I've got a lot of 6061 scrap 1/2 inch thick and larger. I make a fair
amount of shop parts out of the scrap. The tool racks on three of my
machines are the "good" side up of lots of 1/2 inch scrap as are the
shelf brackets under them. Often for a small part for my own use I'll
spend 20 minutes going through my scrap to pick a piece for the job.
Anyway, I've got shelves, boxes, and atleast one cart full of failed job scraps.

I would use more of it if I felt comfortable welding anything that thick.

All of it is to thick for me to be able to weld easily. The thickest
aluminum I have ever welded is 3/8 and it took me several tries. Lots
of preheat made it happen. From what I have read it seems I can "learn
to" weld that thicker stock with a small percentage of helium in the gas
mix. I probably will not do enough of it to justify buying a helium
bottle and setting up a mixing rig. I was thinking maybe to buy another
bottle and get some premixed. My concern is that Helium is a very small molecule. I'm consider that if I have a bottle sitting there for a
couple years between projects all the helium will ooze out leaving me
with a bottle of nearly pure argon. Is this a real concern?



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On 2/1/2022 10:07 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

I've got a lot of 6061 scrap 1/2 inch thick and larger.  I make a fair amount of shop parts out of the scrap.  The tool racks on three of my machines are the "good" side up of lots of 1/2 inch scrap as are the
shelf brackets under them.  Often for a small part for my own use I'll
spend 20 minutes going through my scrap to pick a piece for the job.
Anyway, I've got shelves, boxes, and atleast one cart full of failed job scraps.

I would use more of it if I felt comfortable welding anything that thick.

All of it is to thick for me to be able to weld easily.  The thickest aluminum I have ever welded is 3/8 and it took me several tries.  Lots
of preheat made it happen.  From what I have read it seems I can "learn
to" weld that thicker stock with a small percentage of helium in the gas mix.  I probably will not do enough of it to justify buying a helium
bottle and setting up a mixing rig.  I was thinking maybe to buy another bottle and get some premixed.  My concern is that Helium is a very small molecule.  I'm consider that if I have a bottle sitting there for a
couple years between projects all the helium will ooze out leaving me
with a bottle of nearly pure argon.  Is this a real concern?

Hey Richard,

I used spool gun/mig for the 3/8 (9.5 mm nominal) I successfully welded
in the past. Like I said. Lots of preheat. Would have been better if
I could have had somebody hold a rosebud on it while I was welding.

12KW input would be just above the limit of my 50 amp (235V measured
under load) supply circuit. I could probably do it (power not the weld)
for short duration, because those breakers do not trip instantly at
peak. If I recall the specs say the welder I have should be connected to
a 65 amp circuit, but the factory molded plug supplied is a 50 amp plug.
I have to assume they mean hardwired into a 65 amp disconnect switch.
Not with the supplied plug.

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On 2/2/2022 10:26 AM, Richard Smith wrote:

Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

On 2/1/2022 10:07 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

I've got a lot of 6061 scrap 1/2 inch thick and larger.  I make a
fair amount of shop parts out of the scrap.  The tool racks on three
of my machines are the "good" side up of lots of 1/2 inch scrap as
are the shelf brackets under them.  Often for a small part for my
own use I'll spend 20 minutes going through my scrap to pick a piece
for the job. Anyway, I've got shelves, boxes, and atleast one cart
full of failed job scraps.

I would use more of it if I felt comfortable welding anything that thick. >>>
All of it is to thick for me to be able to weld easily.  The
thickest aluminum I have ever welded is 3/8 and it took me several
tries.  Lots of preheat made it happen.  From what I have read it
seems I can "learn to" weld that thicker stock with a small
percentage of helium in the gas mix.  I probably will not do enough
of it to justify buying a helium bottle and setting up a mixing
rig.  I was thinking maybe to buy another bottle and get some
premixed.  My concern is that Helium is a very small molecule.  I'm
consider that if I have a bottle sitting there for a couple years
between projects all the helium will ooze out leaving me with a
bottle of nearly pure argon.  Is this a real concern?

Hey Richard,

I used spool gun/mig for the 3/8 (9.5 mm nominal) I successfully
welded in the past. Like I said. Lots of preheat. Would have been
better if I could have had somebody hold a rosebud on it while I was
welding.

12KW input would be just above the limit of my 50 amp (235V measured
under load) supply circuit. I could probably do it (power not the
weld) for short duration, because those breakers do not trip instantly
at peak. If I recall the specs say the welder I have should be
connected to a 65 amp circuit, but the factory molded plug supplied is
a 50 amp plug. I have to assume they mean hardwired into a 65 amp
disconnect switch. Not with the supplied plug.

