I do a lot of AL., and for someone who is not up on setting your Syncrowave 350 for AL. you did an great job of making it work. I might add for next time ... pre clean with a clean stainless brush and alcohol, set the machine with a higher cycle than 60htz. I like 150 as a starting point, pre heat the base material, and keep your filler rod within the cover gas envelope at all times when welding. Enjoy!
thanks for the input, I'll start at the 150hz range next time. I made two videos at the same time on this run so It may show up later in the year. Still the same struggles but oh well. 😁😁😁
Hey brother, please be careful repairing this kind of thing! If It goes on you're personal ride, that's one thing. If it goes to a paying costumer and fails, anything could happen. Just remember, they get the bill, you get the signed waver! No two ways about it. Keep up the great videos!
Cleanliness is the Key in welding aluminum. I have dedicated stainless steel wire brushes, die grinder bits - even gloves - for use on AL only. I also wipe down with acetone before starting. Wipe the work, the rods, everything. Others comments below are spot on.
Ive been welding aluminum for the better part of 60 years. What I saw was pretty close to right on. Depending who made the wheels the alloy will be different. Castings are always a bit dirty, and if there is any magnesium in it the fillers are entirely different. Clean as said before with acetone, don’t use brake cleaner. Brake cleaner when heated produces poisonous fumes. IC your heavy steel repair processes are assume, I have watched all of your vids and have learned a bunch. I am 75 years old and still weld each week day, I take the weekends off, weld carbon steel, and stainless mostly. Keep up the great work!
Hehehe. Im 70, my daddy always said if someone built it you can fix it and dont worry if it was broke you either get it fixed or its still broke. Never know if you dont try. Great job!!
It's funny he said alot of comments would be bad but going through the comments section everyone including the pro's said you did a good job it worked because your a talented individual who when it comes to welding any type does a bang up job nice repair and nice video keep in mind most of your subs are here to support you and we all appreciate what you teach us your very talented!!
Another great vidjeo You do a awesome job explaining what you’re doing and why. Love how you don’t take the armchair experts too seriously. You’ve got a great attitude. I learn something from every posting you do. Keep them coming Cheers
Total respect for your honesty, most others tell you they are the worlds greatest and you take there advice as gospel. You say this is how I do it and it will work but may not be the best way. I take tips and instruction for my own tinkering and it has served me well knowing there is room for improvement. Great videos and keep them coming.
I started welding by getting in there and doing it....making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. Your "make it work, this is how I do it" videos are totally inspiring
I really enjoy your outlook on work and life. You have a wonderful gift. Mentioning the old Miller machines is what I started on in the 80's. I agree with you on the new machines. I joke with my youngest son(30) that somewhere there has to be a degree that be obtained with the new machines.
I used to help a welder that had a small repair business we did lots of alloy wheels, there are wheel services that visited every dealer in town weekly, they use a hydraulic truing machine that often left the wheels cracked , we fixed the cracks. I enjoy your works thanks.
At first I was cringing when you triggered the tig arc, I was screaming for you to keep adding more filler rod and build up the puddle faster. But I am very impressed that you did such a great filling job. You are a Very good teacher as you effectively explained all the technicalities quite perfectly every step of the way. You commentary is great. Your camera work and focus is great. The lesson got learnt. Thank you very much for the video and teaching us this useful skill. PS .... you say you are "by no means an expert at welding aluminium" but I recon your results speak for themselves
I’m so glad your camera work is top notch! I’ve watched enough of your vids on all this thick stuff to see “PUDDLE CONTROL”. All the welding gurus have said this and shown it but your real life money making repairs show it in application. Thanks so much for taking the time to film and explain in your wonderful minimal humble way. We all appreciate your skills.
Excellent repair! When I saw the wheel, I just knew the "safety Karens" would give you grief for repairing it. Sounded like you were running around 120hz; especially on cast, I prefer to set my machine around 60hz, which seems to smooth/flow the aluminum better on cast. I use 120-150hz on thinner AL sheet. A stainless wire brush and cleaning with acetone prior to welding will also help. As someone else mentioned, keeping your filler in the gas coverage between dabs also helps. TIG welding AL actually seems easier to me, than steel. Great job!
