Aluminum Body..........

[willieworld]

Hey Sum

Don't let them scare you buddy. Here's a piece of .050 out of my scrap pile that is greasy that I welded together. When I get a chance I'll get a beer can and weld it together, thats .005.

willie buchta 349b

[Sumner]

Sum,
I guess that I'll just be opposite here as I would not use  the.050 I would go with the .063.

Thanks Rex, but you were a little too late as it was too late to change the order.  I'll make this work and report as usual about the good along with the bad and the ugly.  Looks like Fournier uses the .050 a lot.  I read his gas welding a number of times, but I'll bet it is harder than he makes it out to be.  Have you been successful doing it??  There is just so much control with the tig over the heat and where it is, but I do realize the gas is probably easier to work.

Sum, Design the body so as many panels as possible are flat or curved in one direction .

Thanks John, good points.

Hey Sum

Don't let them scare you buddy. Here's a piece of .050 out of my scrap pile that is greasy that I welded together. When I get a chance I'll get a beer can and weld it together, that's .005.

willie buchta 349b

Well Willie the .050 is on the way.  I like this, if it doesn't work I already have someone to blame, guess who  ,

c ya

Sum

[Rex Schimmer]

Sum,
I have gas welded 3003 even without the special blue goggles the trick is a real soft flame, 3-4 psi on the O2 and 1-2 on the acetalene. I didn't practice alot but as I said I will before I do my car. As far as the material thickness goes the .050 will be fine! I just prefer the .063.

I was taught gas welding alum. by Don Borth, now that guy could gas weld aluminum!!! when he was done the bead was flat and the two pieces looked like they just flowed into each other. Man I miss Don. He hated English wheels did everything with a big Yoder hammer. He had 3 of them and lots of special tools for each one. As I have told before Don did most of the Challenger body and I think he did some on the Golden Rod also.

Be sure to make each seam as perfect a fit to each other as possible, do lots of tack welds and DO NOT USE "GAP" ROD!! When you try to fill in aluminum with weld it makes a real mess on the inside. Don't try to tack to panels together starting in the middle, the heat will just make one panel go one way the the other the opposite!!

Rex

[Sumner]

Sum,
I have gas welded 3003 even without the special blue goggles the trick is a real soft flame, 3-4 psi on the O2 and 1-2 on the acetalene. I didn't practice alot but as I said I will before I do my car. As far as the material thickness goes the .050 will be fine! I just prefer the .063.

I was taught gas welding alum. by Don Borth, now that guy could gas weld aluminum!!! when he was done the bead was flat and the two pieces looked like they just flowed into each other. Man I miss Don. He hated English wheels did everything with a big Yoder hammer. He had 3 of them and lots of special tools for each one. As I have told before Don did most of the Challenger body and I think he did some on the Golden Rod also.

Be sure to make each seam as perfect a fit to each other as possible, do lots of tack welds and DO NOT USE "GAP" ROD!! When you try to fill in aluminum with weld it makes a real mess on the inside. Don't try to tack to panels together starting in the middle, the heat will just make one panel go one way the the other the opposite!!

Rex

You using a henrob or a normal gas torch??

Sum

[interested bystander]

Some more tips on gas welding aluminum. .050 is thinnest to do easy, although back when I could see. I welded up an .032/.040 seat- cain't do it now.

3003 best for fabrication, especially when forming (planishing) will be done- hard to weld a 90 degree fillet, Forniers (sp?) books are great. Use 1100 alloy rod, or the parent metal. If you DO gas weld 6061 use 4043 rod.

Gas welds do not harden close to the joint as heliarc and make hammering seams flat an easy deal.

Tin Man Tech (look up on net)   has EVERTHING you need, including  instructional videos and sells the correct flux, lenses, torches, etc..

The cobalt blue lenses are dangerous- especially with blue eyed people- not sure why.

Tin Man's lenses are green like the old Burtweld.

Rex I'm impressed by your welding with conventional lenses- your teacher was one of the best-I'm a Doug Kruse-see Don Ferguson roadsters, Dynoroom new MR, etc. - and Jocko Johnson disciple.

[Sumner]

Thanks for the tips and link guys, I guess I'll have to try the gas. So now why did I buy the tig ,

Sum

[sockjohn]

The .050 is not that easy to form, and the .063 is gonna be tough. Welding it is not that tough . . . if you have the knack.

The Knack

3003 .050 is .778 lbs per sq ft., .063 .923 lbs per sq ft.

Something against fiberglass or carbon?

Had to send that link to my dad!

There are some that are of the opinion that if you wreck, at least if you made the body of aluminum, nobody has to spend forever picking up shards of shredded fiberglass.

That and it smells 

I've never worked sheet metal like that, so going to be a tough call for me.  At least I know where to ask if I booger it all up.

[rustyT]

Sum
I will take that crappy tig off your hands cheap I will even come get it,you dont have to deliver.
                                              Phil.

[Rex Schimmer]

Sum,
You bought the TIG becasue you want to be able to weld "neatly"! Looking at your latest TIG welds and it is looking like you are getting the knack! and you can still do aluminum. Lots of "tin men" only use TIG on alum, Ron Covel for one and he is one of the best around today.

I have never tried a Henrob set up but have watched several at car meets and have really considered buying one. You can't have to many tools!

Rex

[rustyT]

Sum.
If you want to try a Henrod,I have one with all the different tips and gizmos that come with it,let me know.The little bit that I have used it,its worked very well.Talk to you soon.
   Later,Phil.

[Sumner]

Sum.
If you want to try a Henrod,I have one with all the different tips and gizmos that come with it,let me know.The little bit that I have used it,its worked very well.Talk to you soon.
   Later,Phil.

That sounds good.  I have to decide if I want to spend the $125 on the shade to gas weld aluminum.  Rex which one do you use and were could I find some into on Ron using the tig for panels?  I did a google without much luck.

Phil I'm thinking of coming over a week from Friday and see if while I'm over there Dart can make the drive-shaft for Shaun's Z car.  We finished the rear transmission mount and are almost done with the other front mount.  Good luck at the auction this weekend.

c ya,

Sum

[willieworld]

doesnt gas welding take much more heat and warp the panel more than the tig welder  maybe someone could post some pics of the gas welding and i will try to duplicate it with the tig and we could get a fair comparison i would  suggest a 6 in butt weld of 050 any takers       willie buchta

[mkilger]

I have a new Miller 350p welder its a pluse welder brand new from Miller state of the art. It will replace the tig in a few years, I have welded  20 gauge Aluminum with it hammerd the hell out of it on my Yoder it came out nice. There like a mig but its not a spoll gun. The welder knows the gauge that you are welding and adj the heat as you weld. The weld look just like tig and gos though all the way to the back side of the panel. Go to a welding show and try one. Some one told me that Miller may be this years bonneville sponsor lets hope so.

[Sumner]

doesnt gas welding take much more heat and warp the panel more than the tig welder  maybe someone could post some pics of the gas welding and i will try to duplicate it with the tig and we could get a fair comparison i would  suggest a 6 in butt weld of 050 any takers       willie buchta

If you are going to work your tig welds, keep forming the panel more, can they be annealed to make them softer. Or do you not find the welds to be a problem??  Are you welding both sides when possible??  Are you filing them flat??  How about a demo??

If you get one of the metal working books out there most of the guys gas weld their body work up to .063 thickness and it looks like the trick is the right size tip, the flux, very little pressure like Rex mentioned and the right lens to see the puddle through the glow coming off of the flux.  A negative seems to be cleaning up the flux.

c ya,

Sum

[doug odom]

Sum, Our streamliner was built by Don Nuss of Redwood Welding service in Crescent City, Ca. He uses a spool gun. I think it is more the Indian than the Arrow. Try and find what works best for you. I have all the trick gas welding supplys and still do better with the TIG.
One thing I did learn. I would be welding just fine and then it would turn ugly. I would get mad and just walk away. Go to the house, eat dinner and clean up and go back to the shop and weld great. Then the next day it would happen again sometimes. Drove me nuts. Then one day a real welder guy came by and I was asking him what was my problem. He looked at it and said " Do you have the door to the shop open in the day time and closed at night"? Of course I did, so that little bit of air flowing through the shop was messing up the gas flow to the weld. I would have never thought of that.
 Doug Odom in big ditch