Quick Tip-Tack Welding Thin Aluminum without Filler 

Im an apprentice fabricator, and I am learning more off you in your videos than the guys in my shop. You have a great way of teaching!!

_THIS_ very video is a fine example of WHY I keep telling the kids that Jody does some great welding videos. That he has the BEST welding instruction on RU-vid. And as the Guru often says: Run it hot enough to hold a tight arc, then hold a tight arc! (hotter for tacking of course) Fine Bidness.

I like this format along with your weekly videos, good info much appreciated!

I appreciate getting to point, a minimum of "uhms" when speaking, a lower music scale voice tone, and clear/steady photography.

Your videos are easy to follow and very instructional, but you make it look so easy that I'm pulling my hair out with my aluminum welding attempts. I have a lincoln squarewave 175 that looks identical to yours and have been welding thin wall 6061 square tubing for my experimental aircraft door frames. I have made few good beads that hold together using 4340 filler and lanthanated tungsten. I've tried 1/16 inch and 3/32nd of each filler rod and tungsten with limited success varying the argon from 15 all the way to 28. With steel, it is easy to cheet on the edges by first melting filler and fusing it to the metal so as not to burn the edges. With this stuff, I am finding the aluminum drop just balls up without flowing out. When I do get a puddle it seems I can't consistently get a shiny, non porous mess that ends up with the piece falling through into a pile of scrap. Occasionally I do dip the tungsten when free handing without a good rest on my frame. If I see contaminant, I resharpen. if not, I try continuing. Is that my biggest problem in getting dark porous melted aluminum? P.S. I have tried grinding the surface lightly and wiping with acetone first and only see a little bit of difference. I love your channel and will continue to practice, but thought I would have an easier time than this. I am blowing though a lot of argon and filler rod!

Love the quick tips idea! You should do this on a regular basis! Face it we just can't get enough of ya! you're awesome man much love from Nebraska

You're videos are helping me so much at work, I'm a first year apprentice boilermaker and whilst my tradesman is away on holidays, I've been watching your videos to teach me to tig better and learn general things about welding and you've helped me improve so much that my supervisor is trusting me to welding jobs of my own already! Thanks :)

As a student learning how to weld, you videos are very helpful. I was running into problems tack-welding autogenously on one of our builds and your advice helped me out loads. Thanks for the high quality content as always!

This is same method ive used with success on this material, good video showcasing the technique.. Another thing you can do is tack the backside of the joint if you can get access as it can be a little more forgiving to heat input..

Love your videos, cant get enough. Keep em coming, they are very helpfull !!

Good tips , I use the small overlap method to make the puddle "fall" into the adjoining work .

Hey i stumbled across your videos and i really like them I've just started welding with a mig welder at work and going to start a class soon well just thought i spud say thank you

weldingtipsandtricks That's a really nice looking weld.

hopefully ill get better at aluminum welding. i watch all your stuff all the time. i mainly weld aluminum pipes and flanges for turbo cars. i run a everlast 250. but i can never get it to look nice the welds i see here i dream of having. hopefully one day. please do a video of welding turbo piping. thank heavens for you mate.

This! Finally someone welding 20 gauge! Thank you

As expected, great job yet again. I found the comment on gas welding the aluminum. I can sort of figure out what he does, but perhaps someday you could show that method. I figure I would end up with a blob of aluminum if I tried that way.

I just bought a Lincoln 210 MP and I would like to get started on TIG welding what would be the best start up kit for me to start with

I rarely leave comments, but this short video is informative, thanks

Went through this a year ago. Lincoln 175 .040 3003 all butt welds on custom made saddle bags. It was tough!!!! There was no way to hold them or put anything behind the weld joint. They turned out pretty good but I did have to use some body filler before paint.

Thin aluminum has that nifty tendency to pull apart when you apply heat...and as you mentioned, the tacks are very brittle. More tacks is always better....sometimes when you're welding along, the joint starts to spread, so take the heat off and put some more tacks in there.....I've been known to build a tack, just dab a little nugget on one side, then let it fall to the other side of the joint. If it isn't tight enough, put some pressure on it and re-heat it til it closes up.

Dude thank you for posting this

I regret selling my ESAB.... Thanks for the tip man! Going to try this next time!