Your skill set is remarkable, but I think many people miss that the foundation for all of your success is likely a result of your constantly positive attitude. I am a huge fan and have learned a lot from your welding and fabrication tips, but I really admire how you keep your cool when most people, including myself, would lose it. Much respect and thank you for taking the time out of your day to help others have a better one! 👍👍👍
Usually with the gap, you can back the underside with a piece of copper. That way the introduction of heat will keep the weld puddle from dropping out. I teach tig in a BOCES adult ed classes. I watch your videos alot! Keep up the good work you share with your audience.
I repair several similar cracks and worse from low profile tires and potholes. A clean stainless brush like on your drill and a little (300 degrees) preheat make it easier. Good job.
I used to work in a machine shop, pre-GPS days. They were linked up with a defense contractor that built the forrunner of GPS, and we built the components for the antennas on their system. I had never welded prior to working there and while there I learned to both stick and tig Weld. I told that backstory in order to tell about the tig welding rig I learned on. The primary welder was a 350 Amp AC/DC Lincoln with reversible polarity, it was literally as big as a side by side fridge but half as tall. On top was a box about the size of your average tool box but twice as wide. This was the "high frequency" box, and it had one last part which was the foot pedal with a exposed reostat, the diameter of the wheel in your video. I point out that it was exposed because several times I got snapped out of my inattentive state when I would allow my leg to lay over against the top of it. You would think the shock would not be bad from the side of your calf to your foot, but I wore insulated boots and usually sat on a metal stool at the welding station so the electricity went up and out rather than down and out. Add to that, you weren't getting everyday 60 hertz electricity, like I said the tig box was a "high frequency" inverter which multiplied the frequency depending on the terminal the torch was plugged into. Even though it never made it above my waist, I would taste the fillings in my teeth for hours after I touched it. But one thing about it, for as crude a looking set up as it was, I've never seen a tig rig that produced as even and as good looking welds in the hands of an amature. The two additional things I would attribute the quality of the welds to (government spec. inspected), we were only permitted Helium as shielding gas, and my vision was a lot better than it is today (coworker who taught me said, "watch the puddle and paint with the liquid metal). I said all of that to say this, The world is full of armchair quarterbacks, tell your critics to start welding and post their videos online. Those who do it for a living or regularly as necessity calls for it, don't need a backseat driver telling them where they're wrong.
A few months ago one of wheels in my car showed a crack similar to this one your repaired. I took it to a shop that specializes repairing wheels, and when I got the fixed wheel I was kind of disappointed but I thought it is what it is. Seeing your fix, and hearing you say you are not an expert, let me tell you, your job is orders of magnitude better compared to what I got here. You know enough to know that you do not know all, but anyways ahead of many others.
I appreciate your videos. I’ve learned several tips from you. Thank you for sharing. Trades, especially welding, are fast becoming lost in today’s work force.
As always you do great work!! Aluminum, steel, cutting, gouging, welding, grinding - it doesn't seem to matter! You care about the quality of your work and it shows!!
You do nice work! Don't sell yourself short. Last summer I watched several videos filmed either in India or Pakistan where a fellow repaired aluminum rims. In short sleeves, short pants and plastic sandals. One repair consisted of welding an 8 inch portion of the bead BACK into the rim. I think what you did was just fine. I have experience repairing brass and cast iron and just fyi we went one step further polishing with a die grinder and rubber wheels then scotch bright on wheels we made ourselves. Quick and easy polish. You do good work. thanx for sharing!