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Reason for mentioning Ali SMAW is that SMAW of steel is the ultimate
for getting reliable fusion with small rods and currents.

Don't know if same is so for Ali.
That a much smaller rod and current will achieve fusion than with any
other process?

Spoolgun sounds good but can't comment. Not used.
Welding 5083 with 5183 and 5356 wires, can use conventional GMAW / MIG
set with "push" roller feed from the wire spool feeder, as the wire is
so hard - for ali - and smooth-sliding.

FYI: I have tried three different types of aluminum brazing wire. All
three inspite of claims to the contrary required the base metal to be so
close to the melting point that it was crazy for 5052 and 6061 base
metal. I could never do a "tack" and repair because the tacks would
always melt. I did succeed in doing some very simple jobs with it where
I could just get everything crazy hot and gob it on everywhere it was
needed, but I also melted out base metal trying a few times. I wonder
if you could use the stuff for TIG brazing aluminum, but since he temp
is so close might as well use good TIG wire. When it works its pretty
strong, but its not as easy as the guys in the shill videos show it to be.

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Bob La Londe <[email protected]> writes:

On 2/1/2022 10:07 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

I've got a lot of 6061 scrap 1/2 inch thick and larger.  I make a
fair amount of shop parts out of the scrap.  The tool racks on three
of my machines are the "good" side up of lots of 1/2 inch scrap as
are the shelf brackets under them.  Often for a small part for my
own use I'll spend 20 minutes going through my scrap to pick a piece
for the job. Anyway, I've got shelves, boxes, and atleast one cart
full of failed job scraps.

I would use more of it if I felt comfortable welding anything that thick.

All of it is to thick for me to be able to weld easily.  The
thickest aluminum I have ever welded is 3/8 and it took me several
tries.  Lots of preheat made it happen.  From what I have read it
seems I can "learn to" weld that thicker stock with a small
percentage of helium in the gas mix.  I probably will not do enough
of it to justify buying a helium bottle and setting up a mixing
rig.  I was thinking maybe to buy another bottle and get some
premixed.  My concern is that Helium is a very small molecule.  I'm
consider that if I have a bottle sitting there for a couple years
between projects all the helium will ooze out leaving me with a
bottle of nearly pure argon.  Is this a real concern?

Hey Richard,

I used spool gun/mig for the 3/8 (9.5 mm nominal) I successfully
welded in the past. Like I said. Lots of preheat. Would have been
better if I could have had somebody hold a rosebud on it while I was
welding.

12KW input would be just above the limit of my 50 amp (235V measured
under load) supply circuit. I could probably do it (power not the
weld) for short duration, because those breakers do not trip instantly
at peak. If I recall the specs say the welder I have should be
connected to a 65 amp circuit, but the factory molded plug supplied is
a 50 amp plug. I have to assume they mean hardwired into a 65 amp
disconnect switch. Not with the supplied plug.

--
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https://www.avg.com

Reason for mentioning Ali SMAW is that SMAW of steel is the ultimate
for getting reliable fusion with small rods and currents.

Don't know if same is so for Ali.
That a much smaller rod and current will achieve fusion than with any
other process?

Spoolgun sounds good but can't comment. Not used.
Welding 5083 with 5183 and 5356 wires, can use conventional GMAW / MIG
set with "push" roller feed from the wire spool feeder, as the wire is
so hard - for ali - and smooth-sliding.

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[snip]

No idea whatsoever whether this would work, but
it might be worth a call to a local SCUBA shop.

They'll have helium containers, and who knows,
might be willing to rent one at reasonable cost.



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On 2/2/2022 11:08 AM, danny burstein wrote:

[snip]

No idea whatsoever whether this would work, but
it might be worth a call to a local SCUBA shop.

They'll have helium containers, and who knows,
might be willing to rent one at reasonable cost.

Not a bad idea, but there is a welding shop much closer I have a good relationship with. I don't mind springing for a bottle, but I don't
want to not use it for a couple years and find it empty of helium when I
need it.

There once was a dive shop here, but they now just operate out of their
house filling SCUBA and SCBA air bottles. Mostly for paintball and PCP gunners. I have my own high pressure pump for airgun bottles, so I've
never been over there. I also think they have a day job and its just an
extra on evenings and weekends for them.

Gas is pretty much gas no matter the source. When I was growing up
there was a guy lived not far from use (60 miles from town) who had bad emphasema. More than once he sucked on one of my dad's welding bottles
while he was waiting on a refill for his medical bottle.

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