This man is fabulous teacher

Hey Jodi! I’m having trouble with tacking up 1mm 1050 open corners where I’m not able to use any backing or filler. it’s a nightmare scenario to be honest but do you have any suggestions? Cheers Jimbo

What size of cup would be best on welding T joints and welding aluminum socket welds I'm using previously a number four ceramic I was wondering is there anything out there with more of a cone tip to give more direct for smaller beads

i am from holland and i never weld with tig and i buy some tig welding machiene ac dc 160amp first weld with tig was i aluminum it coust my 1 hour to weld it to geather becouse of watching many of your videos it helps me alot thanks to you realy learning videos bether then mine scool teacher 15 jears ago i learnt nothing. buth now it goes much bether and bether your my teacher now of youtube . there is only 1 thing that i still donth now is the argon gas setting i have my flow meter set on 9 liters per minute is that oke and what is the reason sommetimes my electrode melting why the tip gets round i sharpening my electrode to much sommetime i use more electrode than filler material.

hi there, i am a fan of your very informative video... can you show me how do they weld mild steel using fusion weld?

hell ya, thanks Jody every tip helps

I bought a brand new Miller diversion 165 and could not weld thin aluminum with it. There just aren't any adjustments to compensate for different thicknesses with aluminum. I sold the Miller and bought and Everlast ex250 and love it.

thk for video and happy fathers day to you

How important is the tungsten type pure or zirconated... I am really struggling with my diversion 180 on same material

I love my diversion 165! I have ran it to the max and have yet to see the temp light come on!

Sometimes when the edges run away, I will gag the tungsten slightly and draw the puddle together. I will use that tungsten for the rest of the tacking sequence and resharpen it before welding out the part. Just a slight touch to the puddles that are running away will draw them together. You don't have to go balls deep on it.

I run a restaurant with refrigerated slide out drawers. Unfortunately, in the past 2 months, the beads done keep breaking apart, most likely due to .5cm thickness and possibly the 40 degree ambient temp. The weld lines tend to run 0.5" and 1.5" end to end. What would you suggest as a permanent fix, apart from a new fixture? Is JB Weld even an option? Thanks beforehand!

Jody, I have thoroughly enjoyed your videos. One thing that perplexes me, however, is that I was never certified but I worked as a welder many years I worked fabricating D9 Caterpillar parts (rollover assemblies, track frames etc.) and smaller stuff as well (snowpolows, autobody ) and one thing that was a cardinal sin was running a weld downhill. Guys used to marvel at me running wire uphill although I never understood their amazement, but the guys I worked with fabricating D9 parts taught me to run 7018 uphill and that was definitely not as easy. Most of the D9 fabrication stuff was cored wire and that does not run out of position. Please tell me if there was something that made downhill welding okay because I never really understood the taboo and I frequently did it with sheet metal. That is my question.

Thank you for making sure we could see what you were doing there.

Would a hot start do the same as turning the amps up like you did at 1.5A per thou assuming one using an inverter.

Hello and thank you fro the video the problem I have is that I can not see the welding procedure from back of my mask. I dont know whether it is because cheap mask I have purcahsed or I should come closer to workbench or .... . Also I dont have flowmeter and instead I use a pressure gauge. is it Ok to set the output pressure on 2 bar for welding or not?

What diameter tungsten rod do you use in this video for this .040" thick aluminum welding?

Could you do the exact same tack welding with an oxyfuel torch?

Hi Jody, Ive been trying to find a video explaining in detail the processes for welding a Vintage Aluminum Motorcycle Tank off of a Yamaha TT500, after the existing weld has been ground off to gain entry inside of the tank to enable removal of hard to get at dents etc. Please is there any chance you could show what tips and tricks to consider with setup and type of machines capable of such a feat, plus the best welding technique to obtain that nice factory weld without any blowouts ?

I have not done that thin of material or that alloy. But I have done 16 gauge 6061 T6 with a really tight fit up. Definitely not very strong and lots of crater cracks. I usually find another way no matter how hard so I can use the smallest amount of filler.

will it work to tip-tack or weld and make T profile on 1mm alu?

please sir , I have a question , I wish to buy Tig machine to Aluminum Welding , I wish to who the minimum specifications ( how many Amp. ac or dc ,.....etc) please help of course I want it minimum to be cheep cost , thanks for your responding .

Thank you for the tips.

