Alum pot metal rod and a torch

[Aerometalworker]

Aaron/Aero-
Are you using Kent's mystery flux or Allstate #? I'm proficient with TIG but I'd like to try my hand at gas welding AL. (A&P since '93)
-Matt

Matt,
I use both, The Allstate # is 35 for the welding flux. I too started with Tig, then graduated to the torch for real professional work on sheet.
-Aaron

[MR.57]

Aaron/Aero-
Are you using Kent's mystery flux or Allstate #? I'm proficient with TIG but I'd like to try my hand at gas welding AL. (A&P since '93)
-Matt

[FusionKing]

See my previous posts in this thread about that stuff. Either weld it, braze it, or solder it....but stay the heck away from that stuff if you care about the part your working on. The real materials are less expensive anyway.
-Aaron

Now they are falling in love with that crap over at Hobart as well.

Sheesh

Anybody that did much repair learns to hate that junk pretty quick when you have to get it all out to fix it right.

[Aerometalworker]

HTS2000


Looks pretty amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC9d1AroXR4

See my previous posts in this thread about that stuff. Either weld it, braze it, or solder it....but stay the heck away from that stuff if you care about the part your working on. The real materials are less expensive anyway.
-Aaron

[rbertalotto]

HTS2000


Looks pretty amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC9d1AroXR4

[Aerometalworker]

this might be of interest.

http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/consumables/alloys.asp?id=2

although not the site i was looking for so i'll keep looking.

Yeah thats in the family of things to stay away from when doing sheet work or anything that moves. Brazing is normally used for putting in fuel filler necks and other bungs in tanks. 4047 is a great brazing alloy, as is 4043. Just use the old brazing formula flux and away you go.

-Aaron

[fun4now]

this might be of interest.

http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/consumables/alloys.asp?id=2

although not the site i was looking for so i'll keep looking.

[Aerometalworker]

Thanks, guys. Great tips. I'm going to find some al flux. Do you guys suggest using 1100 rod? Or is 4043 good for this old 1948 car?
Thanks again
Little

1100 all the way. 4043 ( and 4047) is actually an old alloy used for brazing believe it or not. Its high silicon content lowers the melting point below most wrought alloys, but it also makes the weld more brittle and unsatisfactory for sheet work. Your nose im guessing is either 2S or 3S as these were the most common at the time for body work, 1100 is the correct rod for it. Good Luck!
-Aaron

[Little]

Thanks, guys. Great tips. I'm going to find some al flux. Do you guys suggest using 1100 rod? Or is 4043 good for this old 1948 car?
Thanks again
Little

[Aerometalworker]

I forgot to add this comment about fluxes.

Be sure to use a WELDING flux, there are many BRAZING fluxes out there for aluminum, and most welding shops dont know there is a difference. Brazing fluxes have either Zinc Chloride or Zinc Flouride in them, these are not good as they alloy with the molten aluminum. Use either Aladdin aluminum WELDING flux, or Kents as posted above. Mix with spring water to a paste, paint the backside of the part (after well cleaned with alcohol) and Tig away, makes a beautiful bead on the back side, also great for tanks. Good Luck!
-Aaron

[Anti-GMAW]

Being the metals so dirty I'd suggest somthing with flux. Flux forming proccesses are generaly better at scavenging garbage out of the weld pool then gas sheilded proccesses. I'd go with makoman1860's suggestion about backing the weld with a flux.

[Aerometalworker]

I got some HTS2000 alum brazing rod. I built up some corrosion on a water pump outlet and it seemed to me to hold well. i tried it on some 18ga 3003 al and had a little less luck, but I think it'll work for small stuff. Now, the trouble is I have an Allard nose cowl with some stress cracks that a guy wants me to try to fix. I don't know what alloy it is. but its been bondoed and sanded to paper thin thickness. I don't think I'd do too well with the tig because its so dirty and thin. Don't want to have to replace the whole piece on the car.
makoman1860, suggestions? You don't like the brazing for small (less than 1") cracks?

I would stay away from that flea market rod especially for stress cracks in sheet. thats exactly the thing I end up re-doing due to the base metal getting brittle and cracking even further. The torch works perfectly for this kind of work with just the right flux, your normal tig rod, and some practice. Check out Kents site at www.tinmantech.com for details and pictures. If you try to tig it either backpurge or use a backing flux, otherwise youve lost some of your metal thickness to oxidation. Have fun!!
-Aaron

[Little]

I got some HTS2000 alum brazing rod. I built up some corrosion on a water pump outlet and it seemed to me to hold well. i tried it on some 18ga 3003 al and had a little less luck, but I think it'll work for small stuff. Now, the trouble is I have an Allard nose cowl with some stress cracks that a guy wants me to try to fix. I don't know what alloy it is. but its been bondoed and sanded to paper thin thickness. I don't think I'd do too well with the tig because its so dirty and thin. Don't want to have to replace the whole piece on the car.
makoman1860, suggestions? You don't like the brazing for small (less than 1") cracks?

[fun4now]

yep , thats about where its best suited i would think. they do make some prity impressive claims but i think i would only use it like ya said quick nonstructural fixes.

[aametalmaster]

Thanks guys, i wouldn't trade my spoolgun in for it, but i have seen some parts fixed with it that looked good. Nothing structrual just junk castings...Bob