Stick welding an aluminium boat
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2022
- In this video I have my first attempt at stick welding aluminium. It's definitely tricky compared to stick welding steel but with a bit of practice I think it could be a good technique for repairs in the field.
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Welding Tricks and Tips: • Stick Welding Aluminum...
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As an electrical engineer I can tell you the grinder doesn't work without the battery because it is too front heavy and causes the shaft to bind. 👍
Makes so much sense when it's explained to you. ;)
Brian is right on , no battery also bloke the ants from getting in the motor
Ahh, I thought he needed to resync the Grindertooth on both the battery and Grinder. I hadn't thought of that!
Yup... Mr. Wade is right. And if you where to get it going. You'l end up with your panties in a grinde. That is no good.
I am a professional welder employed by a large commercial trucking company with a very high volume work load . We use a spool gun in our shop but one day I came across an unopened bow of aluminum welding rods. I was always curious about aluminum stick so I started using them. I’ve done a few CAT aluminum oil pan cracks and they holding up well . I run the aluminum rods like a 6010 rod with a slight wip and pause motion and it works well for me. Obviously not the best method but you can get good results with practice.
The fine crystal decanter sure adds a touch of class to the workshop.
Thanks! Dad gave it to me last week. :)
love it.
@@DangarMarine Agreed, but what was the liquor of choice Stu? It's all in the details. Surely not Bundy
As usual, I most enjoyed the birds. As to the grinder not working without the battery, you might try hooking it to the compressor.
I do love an air grinder. ;)
I've got the same model grinder, they're really finicky. Mine won't even run with a battery unless its charged. Bloody annoying.
Instead of the flap disk I would recommend a stainless steel wire wheel followed by an acetone wipe. The flap disk can embed oxides in the base material and the wire wheel typically won't. The acetone will get any of the chemical contaminants out.
Pre heating should make starting easier. More importantly, it makes your weld act more consistently from start to finish. The material acts quite differently when hot than when cold. Having the material a more consistent temperature allows you to concentrate on your basic technique instead of dealing with the temperature change.
Good on ya' for giving it a try! It's a tough weld process for sure.
Thanks Brian! I did actually buy some acetone that I left at Adrian's workshop but I'll grab it and put a wire wheel on the grinder too. Someone else was mentioning that maybe even just the heat gun would be enough for the preheating which would be convenient if true. I can see how the preheating would make a big difference as the cold weld is very different to the weld once the job has got warm.
I've used the aluminum stick rods a couple of times... as you have said they are different. I work as a professional welder and metal fabricator. It's all about getting accustomed to the aluminum rod and it's nuances.
For sure, it's just a different muscle memory to develop with practice. Looking forward to the new pack of rods arriving!
Good to see you have a bottle of welding lubricant in the shed.
It's crazy to try to learn a new welding technique without any! ;)
The difficulty in this REALLY helps make brazing even more appealing. Works incredible with aluminum!
mate ur videos are some of the best I recently brought a 14ft with a 2 stroke yamhaha ur videos have been a life saver everything from running the new steering cable to changing my impeller and now after hours of searching Google about water separator placment it's ur 6 yo video that gave me quick clear instructions as some one on a tight budget who loves getting out fishing in my boat ur videos are worth there weight in gold cheers from nz
Stu, used a Grease joint rejuvenator plus heat, ATF and grease to free up my pivot on a 150 hp Evinrude outboard.. worked like a song..PS I now live in Virginia ex Bilgola, NSW
Soo great exciting stuff!
Also now I know alu stick works after tests ! 👌🏻
Any mug can put a hole in a bucket but it takes a darn good tradesman to fix it 🏆
I'm glad to know that this will work when I need to take the welder to the job. I can't believe I took this long to give it a try.
Love the new studio. And who could do a piece to camera without a scotch!? Good to see we are still old school Stu when filming on location!🤣
Thanks Steve! :)
There is a guy using your thumbnail to try to scam the guy that started this thread
Reported him and it removed him
Very narrow temperature window welding aluminum. I weld aluminum a lot with a mig spool gun and mine isn't fancy with the pulse setting so I end up having to do more spot welding to control the heat. Aluminum goes from not melting at all to hot snot in just a moment. Practice, practice and more practice...name of the game is control the heat.
Interesting concept ! having watched the last part I now realise what that trial weld reminded me of !
LOL
Stainless wire brush and acetone as a flap disk will leave particles in the soft alloy. Preheating is a must. The rods try putting them in a plastic bag and vacuum sealing it. It’s one of the most tricky welds. 👍
Yes, when the new rods arrive I'll definitely experiment with different cleaning techniques and pre-heating for sure.
Thanks Stu.. that certainly answered my question.
Was the question am I crazy?! ;)
@@DangarMarine
No I already suspected that😀. I been watch since before Renko. The day before you posted. I was wondering if you could stick weld aluminium. Now I know you can. 👍
Try Brazing aluminum with a oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane, and map gas will work to. The Filler rods come pre-coated with flux. You can control the heat by choosing the torches tip size based on the size of your work piece.
Then he would have to lug the gas bottles to the floating job site, which is what he was trying to avoid.
Might be a better option. Project Farm did some testing on aluminum brazing rods. Interesting stuff.
I was about to say this too! Also because aluminum is not as strong as other metals, Brazing rods often are strength you need. And can be so strong that the aluminum crack before the brazed joint will. And the argument about bugging bottles is wrong because you only need a hand held bottle.
this is a boat in saltwater, galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals is a major concern and you should never mix metals in a marine environment unless you know what you are doing. low-temp aluminum brazing rods contain metals that are not suitable for a marine environment.
I also would like to see that. Repairing marine aluminum exhaust manifolds or manicoolers.. brazing seems to be able to fix really big blow out holes in these.
really appreciated this vid, on and off for years I have pulled my hair out trying to master ali welding but viewing this vid I can see where I have been going wrong, so cheers for that, also the interaction with the birds for some reason is relaxing, i'm not a bird lover, but my mrs loves ACOCKORTOO, lol
Glad I could help. :)
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. In my experiments, I have found that running a bit hotter, and stopping every 2-3 cm to cool for a few seconds and then resuming gave me the best results. It's like stringing a bunch of tack welds together. Can look really good, once you get the rhythm. And yes, the aluminum vanishes quickly, but that's just how it goes. Thanks again, and good seeing the how-to vids again.
Thanks Tony, great to hear form you again. Hope you've been well. :)
Stu, I've been okay, except for a customer starting a motor in gear and whacking my hand with the prop about a month ago. It's getting better, but I'm getting where I want customers far away from me when working. In 37 years of working in construction and marine, I've only been seriously injured twice, both fairly recently, and both times by customers.
That’s what I like to see Stu , a nice tidy workshop haha
Stew been watching for 6 years now I like the fact you try things as thats how we all learn if we can have you as a test case we shorten the curve cheers mate
Thanks Brian. I figure you never know until you give it a go!
That cockatoo IS a cheeky bugger! