:eek: Well, then some people must have bigger cojones than I. I've built - from scratch - a horse trailer, a tractor trailer, and several field trailers and other equipment, some waaaay back when I was in high school that my dad used for 25 yrs before he retired - and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that work. Granted, my time with aluminum and stainless was limited, but I learned all 4 types - stick, mig, tig, and gas welding. To me, there's just zero upside, other than the pride factor. Fuck pride. Stay alive. Fab shops should be everywhere. DON'T go to a muffler shop just cuz you're building an exhaust. Go to a good welding shop that has some experience with these metals. Call around.
Welded a welding table top this afternoon. Partly for practice and partly to give me something to weld on top of without starting unwanted fires and such. I don't see anyone offering me a job as a welder but I think they will hold given the relatively light duty the table top will see.
Not bad for a start. Slow down a little, your puddle is breaking up too quickly, or increase your wire feed if using a MIG. Turn up the voltage a little bit as well.
Lucrum I MIG, TIG, and stick weld⦠(I'm a redneck afterall) If youâre welding Aluminum and SS â go with TIG â better heat control⦠Yes it takes a lot of practice to become proficient⦠Btw MIG welding SS is a bitch/ MIG welding aluminum is even harder â when trying to get solid, reliable welds⦠You will also need to buy an entire spool of Aluminum, and SS wire Thoughts when TIG welding Aluminum / SS Keep your surfaces absolutely clean Do not cross contaminate the two (SS/ aluminum) Youâll need Aluminum rod, and SS rod, also buy separate tips to use for the two... and youâll also need separate wire brushes Find a local welding supply shop they may offer classes, if not they probably can tell you who does Get a bunch of scraps and practice, practice, practice You are welding correctly when your weld holds and the metal around the weld fails first (iow beat/ bend the hell out of it till one or the other fails) Miller makes a good machine Your welds, too much heat, too fast of a pass, material not cleaned (wire brushed enough).. Too much spatter, and too little penetration eta - Proper heat and speed (good welding) should sound like bacon frying.. The wand motion will be a back and forth (side to side) stiching motion - but not too fast - with a continuous arc (maintain proper distance from the material) throughout the length of the weld Great job building your plane thus far Sir RN