I'm TIG welding 6061 T6 aluminum. The question I have is the heat affected zone around the weld, I get kind of a white discoloration (haz)around the weld. I do not want to mechanically remove this because of the scratches that wire brushing or scotch brite leave behind. Is there a chemical solution or other ways to clean this? I'm fabricating aluminum motorcycle stands and the finish is important.
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Aluminum welding finish
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The white area next to the weld is actually the cleaning zone. The electrode positive side of the AC cleans or chips the oxides off the aluminum. The cleaning sone is larger than the weld bead. By turning up the balance control, this area will be reduced. The Dynasty machine with extended balance control can just about eliminate it. You may be able to try some alumaclean. Distributors usually carry some sort of aluminum cleaner but I'm not sure how well it works on the cleaning zone area.
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