Would love to see more videos using the square wave 175

Great video thanks

Sorry if I spell your name wrong Jody? Ive been watching for almost two years now, and I mainly weld aluminum. I have watched more tips from you than I have learned at school, almost sad for them but kudos to you.I got a job a year ago and its welding aluminum, Id love to buy your weldmonger sets of everything from collets to gas lenses the whole 9 yards. I find myself welding 5/8 to half inch thick. what set would you prefer the most and Ill make a huge order. lets talk. you can find me on google thru youtube or just send me a way to get up with you personally I trust your products (tig finger) thanks.

#2 TIP: I would add having a maximum tungsten grind with a 45°

Good vid with great tips as usual. Why not gas weld it? If it is body work and will require finishing I would gas weld it. Any aluminum bodywork that I have TIG welded cracks too easily when worked. I gas weld sheet like that and you can bend it back over itself and beat it with a hammer and it won't crack or fail.

I had an issue welding sheet metal patch panels on my suv with my Eastwood 200. I then switched to my Everlast power tig 250EX . There is defiantly a difference in the low end on the two machines. Not all machines will drop low enough. Your reviews of the low capability of the power tig 250 ex is exactly why I purchased my machine.

I assume the backing material helps a lot with this too ?

I'd like to learn to weld, for doing basic repairs an home project work. How would you recommend I start the journey?

love ur vids.keep it commin

What diameter electrode were you using?

What is best tungsten for aluminum?

Whats a good aluminium tig for small aluminium pipe and plate. A round 1000 dollar.

otimo ensianmento welding perfect

I do 0. 6, 0.8 and 1mm nickel chromium molybdenum stainless at work on a daily basis. I go 40 to 60 amps/no pulses to get the puddle going rather fast, keep the welds tight and the overall heat in the metal low.

i would try to make the overhang relative to gravity where the top lays on top of the vertical piece. that way gravity helps the 2 fuse together.

Is that angle block with the argon ports homemade or bought. If bought, where can I buy one?

Good info

Can weld a table with out fill up ?

Tenho visto seus vídeos e isso tem me ajudado muito. Comprei uma Lincoln square wave 175 e estou começando a praticar soldas em alumínio. Sou do Brasil e Admiro muito seus vídeos apesar de não falar inglês

failed on the under 3 minutes thing. awesome tips as always!

Gday Jody, will you ship your products to Queensland Australia Just curious . Some products you talk about are hard to locate here. Also a big thanks for your tips , has helped me greatly. Cheers .

Sorry you broke you pyrex cup, but thanks for showing that you DID! I get such an inferiority complex when I tear up equipment and make a mess in the shop, drop a shield cup, or smoke a water cooled weld lead because I forget to turn on the coolant. Especially frustrated when I watch countless videos of people that vacuum every chip between shots and edit out all the boo-boos...

appreciate it very much

If that type of joint is to be ground down flush, you can fuse it first then go over it with filler rod.

Hello. We have a Lincoln 175 Square Wave. I would like to know what would be the advantages on getting the HF addon for the machine. We manufacture injection and blow molds for plastics (materials: 4140, 420, Alu 7075). Thank you.

I must keep that in mind, 1 amp per thousandth of material thickness... that's why I've been having trouble sometimes too...

tenho uma maquina desas aqui brasil da lincom topeeee

ive got a test on 2" diameter .035 6061 aluminum tommorow

Se podrá traducir los videos en castellano?

i got arc eye, from that bright flash....headache

Dear , can you show me how you can tig welding without gas?

damn, you were 1s over 3m xD Thanks for the video.

good

Super idol

I like your logo. You need to make stickers.

👊🏻

Nie potrzebujesz praktykantów ? 😀

Average.

i am from holland and i never weld with tig and i buy some tig welding machiene ac dc 160amp first weld with tig was i aluminum it coust my 1 hour to weld it to geather becouse of watching many of your videos it helps me alot thanks to you realy learning videos bether then mine scool teacher 15 jears ago i learnt nothing. buth now it goes much bether and bether your my teacher now of youtube . there is only 1 thing that i still donth now is the argon gas setting i have my flow meter set on 9 liters per minute is that oke and what is the reason sommetimes my electrode melting why the tip gets round i sharpening my electrode to much sommetime i use more electrode than filler material.