TFS: How to Bridge Gaps and Holes on Thin Aluminum
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- By very popular request, we created a video dedicated to bridging gaps on thin aluminum based on the episode all about filling gaps on thin metal (steel). While this gap may be a bit extreme as shown, the techniques demonstrated to control it still hold true.
Special thanks to Blue Demon Welding for sending out a ton of filler rod used in this episode. Check out the link below to pick up some cool Blue Demon products we regularly use!
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As a sheet metal worker I've come across this situation countless times. Love your instructions and disgust! The reality of working in a ceiling with 12" of space to crawl through to get to the weld area... you are a breathe of real world application. Thks
More close ups of the finished weld would be great. I know you got a close look, it would be great to show that to the viewers too. Nice job, I enjoy your teaching style. Very nice.
Want to thank you for giving me hope where before I was hopeless. Yesterday and today were my first TIG aluminum attempts, and the gap bridging was really hard. It turns out that the techniques I stumbled on were pretty much what you showed, with similar results. So, onwards I go.
@@2000jago Good point. This video was so long ago I had completely forgotten it.
I've been welding for 35 years! And your right ! Gaps are hard to weld !
I know this channel is more of a auto fab channel, but this is pertinent to a lot of metal fab shop and manufacturing applications. I’ve received aluminum parts with 3/16”-1/4” gaps because the press machine was goofy, or the laser cutter fucked up. You just have to know how to do these gaps. Great content as always.
I live in the real world of working for the government, sometime our budget doesn't allow us to buy material and well we have to use what we have. This was great. For us it's about functionality. I try to make it look good, that's pride, but in a case we're I could learn this it could really be helpful and get us out of a pinch! Good stuff brother. God bless and thank you
Dude thank you so much for sharing all this tech info. I just bought my first ac/dc machine and am learning so much more from you than from my dad that works at ingersol rand. A welding company!
Don't be shy, give us a close up hehehe ;)
same thing I was thinking.
I wanna see the inside 👀
Been welding for 40 years but only just taken up tig.
Thanks for the in site, very similar to how I've filled with stick on steel. Won't be trying what you just done any time soon thought, I don't have anywhere near your level of control yet. Keep the videos coming please, they are a great help !
Neil upshall give it a shot you’d be surprised with some patience what you can do
This was very helpful. I don't have a lot of skills or knowledge of tig welding aluminum but want to learn. I recently had a repair of a driveline for my cousin and interestingly enough, the tube pretty close to what you were showing. I struggled a lot getting it fixed for him but would have benefited a lot had I seen this prior to the work.
Thanks for sharing.
Any way you could put a PIP with the pedal, would be sweet to see what your doing with foot/amps
awesome video and great explanation! the only times i have ever experienced a gap THIS large is usually when im tasked to fix a part that has chipped out a nasty gap and it has to be welded to fit something specifically, thus i had to close it. never pretty but sometimes it happens!
Watching this made me feel much better about the job I did with thin (0.040) aluminum large gap bridging that I did on a project.
When i was a high pressure gas pipeline welder, their were many time you could not get the ideal spacing for a full pen weld on fix tie in welds.. I have dealt with extreme HI Low and wide gaps. All the welds had to meet API 1104 or ASME Pressure Vessel codes. All where subject to ex-ray evaluation. The bridge technique you used iI employed several times although the gap was not the extreme you used. I also had to use this on hot tie-ins were the natural gas was set on fire in the welding gap and then it was welded shut. I used this technique with SAMW, GMAW and FLux Core arc welding. This technique was used in horizontal and vertical.
Thats a massive gap, if it ever happened id cut a filler piece with it being that wide like 3/4”
I could basically fill up to a 1/4” gap, after that its a start over kinda thing
I would never bridge a gap like that with only filler. But he is demonstrating the point very well.
Too much time wasted on filling a huge gap like that. Cut a patch, fit it in , tack and weld and dress it off. Excellent video though.
Thanks for the great videos they really help beginners like me. You make everything look so darn easy!
Good info. I learned in my early years while stick welding that there are times for the extremes, but I also learned that there are lots of places between the extremes that one can be to get the weld right. God knows that even today I am impatient and put down some fugly welds... but they hold (I am not going to compromise on that aspect). If I may be honest I think that MIG welding has made me sloppier; I still prefer stick (though it is slower to put down). That being that, thanks for sharing.