Very cool video Isaac. I've watched several videos on tig welding aluminum and titanium, but this is the first time I've actually been able to watch the pool and flow of metal clearly. I'm not Tig welder, but I could definitely give it a go after watching this. I'm an old gas and arch guy from my diesel mechanic days. Great capture sir.👌 Excellent "Hoop" repair.😁😉😂 I'm sure the alphabet department would approve.👍
Gw Builder . If you're old school gas welding from days well gone by . I don't think you will have much of a problem using TIG, Look at it the same as I do the gas torch flame is replaced by an electric arc with an inert gas shield. 'Aluminum '? alloy wheels are quite often not anything as strait forward as that, the combinations of various other metals included often gives the home workshop guy an impossible chance of getting a safe repair done . With the past knowledge and experience Isaac has gained I think he has done a good usable repair , apart from the 2 tiny blemishes it's 'invisible mending '
@@karlhrdylicka Thanks for the comment. I understand the concept. It's basically the next evolution of combining gas and arch together, like using helium argon for stainless and a number of other shield gas applications. Watching the arch/gas interaction with the flame and filler rod was what I thought was cool. I haven't tried it because nobody I know has a Tig welder and I'm not going to buy one just to try it. Tig definitely has the features of both worlds and the versatility of speed control, but it is a slower process, although I've seen some beautiful welds. I'm just not that patient.🤪 The impurities are the reality of any cast material and like Isaac said, it was probably the finish coating on the "Hoop".
Other welders and fabricators who watch this guys videos get it. Hes a talented hard working humble man. Much of his work is in the field in dirty hot and uncomfortable positions on a variety of repairs all to provide for his family. Those Dynasty Millers are nice machines and for a guy who does very little aluminum he did a nice job. I look forward to the next video never knowing how he will solve a problem or give me a tip I can apply to my next project. Thanks for sharing
Crack gone , no holes , cleaned up nicely . My old boss used to say , blind man on a galloping horse couldn't tell the difference so job's done , good enough is perfect .
I had a local aluminum welder do some work on a boat and he stressed how the aluminum has to be contaminate free. He has sanders and grinding bits that only touch aluminum. He said if you use them on steel and then aluminum it will contaminate the job.
I am in the school of “there are people I can learn from, U”. I’m not the best, and can always learn new things. I am pretty good at working on wheel repairs. I always cut through the crack with a cutting wheel first, to remove any dirt, and I don’t worry about pin holes less than 1/16 and no more than 2. Other wise it looks like what I do. Great job, better luck on the next one!
I love welding on “steel semi truck hoops” for EQ stands. They are heavy, large footprint and cheap. Great video. Not bad for free aluminum repair for a friend…
No bubbles no troubles. I had never heard that before and I like it. I have never done any TIG welding so as long as the tire holds air it's a success.
I purchased a set of 20" aluminum wheels back in 2007 for my '95 Tahoe, the centers were forged and hoops were extruded and rolled then welded together. One of them developed a crack in the hoop "parallel" with the direction of travel. It was repaired by an expert wheel repair welder but the crack continued to "run". The manufacturer of the wheels was out of business and spares were obsolete. Ultimately I had to send the wheel to Wayne's Wheels in Garden Grove Calif. for a new hoop. GREAT FIX, HOPE IT HOLDS TOGETHER.
I'll tell you why I love your channel. Sometimes, it's just gotta be welded and sent. Not all of us have everything we need for every job. You just gotta make it happen. While I appreciate the scientists on the other channels, this is how most of us spend our Day
Oh, then you'll like an upcoming video. I've been debating whether or not to show it because I lack some tooling and it was quite the struggle. I had to do some Very cringy things but it turned out good in the end. But as you said, gotta make it happen!.
Your method was good. Torch angles we're almost perfect. The basket weave was a great way to melt off that first bead. I think what you are concerned with is pockets of other materials in the base. Specks of magnesium or zinc will give that look of porosity. Nothing can be done about that. "A grinder and paint, makes me the welder I ain't."
Hey Isaac I welded 2 new aluminum diamond plate toolboxes together on my truck...i said this will be nice and easy...WRONG!!!! they are clear coated atthe factory and it was HORRIBLE!!! IT was like it was in the pores of the aluminum......GREAT JOB MAN!!
