... 1/8" runs at about 100 ish amps ... 5/32 runs at 130 ish amps .... so you need a DC stick welder with at least 150 amps ...
Is it possible to just reverse the orientation of the cables on my welder to achieve the desired polarity at the stick.? Thanks
yes it is
do you need to pre-heat when mig welding aluminum?
Depends: if your aluminum is room temperature (70F by definition) or close it it or more and if you either A) have some sort of hot start on your mig machine or B) trail into the joint, then grind the starting trail off or C) you a piece of aluminum as a run in tab and break that later off
Then usually you get away without pre heating
If its cold AF like less than 50F or only 10F you definitely need to pre heat even with a hot start function on your machine …
Larger pieces ( boats, semi trailers, truck beds etc ) you are more likely to preheat, smaller pieces like brackets, or whatever you are less likely to need pre heat
@@ZILAwelds thanks for the reply! that helps a lot!
What size and brand of electrode was this. Thanks
did I say EN ??? if I did that was a mistake or typo .... it is DCEP. EP !!!! you are correct !
I replied to you EP in the last post .... now I am confused ...
@@ZILAwelds I just watched this one and the overlay near the beginning said EN so I was confused too. Lol. I just edited that comment because I just read your reply to that other guy. What brand and size rod and brand was that.? Thanks
@@rickl6697 google MG405 that is what I used. HARRIS 0002650 Aluminum Electrode, 5 lb, 26-3/32" I have tried in the past and they worked good too
Sorry if I missed this but you're using an AC welder in order to accomplish this? Or will a DC stick welder suffice? So long as I'm preheating the material..
Thanks
I was using DC electrode +
That's rad!
Face is all up in that plume! Really super not good when using aluminum. I know it can't be helped sometimes. You really should use reperator when welding Alu though.
Jarvis Tech if you saw my other videos - i am pretty religiously wearing respirators when welding aluminum.
Here a total of 3 rods were burned between him an me.
Not saying that i couldn’t have worn a respirator but for the amount of welding i did not consider it being a necessity
What about stainless? Hexavalent Chromium ( or Chromium 6?) are your wearing a respirator every time you do stainless ...? That is an accumulative damage which means your body never gets rid of it. It just adds every time you inhale it. Did you know that?
Can you weld magnesium?
Me personally or people in general? yes I can weld magnesium but I only know how to do this with an AC/DC tig machine
You need 100% argon gas and very expensive magnesium filler rod.
@@ZILAwelds oops I was going to try with stick
@@earlc5990 I have yet to hear of magnesium stick rods (I did hear of silicon bronze stick rods though!) and I have yet to hear of gases aluminum flux cored wire and stuff like this ... not saying that someone does not sell a product somewhere ... ???
i challenge you to stick weld sheet aluminum which used to make tanks and containers , usually 0.7mm thickness , then you know running a bead is not welding , i can run a bead with stick welder on 0.3mm stainless but can never weld same thickness joints or tubing , really need Mig or Tig specially on aluminum
I have successfully stick welded 2.0 mm aluminum with a 3.25mm electrode …. And it looked good ( not great, perfect, immaculate …. But good)
My guess is that with a 2.4mm electrode i could maybe weld as low as 1.5mm …. MAYBE ….
0.7 mm aluminum is unobtainable with my skill level
Great Video!! What brand and diameter rod did you guys use?? can't wait to try this!!
1/8 eutectic
great video ! stick welding Aluminum docks on site would work .I like 200 degrees preheat when trying to mig Alum .really like that HTP stick machine ! what welding rods you guys using ?
gary mathews eutectic castolin 4043 1/8 .... and yes mig pre heat is good but not half as critical than on stick. If you have mig with an adjustable hot start and if it is a warm sunny day ( your aluminum could be already 100 or 120 in the sunlight) vs a cold winter day - single digits .... on mig pre heat helps but especially if you have hot start its not an absolute must have
Here in Az during summer you would have to put blocks of ice on your metal to get to a 200 degree preheat!
lol
I give the torch guy less than 6 months n hes gonna have a accident if he keeps working without gloves im saying
What kind of welder and what’s the cost of it$?
www.usaweld.com/HTP-Inverarc-200-TLP-Stick-Welder-p/inverarc200tlp.htm
that is the welder - if you want one wait for a sale or use coupon code ZILA when you call your order in
Never stick welded aluminium, how is it for positional welding. Is the flux as nasty as the one used for gas welding aluminium.
I believe the rods and flux are identical - the once that I used said something like "suitable for gas welding"... i will try out of position in one of the next videos
When I did some aluminium gas welding in the early 70's the flux was very corrosive and had to be washed off completely in order to prevent corrosion.
