ReplyWelcome to the forum steve
Solderer
Any advise for welding 3/32” anodized 6061 lap joint to another piece of same spec.. Would you attempt without sanding through anodized surface? Thanks very much
Master Welder
Welcome to the forum steve
WeldingWeb Tradesman
look up "bump welding".
WeldingWeb Foreman
Welcome aboard Steve
If you wanted to sand the very beginning of your weld to break through the anodized you could and it should run smooth after.
WeldingWeb Journeyman
When possible I clear the anodizing from the weld area with non woven discs.Use the finest grain and there is a very small amount of scratches visible after painting weld with silver paint.
I'd have to be weird,To grow me a beard,Just to see what the rednecks would do
WeldingWeb Artisan
+1 That's the way I've done it.Originally Posted by tweake
Not sure, but I've heard sanding (especially with alum oxide paper) can embed the abrasive in the alum and cause contamination...
WeldingWeb Foreman
I will agree that sanding doesn't seem to help with the welding of anodized... or maybe I didn't sand deep enough.
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Master Welder
How did the weld turn out on that tiggatoo?
WeldingWeb Journeyman
Pretty good,let the puddle wander too far into a few of the unbrushed areasSorry I don't have a pic of finished weld.
I think this method works well for thin material,it lessens the heat effects a bump technique creates under the adjoining area.
I'd have to be weird,To grow me a beard,Just to see what the rednecks would do
WeldingWeb Journeyman
I also carefully wire brush the area cleaned with the non woven pads. Non wovens don't leave much embedded contaminates ,but even the finest can ,especially in soft material like aluminum.
I'd have to be weird,To grow me a beard,Just to see what the rednecks would do
WeldingWeb Journeyman
No sanding or painting.
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WeldingWeb Foreman
I’ve got a bunch of thin walled aluminum tubing that I scrapped from a couple of walkers, and a shower chair. The finish is very matte, I think it’s hard anodized, is there a difference between Hard anodized, and “regular” anodized aluminum? I’m trying to determine if I should keep it or not.
I think it may be too thin for the bump weld technique, I kept it thinking that I could sand the finish off, however I’ve gotten contamination issues with the flap wheel, and the material is already pretty thin. It’s just scrap for practice, so if there’s an effective solution to removing the anodization, I’d love to hear it. I don’t need to preserve any of the properties of the anodization.
I’ll have to look for those wheels that look like scotch-brite, I would’ve never guessed that they being plastic could remove something as hard as aluminum oxide.
Last edited by Mmock4; 06-25-2018 at 08:05 PM.
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WeldingWeb Foreman
Nicely done Warren.
You don't have to grind, brush or whatever you want to call it to break through any anodized to begin with.
The old shop I used to work at, we'd run 245 to 260 and just roll with it. That was all on schedule 40 anodized pipe. The manager wants to bump and I'd just roll traditionally. Its all in what method you prefer to do.
Look up martin marine design to see the most perfect anodized welding around, period.
