Aluminum is among the top choices when it comes to welding. The challenge with aluminum welding is the speed at which the metal gets heated up. If the torch lingers at the welding point even slightly longer, you can end up damaging your workpiece. However, there are some tips that can make your aluminum welding project easy. It is good to make sure that you make this job even better.

The magnesium metal is the best to weld with the Tungsten Inert Gas or TIG process. It is a favorite welding technique for most experienced welders in California. However, most of them find it difficult to control the welding puddle in the initial days. Laying down something that appears to be a weld can also be challenging for the novice welders. That is why you need to learn a few tips that will help you weld aluminum materials. Some of them include;

• Understand Your Metal

Aluminum metals have high thermal conductivity properties and this means that the heat will want to spread all over the metal. When welding on aluminum materials, unlike TIG, you should know that the traveling speed will be higher.

The aluminum metal is porous and has a melting point of 1,222 F. Even though it is the most abundant metal on the face of the earth, it does not, in nature, occur as a metallic form. Instead, it is an ore that is referred to as Bauxite. Therefore, it is important to understand the welding properties of this metal before you begin to work on it. This is the only way that you will get the best results from the aluminum welding project.

• Wire Brush

You need to wire brush aluminum material using a brass or copper wire brush. The process helps in breaking up and removing the oxide layer. However, you should not use steel wire brushes because steel has a tendency of contaminating aluminum materials. Copper wire brushes remain to be the best for breaking up the oxide layer.

As you brush the aluminum material, you will realize that the metal begins to become dull. It is a good indication that some of the oxide layers has started to be broken up. You will be sure that you are on the right path of success with your wire brushing.

One direction brushing tends to have better results as opposed to backward and forward brushing. Therefore, it is good to use this approach when working on the wire brushing of your aluminum welding project. It is one of the things that will guarantee you success in your project.

• Clean Metal

Wipe down filler rod and base material with acetone or denatured alcohol. Aluminum metals are highly sensitive to impurities and hence you need to clean the filler rods even if they are still brand new.

Proper aluminum welding calls for the right set up. Take a close look at the setting of your machine such as cup sizes, gas flow, etc. You have to make sure that these settings are correct for your application.

If you are working on steel surfaces as you weld aluminum, you need a smooth and clean table that does not have any metal shavings. Metal shavings may arc the aluminum and lead to burnt marks.

• Torch Angle is Critical

Torch angle is vital because the filler rod should ball up before you even dip and hence you have to make sure that you feed the aluminum filler rod fast. You also need to make sure that the TIC welding torch angle is at 90 degrees or as close to vertical as possible. This step is crucial in making sure that you are getting a perfect weld.

• Practice

This statement can’t be truer in reality as it sounds. You can become good at welding aluminum by getting a production welding project that involves 80 percent Aluminum TIG welding. You need to constantly tweak with new techniques, tungsten, cups, cleaning options, and frequency. Watching the puddle and nit your tungsten is the most helpful technique when welding Aluminum.

Even though aluminum welding may appear to be overwhelming at first, you will be changing one thing at a time. Just take a deep breath of some fresh air in case you get frustrated along the way and continue welding. You will become a master in what you are doing within no time.

• Pre-Heating

If you apply heat on aluminum materials too fast, it has the tendency of distorting. Therefore, before you begin to weld, make sure you pre-heat the metal a bit. Pre-heating normally eases the metal piece into the extreme heat that it will suffer from the blowtorch. This will keep the distortion at the bare minimum. It is one of the best techniques that will guarantee you success during metal welding.

• Move Quickly

Aluminum has a low melting point and hence you should never linger at one spot and burn and melt through the job. It is something that will more likely happen with aluminum welding. With this in mind, you should never stop when working with a burning torch.

• Join Perfectly

When working on steel welding, you can easily fill in the gaps between the pieces that you are welding if there are any. However, things are a bit different when you are welding aluminum materials. The reason is that you have to pay extra attention by fitting the aluminum pieces together as tightly as possible before welding them together. It will make sure that there is no possibility of a gap remaining between the pieces.

• MIG or TIG Welder

The TIG welding technique is mostly used to weld aluminum pieces. However, most welders in California also use MIG to weld aluminum because of the cost that is associated with TIG welding. However, welding aluminum using MIG is more expensive. It is wise to go for professionals who know when to use the TIG or MIG welding technique. The most important thing is to make sure that you are getting the desired results.

• Use Argon

Argon is the gas of choice for welding aluminum material pieces. However, there are times when a mixture of Helium and Argon are preferred. The secret is knowing when to use which gas during aluminum welding. You will not go wrong if you on-board the right experts for your aluminum welding project.

• Uncontaminated Electrode

You should work with a clean tungsten electrode all the time. Replace a contaminated electrode as soon as you detect the contamination. It is the best way to enhance the quality of your weld. It is very unprofessional to work with a contaminated weld.

These aluminum welding tips will give you a great idea on the best starting point when dealing with aluminum welding. Even a customer needs to know all these things before entrusting someone with his or her aluminum welding project. Therefore, these tips are not only a reserve of aluminum welding professionals. As long as you pay attention to the special attention that aluminum requires, you will not find it hard to weld any aluminum project. If you are a customer, make sure you get someone who has experience in Aluminum Welding to work on the project.

From our offices in California, Aluminum Welding serves households and businesses in Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange County. We offer a broad range of metal fabrication services to our esteemed customers. Contact us today to learn the kind of services that you can get from us.

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