You are a blessing to the world.
I have gone over some of my welds with a pulse setting high amps on pulse and around 30% off it almost gives u that stack of dimes effect
I do that too, not crazy on perfection, but I want my welds to look good if I can help it. Except I don’t change settings just pedal pulse over the weld and it looks good 😅
Came here looking for a how to on plugging holes, I didn't find recently that but good info that I can apply and enjoyed the video. Thanks
Cool info, I even learned a bit about what frequencies do to the puddle! But my welders an old transformer, so.......60htz it is!!
Way better than I could have done, man.
Hammered and home from the bar. Time to watch some TFS 🤘
Glad you made it home safe.
My first attempts at welding intercooler tubing progressed to that good after a couple of weeks. I was new at tig with a diversion 165 {no extra knobs to change}. Slightly better now.
I just welded up some aluminum radiator tubing last night and was fighting it non stop. First aluminum I’d welded all year and definitely wish I had seen this first because the gap wasn’t very big when I started...
Some serious skill here.
Real life situation welding love it dude. Grind it perfect 👍🙏🙏
That’s how I weld giant gaps with the mig, ofc what I do doesn’t have to be nothing near perfect because I’m building grills out of old natural gas tanks but if I have a 1/2 gap or 1in gap I’ll start to layer up on the sides closing up the gap till I get to the point where I can weld the 2 together
I love your channel but if I could, a little constructive criticism? I’ve come across this a few times when watching your videos. When you said “if you have to clinch it, then clinch it.” My problem with this, is you’re assuming everyone knows what that means. I have no idea what that is and I weld nearly every day at work. Of course you can’t explain every word you use, but I would say stuff like that wouldn’t take but a second or two to reference what you mean. Thanks man! Keep up the amazing work!
Thanks for all your detailed videos.
I would have liked to see some close up shots of the weld. Also a shot of the inside of the tube. But as always good video
When has anyone said "I will fill in this hole and it will be a work of art!!"
A great Technology, that I have got, Thank you so much, I tried to weld Aluminum, Aluminum alloy, cast Aluminum
Engie parts, cylinder head,intake manifold & waterpump, Engine parts more expensive in ETHIOPIA, so that I will doing business in welding, the problem is How to get A Mig machine, in ETHIOPIA not a good. Genuine mig machine, but only China mig not to work properly. Anyway Thank you so much!!!!! Very good video.
I wanted to see the lump on the inside of the pipe.
🤣🤣 I was screwing up fit-up last night with some .125 wall square tubing. I managed but this video has prepared me for my future failings as an amateur 👍🏻👍🏻
Awesome, I usually stick the filler rod to one side, and then stick it to the other. Then weld over my rod stitches.
l run into breaking off job often, edge building skill are vital.
Great video, explanations, and subject matter!
I would grind it flush just to see how well you put the metal back
Usually when you grind something like that you end up grinding away the base material on the foot or toe of the welds. So then gauge aluminumdon't grind it unless you absolutely has to or the protocol calls for that. just from what I've seen working in a machine shop and also doing structural welding stuff or even airplane part repair welds.
Question if you had some copper backing on inside would it be easier?
Love the analogy of looking like a "cockroach!" LMAO! Still excellent learning experience for me!
This would be a geat place to use the machines pulser, right?
What exactly goes into quenching a piece like this. Is it just water or a specific solution to quench it in? Or am I misunderstanding what that means all together?
ive been learning a lot on your vids man... thanks! you are awesome
What's the inside of that thing look? What do you do about built-up material on the inside? That's main argument for not doing this method. I've proven it several times before, you end up with a big clump of melted snot blocking the flow.If you're lucky enough to have access to said clump, it'll take you another 30 minutes to grind it all off with a die grinder. Any tips or advice?
awesome =) think aluminum has been my nemesis since the first time I picked up a tig torch lol these tips will come in handy =)
Good stuff as always. This is one of my favorite fabrication / welding channels.
However, for us poor, struggling, DIY types working on less cool projects; do you have any tips on welding up old lawnmower decks that have been worn thin by way of abrasion (mostly) and some corrosion? John Deere wants almost $600 for the bare deck alone. Seems pretty steep for a steel stamping.