I think you want to wash it off.
Yes you have to wash the flux off, with acid then you have to wash the acid off, if the same flux is used for stick welding the same will apply. That will rather take the shine from welding aluminium with stick.
Equiluxe1 this stuff is not like that from what i can tell
Hey zila, i have to do some aluminium welding on my boat, more a project I have purchased. It may be some of the only aluminium welding I do. How do you determine what to purchase, AC Tig or Mig and spool gun. How do you determine what machine is better for what job.. how do you decide what you will use?
tom, in a nutshell, how thick are you welding? (max material thickness) how good or bad will your fit up be? (gap width that needs to be filled? and I guess a little bit personal talent level.
THOSE would be my main concerns. Money would be a secondary concern (from my point of view) because the way I think is:
If you are rebuilding a boat you want to do that right - you don't want to have welds that are not leak-tight or compromised somehow.
If this is the only project you will ever do - you could always sell the welding equipment afterward or buy equipment that you can use for another project later?
Do you currently own any welding equipment?
if you want to send me your email or phone # in a comment here. then delete the comment a minute later so you keep your information private - I should still have an email with your info then ...
ZILA I'm in Australia, I can get a good deal on a esab 215ic at the moment. The boat material is 4mm which is 5/32 where you are I believe. Probably will use it a bit to either weld aluminium and stainless...
Tom s edab 215 is not bad. The “drawback” with spool gun ( or all non pulsed aluminum) is that you can not weld anything thinner than 2.5mm or 0.100”
Poor fit up is a HUGE PROBLEM because you cant really bridge any gaps either ( unless you use copper backing on the other side and then back gouge the other side and back weld it) ....
over all i think it will work for you
So I bought this esab unit today. It has this sMIG which not sure what it is, When I was looking at the adjustments looks like it can weld down to 1.2mm in Aluminium, I cant be sure because I only turned it on for a minute. I got this with a redemption offer so they are sending out their mask and Mig gun for aluminium which should be here in a week so I can actually test it then.
Have a look and tell me if I am reading this wrong
th-cam.com/video/iRmHpzqYns0/w-d-xo.html
how did u change the frequency?
on the machine - it is adjustable from 0.4 to 5.0 hz. off camera adjustment - I have another video coming where I show that adjustment
i bought an aluminum boat and id like to weld on it with my miller thunder bolt.
do you want to stick weld? how thick is the material? if you don't have pulse you need to have at least 3/16" 4mm or more material thickness - otherwise, it is not going to work. if you want to tig weld DC it needs to be just as thick or thicker. if you want to AC weld you need a high frequency generating box to keep the welding arc lit.
1/8" is paper thin?
Another Dave when it comes to stick welding aluminum - ABSOLUTELY !!!
If you happen to be really talented and you could stickweld 1/16” thick (or thin) aluminum please let me know - i would like to visit you and get schooled.
@@ZILAwelds - I'd like YOU to show us an 1/8" thick piece of paper!
so whenever welding aluminum you need an a.c. welder.
is this a question or a statement? if it is a question - the answer is: NO
this machine here in the video is DC
all aluminum stick is DC welding
all aluminum spool gun is DC welding
most aluminum pulse mig is DC welding
even thicker aluminum tig can be DC welded.
but most aluminum tig is AC welded.....
does that help?
This video really helped me .What kind of rod did you use ?
To finish a job? Waaa? No way man this is only used on a boat that's sinking and you're on it 😂. Really though I can't see any real practical application for alum stick. I've welded alum for a good while and not once have I ever wanted to or had an urge to stick weld alum. Imo its a novelty.
ive used it to tack weld a part in the field then bring it back to shop to finish due to weather/wind.
I would not plan any type of work around an alum stick, ever....ever!
Here are the stick rods
usaweld.com/products/messer-mg-405-stick-welding-rod
The link don't work, but I was able to figure it out.
In case this link dies too, this is the search terms. MG 405 ALUMINUM STICK WELDING ROD
usaweld.com/products/messer-mg-405-stick-welding-rod?_
@Devin Mayson well, there was full explanation with it also ... you dont need to do the entire explanation every time before you weld ....
M
So can I run this rod on an aluminum fuel tank with my Lincoln 300d?
Well, if your tank is 1/8” or thicker and if you cleaned and prepared it correctly, you have good chances of it working …. On thinner material i’d choose a 3/32 rod
What type of ROD your using,can u pls give the Name pls
its a eutectics rods. 21xx??? i have to look up the excat numnber
Did not care for sticking welding, but is good in oxygen and acetylene welding of aluminum.
