[TheForge] Re: cleaning up aluminum for welding

[Peter Fels and Phoebe Palmer]

At 11:04 PM 12/21/01, you wrote:
>Mark

Lye and Al are a bad combo. Use  aggressive solvents. Gas welding Aluminum 
used to be common practice but takes a lot of practice..it goes real fast. 
Blue carpenter's chalk turns white just before it melts. Back up the area 
with a fitted piece of copper to guard against slumping. There is a nasty 
flux that helps..think Antiborax Co makes it. Use a small tip at low 
pressure and hold the flame vertical. Stir the puddle around with the rod 
to break the oxide skin. V out the weld and scrape the surface just before 
welding...NO OIL residue.
They may have given you Al solder...which is OK but melts at a much lower 
temp...would explain the lack of flux...Don't V the weld much for solder.
If it is irreplaceable, I'd clean and prep the weld and take it to someone 
who has a TIG .
Pete

> >>> What is the best way or method for cleaning up aluminum before
> >>> welding,
>
> >> Xylol, xylene, acetone.
>
> > Also denatured alcohol
>
>I have a little Al welding job to do and there's nobody around that I
>trust to do it.  I have a Black & Decker grinder, vintage about 1925,
>with an all cast aluminum body.  Finally had to replace the original
>power cord and broke part of the hand grip.  It had been broken
>long ago and welded.  The weld partially broke long ago and the break
>is dirty.  Part of the break is new and clean.
>
>Local advice is to torch weld it with some odd looking rod (of which I
>was given a couple of pieces), no flux, neutral to reducing flame.
>
>I've never done this.  The part is irreplaceable.  Any advice from
>someone who's done this?  I don't have MIG or TIG.
>
>Is there any reason why lye in hot water would be bad as a degreaser for
>aluminum?  It works great on iron.
>
>- Mike
>
>---
>Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada
>
>mspencer@tallships.ca
>http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/
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