I only have a transformer MIG welder (Airco Dip Pak 150 bought new decades ago) and cannot seem to find a combination that doesn't blow holes thru the material. In addition to voltage / wire feed gymnastics, I've tried copper block backing to absorb excess heat, sandwiching the holes with sheetmetal and way too much colorful language. No joy on all counts. Currently only have .030 wire and tips, but considering .025 as an experiment. Never had any trouble welding new 14 ga. steel tubing so long as I kept moving at a good pace. Guess deck around wounded areas is less than a millimeter or so. Would TIG allow for possible success due to more control of heat being applied? Would love to try TIG, but there is that darn money thing again. Thanks.
You need to either cut out the thin pieces and butt weld it little by little or just throw a patch on it and a few small welds. Or maybe just fabricate a new deck since your going through the trouble anyways.
At my old job i had to weld 18 gauge to 12 gauge with .035 wire. Its doable.
@@2BFabrications Thanks for the feedback. I did cut considerable material around the hole in search of thicker metal and got to something I thought doable. Still had issues, but probably more operator than machine. I finally did much the same as you suggested and at least closed the breach, but it is a butt ugly fix. Resigned myself to the fact that form following function is the reality here. Probably try a gas torch and brazing next time around, if need be. . Plan on selling the property and once sold, the mower is no longer an issue. Again, thanks for taking the time to offer up a solution.
Good info! Nice video and welder choice!
I wish the inside of the pipe had been shown afterwards. They often come out ugly, and sometimes helpful hints carry over into how to clean them up. Obviously, in automotive, it's not a good idea to use abrasive media on the inside as it embeds in the aluminum and comes out later through heat and vibration. Sometimes I've had luck running a holesaw through a straight pipe if it is short, but other times it's just a carbide bur on a flex coupler. I was wondering if you had any neat tricks to share?
What you are calling bad looking welds would be a great wild for me, that just shows you how badly I really weld but I keep practicing
I would actually stand those 2 pieces on end and build up the sections with a edge weld so when You lay them together the gap would be very small.
1 thing i would like to see is welding an fittings or something onto a cast rocker cover. I welding 2 an fitting onto an evo 3 rocker cover a few weeks ago and it was a nightmare.
What is a HLOES
How about a shot of the finished weld...
Real life stuff lol many times ive had to do this great video
With a mig on thin steel I would use a copper spatula. Is it there a role for a spatula on tig?
How do I set up the 200 ahp yellow one for welding aluminum charge pipes just like that one
Maybe not to you, but I thought that was excellent and very informative! Thanks for the vid!
Haven’t been welding as long as you, but I would have put something inside to pat my beads on.
Thanks Mike
If it's a long tube that's not an option
for repair work that is great knowledge.
I'll take any tips on aluminum I can get I run a older Lincoln 250 no fancy settings so I like to see down a dirty welding
I have some aluminum fan louvers 8 to be exact. They are all bent in a 3/8 inch deep 3 inch wide x 36 inches long box pattern. Originally they came with some sort of hollow hinge that looks like a rivet. They each hang at the top one above the next and open when the fan comes on. Years went by and all 16 holes wallowed all the way through to the edge. This is 1mm thick aluminum. Do you think its worth trying to fix the holes, maybe reinforce them with thicker aluminum or trash the thing and get a new one?
Even with them all fixed some type of hinge will still be needed.
I'll feel good just to get it functional lol. Practice makes perfect , right , maybe. You just have that let me sell you a car voice. Great job instructing.
Scared to put band clamps on my thin aluminum exhaust
Every tig welder has spent some time dressing fugly welds that's what motivates you to a higher skill level
this is a huge help!
Can I do this to stainless steel 304 tube, 0.5mm thick?
Would of been nice to show your amps in the corner somewhere, just to see how you operate your pedal. Not sure about others but would of been beneficial for me at least.
I usually weld hot and heavy on aluminum and slow and steady on thin steel
Would you then grind that down to a nice surface?
That is the kind of weld that you do when your 30 feet up on scaffolding, and no one will see. The NASA Welders do TIG outdoors and in the wind, I would like to see that matched.