Wear gas mask
Nice good sir... 👍🙏
Looks better than my 6013 welds.
Thanks
hello sir..
do tou mind telling me what rod do i need to buy specifically, if i were to weld aluminum bars as thick as what you used..
www.usaweld.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=Mg405
usaweld.com/products/messer-mg-405-stick-welding-rod
When you 1st opened your shop how did you advertise and start getting Business ? My shop is not on a main road but I've been passing out business cards And it seems to be a very slow start.
Justin Boyle th-cam.com/video/LJgpwhKBxJQ/w-d-xo.html
2 years later, hows your business going now?
So, when stick welding aluminum, I should connect the ground clamp on both the metal and the aluminum workpiece?
I don't know how you do that ... with my ground clamp I have to pick one ...
Don't feel bad most everyone sucked me at stick alumir.lol
Really nice job, stickwelding aluminum isnt easy. Ive tried to weld 6mm (1/4in) with 2.5mm (3/32in) electrodes without preheat with 130+ amps (way more the electrodes could handle) and it sort of worked but it was a mess with a lot of spatter. Then later tried to weld 2mm material and it worked way better, so as u said prehead is key i guess. A timer for the "hotstart" funtion on stickwelders would be nice to prevent cold starts i guess. Ive even saw a video where a guy tig welded aluminum on dc using aluminium stick electrodes as filler metal without even removing the flux. Anyway good job as always keep it up!
stay tuned I have another video coming with an "adjustment" twist... I welded with those same 1/8 3.25mm rods some .100" 2.5mm aluminum a few days later .... at 65 amp (same thing parameters way out of range) and it worked great !!! (with 2.5hz pulse)
Cant beat that...not only does pre heating make a difference but the machine makes the biggest difference...awesome video
it was all the teacher! I tried it before and miserably failed ! it looked like birds shit.... then I drive 8 hr and have a more experienced welder show me all about the preheat and how it works ...
The student has surpassed the teacher
the student just got lucky and had a good machine by dumb luck - THANK YOU for teaching me everything about the heat and the patience on the slag removal! those things really were key! so I just experimented a little bit from there...
@@ZILAwelds
What kind of machine is necessary for doing that ??
sivi8272 according to the rod manufacture any dc stick welder will do.
What i have found is that good arc dynamic helps ( if your machine can run 6010 that will help)
Also if you can adjust the amperage withe welding - that can be a HUGE help and pulse helps you to get the nice ripples or run out of position ....
To learn more see the video “what happened at my welding class”
Can you use the same sticks AND the same setup that you would use for a normal iron welding?
Fitzgerald Mistral you can use the same stick welder. But you need aluminum stick rods
My are eutectics brand
The whole of having safety 👓 is to wear on your 👀!
Just the other day i was mig welding aluminum, came out pretty good on dc-...if you use stick would that be dc+?
the sticks I used for aluminum in my life were all DC+ mig aluminum is typically also DC+
@@ZILAwelds I got pretty good using 5356 spool with straight argon. Imma have to try arc welding next 🤔
Hi,
What rods are you using the page in the description is no longer there,
usaweld.com/products/messer-mg-405-stick-welding-rod
@@ZILAwelds thank you 👍
hi can I use those steps for welding cylinder head aluminium?
You can, this requires some practice. Try on a scrap cylinder head first ! I dont think that you will be successful the 1st time…
Use an aluminum rod that is suitable for cast.
usaweld.com/products/messer-mg-405-stick-welding-rod
@@ZILAwelds thanks
Can I use e6013 to weld aluminium?
no - there are special aluminum welding rods
here is a link
www.usaweld.com/Messer-405-Aluminum-Stick-Welding-Rod-p/mg405-18-1.htm
Thanks for this video
and good luck
I consider myself to be a pretty good welder in all different processes but I’m hoping I don’t have to try this any time soon lol I’d definitely butcher that!
David White this coming from you i take this as a compliment .... its really not that hard once someone shows you how to do it the right way .... i am planing on making a couple more videos on this - i am getting better at this and i found something else out that helps a lot - although its a pretty old trick its really effective too ...
I’ll be watching cause it has me interested now!
doesnt it hurt your eyes to watch the torch
no - i am not looking directly at the flame ... and it was only a few seconds ....
That awesome Pete!
thanks Sharn
Seeker shirt! nice one.
Is the output ac or dc on the machine? Thank you for the video.
Frank Crawford DC electrode positive
At 2:32 of your video you listed electrode negative... I thought EP might help with both over heating and cleaning. Now I see in your comment EP, which did you end up using?
Electrode negative on this??
no DCEP just like "regular" 7018
Thank you! I thought i saw it said ENDC and was very confused! Thank you for all of your videos too!