You are too humble ISAAC! My best repair on a job like this; I’ll bet is your worst repair, if you had a worst repair!😉 Always Dress Right Dress Sir! Thank you for another lesson👍⭐️👍
I am having a coffee after welding a trailer frame break. As to your repair? Better than 99.999999% of the world could do. Most would buy a new rim from the wreckers. Many will argue that it’s not roadworthy now. Yet It’s definitely stronger than it was before before it cracked.
I've got a "hoop" that was mis-cast from the factory and had a local guy weld up the cracks. 18k miles on it and not a whisper of a leak. Prior to him I went to a handful of places that stated the location of the cracks prevented them from doing the work due to DOT regs. Frustrating for sure, but the guy who did the repair for me puts together track cars as his actual job, so I trust his puddles more than some 20 year old apprentice.
@@darkminstrel2041 well, DOT Regs refer to using specific ANSI (etc) welding procedures! That are available from AWS and other sources. Certified welders who carry qualifications would know that, they wouldn’t want to risk licenses for a small repair weld job like this.
I C, Excellent video work!~! I agree with the other gentlemen, SS brush and wiped down with acetone does enhance the process. I've done aluminum with oxy-acetylene with aluminum rod and a flux, also O-A & Alum-Aloy, my old 250 AC Westinghouse, and lately tig. Heck, I've even done some surface repair with JB Weld Alum Expoxy. They just can't argue with your final product. Your vast experience with all types of "fusion welding" tells you things the "armchair experts have never heard.
Hoops. Thats a good one. I've welded lots of "battery box covers" I call them. Ford "covers" are notoriously full of "crap" and harder to weld. Keep smilin Hoss.
Did the same thing last year to my wife's wheel I ran into a curb and found the tire flat thr next day. Call about having it done, then thought I can do it with my 250 syncrowave had already done it on a freebie wheel for my buggy. Went well for a year now.
Have done more than my share of mig and tig aluminum welding. Of all the things I’ve welded, I hated aluminum. Only word of advise I can offer, vinegar, there’s a lot of aluminum magnesium alloys out there. Clean a spot clear of clear coat, vinegar will bubble on magnesium. Good repair, stay safe
If you turn the rattle can upside and spray a bit when you are thru using it, it helps clean out the nozzle and betters your chances of it working the next time.
I'm still running my old Syncrowave 500 transformer machine. Always said when it dies I'll upgrade but it wants to live forever I guess. Great channel keep it up.
Nice! reminds me of around 1980 or so , I had a 1976 Cutlass Supreme with discontinued aftermarket aluminum wheels . slid into a curb in the winter and cracked off about 3" of the lip of the rim. My dad worked at a machine shop and took it in, had it welded up by one of the welders, he turned it on the lathe to clean it up . there was 1 small divot in the repair , but after about 6 months I could not find the repair .
Don't waste your valuable time reading the haters opinions. You're a master craftsman. A lot of people look up to you and in every video, someone always finds a new truck or the trade... Thanks to you.
I’ve welded lots of wheels, I’m no armchair expert.. but I usually pre heat the crack first to draw out moisture and sometimes the crack will extend further back than you first realise. Then I drill the end, and run through the wheel with a cut of wheel. V it out with a die grinder and weld it with 2.4 5356 rods. But I need to get some of that die penetrate, looks like a good job
Pretty decent repair I'd say. Only mistake was not noticing the clear coat! I've done quite a lot of wheel cracks, using an old Hobart transformer type machine so fixed frequency (50hz in the U.K.) which works fine for me! I also don't drill the end of the crack - it's usually not in the same place on each side - & also start from the inner end & weld towards the rim. After removing the paint or lacquer I vee out both sides of the crack though & weld the inside first ( just personal preference ). Your way of welding one side before veeing out the other is probably a better way of doing it ( but maybe a bit slower). I only remove/smooth the weld where the tyre fits - leaves it stronger & saves time.
May not be the right way to do it but its how i did it.... and as long as it works it was done just fine.. real world welding work unlike the studio set up stuff.. keep up the good work Isaac.
