ReplyI've used about 3 or 4 of the aluminum rods before. The thing I was working on was pretty nasty and no good way to get to it to clean it up so the results didn't look so good but it did hold. I wouldn't put a lot of faith in it though.
WeldingWeb Tradesman
I saw on the licoln electric website ( http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/consumableseries.asp?browse=104|2352| ) that they make a rod for using DC+ to weld aluminum, it is an E4043.
Has anyone ever done this? I have never TIG welded and I don't know anyone who has one but a good friend of mine has an AC/DC stick machine that I could use. I would use mine but it's an AC buzzbox.
WeldingWeb Artisan
I've used about 3 or 4 of the aluminum rods before. The thing I was working on was pretty nasty and no good way to get to it to clean it up so the results didn't look so good but it did hold. I wouldn't put a lot of faith in it though.
Dewayne
Dixieland Welding
MM350P
Lincoln 100
Some torches
Other misc. tools
WeldingWeb Craftsman
It works, it sticks. Isn't pretty, I don't trust it, never will.
WeldingWeb Journeyman
I did a couple repair jobs with aluminum stick a long time ago. Didn't look particularly beautiful but to the best of my knowledge (nobody called and said it had failed) it held OK.
IIRC it required some pretty good preheat to keep it from looking like turkeys had been roosting over it and you had to really haul to keep the arc down to a usable length. It melts back FAST and, even on preheated stock it freezes almost instantly. Only bright spot was that it was "watery" enough to flow out fairly well. I can't imagine trying to run it out of position.
WeldingWeb Craftsman
I've done it a few times, and the end result looked a lot like spray MIG on a few inside corner joints. It does burn FAST, as in, I could barely keep enough rod in the joint moving as fast as possible, yet alone worry about my arc length. Would I ever do it again if I had any other option? No way.
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