Fantastic can you tell me the size of rods you use?
those were 1/8" I have used 3/32"in the past as well ....
Cool 3.1mm for us in Europe
@@davidwilliamson9162 3.2 actually .... LOL
@@ZILAwelds ok 👌 I’m not going to argue over 3.175mm😂👍
@@davidwilliamson9162 LOL. I lived in Europe for 27 years..... not once have I seen a 3,1mm or 3,175mm stick electrode ... LOL good thing you are not agreeing with me ....
can i use 40v 250a???
I dont understand
can i use 40volt 250 ampere power supply for welding aluminium?
@@purekhankirchala3907I don't think so. these rods require about 80 amps. (65-90amps) and the arc voltage is somewhere around 20-25 volt ....
my aluminum story of the day....
You should have seen me trying to fix my t-top on my boat today, utter disaster looking weld and performance. Started off Getting my new spool gun which i super pumped about, after getting my heat settings dialed in the garage and laying some decent fillet welds and decent looking for mig, i thought i was ready...... Boy was i wrong. Got windy like 10-20 mph winds on 20 year old aluminum thats been hounded by salt water, couldn't get it clean because of the angle. Had 1 foot on the boat rail , and my waist on the center console on a 45 degree angle with my arms extended all the way out like i perfect swim dive, all while my buddy is holding cardboard to block the wind unsuccesfully. Helmet kept auto darkening from the sun which is not a big deal but an inconvenience. The Monstrosity I layed down, was an utter dissapointment. First my heat setting were too low with piss poor penetration even though i just welded the same material thickness in the garage albeit new clean material. Think the oxide on the boat t-top had a big play in that... Regardless I cranked up the heat and poured into it. Had to grind it, and i hate grinding. Just had to get the boat out in the water today.
The best part is i started to tig these cracks in my t-top like a week ago, All my good looking tig welds were of areas that aren't visible! I was running wide open on my lincoln square wave 200. mostly 1/4 to 1/4 inch but I started smoking my torch and decided it wasn't worth burning up my torch up and it finally gave me an excuse to buy a spool gun for my 300 amp mig.
realizations of the day:
-Mig aluminum is a pain in the ass, especially when its dirty, out of posistion, over head, and in the wind.
Two things i feel good about is:
1.)It's done
2.)It's the ugliest welds on the boat but just barely. Payed some guy 3 years ago to weld a crack on the boat t-top whose been welding for 30 years. The shit he layed down (spoolgun) was a sin. Now i know what he had to deal with and go through as far as welding outdoors and body posistioning so i don't feel as bad.
Willow, that is exactly how 90% of the "first times" or "homeowners" or "small shops" (who "can" weld aluminum but don't do it every day goes..... I typically use a little sandblaster gun (just like on that most recent transmission welding video) - it REALLY helps deep clean the metal no matter what condition it was in... also everybody things a spool gun is like a magic wand and had magic powers... Professionals who build parts out of aluminum for decades have been using clean aluminum and pulse mig technology .... unless you experience it first hand you would not believe how much of a difference it really makes... and as far as adjusting the settings .... with a spool gun you can unfortunately only adjust wire speed (in 99% of the cases at least) and with the new synergic machines there is a way to adjust both, wire speed and voltage together, I will make another video on that soon.....
thank you for sharing your experience
mini sand blaster is genius! how come i didnt think of it?!? actually have one lol. well theres always next time. Boats in the water and fixed, and what a beautiful day it was out on the water.
I want to see an aluminum magnet next.
Bigfoot has one... he drives it around in the back of his Ford 6.0 Diesel pick up with 800k miles on it - original motor, never repaired no rebuilds... LOL you find bigfoot - you find that aluminum magnet
ZILA Bwahahahaha finding Bigfoot is more believable than
Finding that 6.0.
Easy on the 6.0...I drive one
Jeremy, its ok - we all learn some lessons the hard way ... LOL i had a 6.0 also .. i bought it in "really good" condition very much below "market value" and it was great for about 4-5000 miles ... and then i sunk 5 grand into it and drove another 2000 miles ..... and then i had another 9g coming up and i was just happy to give it away .... bought a 7.3 IDI then and put a hypermaxx turbo kit on .... that is like the best truck i ever had now ... its all good
ZILA I bought mine with 174,000 miles for 12000....I put 4000 into right after I bought and shes been amazing ever since...coming up on 240,000 miles...its got a few of the "bulletproff" parts but nothing fancy..edge programmer and religious maintenance is all I've done to it....I keep archoil in with 16 quarts of rotella T6. Factory filters all around...and so far no signs of giving up yet