They don't have to pay for their own gas, I bet!
If someone brought a gap like that to me I would suggest trimming the ends for a good fitment, and a non-fugly weld. People see a ulgy weld and think damn I should have taken it to someone else. They have NO IDEA what they asked of you.
Great how down to earth you are - it ain't pretty but sometimes you gotta do it
Good to know that's the method I've developed over the years. Nothing that big though hahaha if you have to fill holes that big your fit up needs practice😉
great video , very real life situation
have to , makes a hard master.
*It looked pretty fucking amazing to me.*
would have liked to see the inside of the pipe
Good.
14:10 Seriously, who hasn't done that more than a few times to try to pretty up the mess.... I lost count.
Thanks
Obviously you need a foot pedal that is capable of offering that much control. I have one that the heel is steady and you rock your foot forward, very hard to do what you do. Am looking at getting a better foot pedal like yours.
I can’t even believe you filled that in… Lmao that wasn’t a gap it was the Grand Canyon…😂
Too hard on yourself. Most of our welds are good. Some bad days are really bad. That job on its best day will never win any beauty awards
Good to try in a jam, but a gap over 1/4" and 1 inch long in something that thin, i would cut a piece to go in the crack, on a repair... even a hole 1/2" it's too easy to cut a piece to fill the gap.. great challenge though, to learn control... learn what the base will do before it does it.... i have a challenge for you... take a steel 2" or there abouts thin wall tubing .083 slide an thin wall aluminum tube in it barely snug. Now lock them together by welding using alu wire...
I used to build and repair Ali dinghies(small boats). Repairing some salty old sea dog's corroded corrupted baby was the source of many-a headache and choice words.
What size pipe was that and why you didn't have the pipe purged
its tubing not pipe and why would you waist the time and money on purging when you're working on a test piece with a giant gap
why would you purge ally? titanium and Stainless steel yes.
From my 30 + years in the trade that was OK. .been there. .but for a customer ya do what we do little grinding and hit it with a pretty pass. . Realistically you would have had a better fit up, but shity gaps are a thing from time to time.
Loved the vid
Great job
That would not have been easy to fill
I always think that poor demos are more important than best ones, i didn't try yet but i will and want to know what will go bad .
I dont expect a lot of beauty when filling gap anyway. I'd just be happy that it didnt turn into hot snot.
I have a question did you look inside the test piece and inspect your weld for uniformity?I know you said this was your first time doing this and you would not put this on a customers car but inside should look as even as the outside.
I love filling aluminum hloes.
What's a hloes?
If the hollywood boffins ever make a movie/TV series of Tintin .You need to apply to be Tintin .Would also pay to borrow a small white dog for the audition.
idea for future video welding upside down or other bad directions
Vids are always great .
But why is your thumbnail all spelled wrong
It gets peoples attention which makes them want to comment immediately without skipping the ad which results in TFS getting a few extra pennies for our time 😁.
Of course it would have looked a lot better on the inside if there were backup gas present and possibly a little bit easy-er.
What's your thought on the push button and pulse settings???
I dont use either.
@@TheFabricatorSeries
Lol dammit.. I wish you would..
@@chipsammich2078 Pulse has been a function that interferes with my welding style, and I firmly believe it's more of a crutch to most people in that most people.use it to compensate for inability to lay it down the first time. Granted there are legitimate uses for pulse, but I rarely use it.
Theres a lot of buttons/switches/rheostat setups out there that I cant get to all.of them, but at the end of the day - they basically make your welding style. It's up to you to learn and run it as you have it. I'll dig into this in the future.
@@TheFabricatorSeries
Your 100% right.. and that's why I use it.. I've learned to weld all the wrong ways being self taught taking short cuts.. With Tig my plan was to start from scratch and learn right but I find myself using the shortcuts.. I need to just start over lose the easieness of Mig and just start over.
Shame you didn’t show close up of the finished weld at all stages so we could see what it actually looked like. All we could do is take your word of how good or bad it was.
You can see it as it was welded and a good or bad weld is not based on looks. It never is. The point of it all is you shouldnt be doing it, but if you had to - here's a procedure to tackle it. You can't base your opinion of this procedure off of what it looked like at the end. If you did, you'd be out to make decorations and decorations famously fail.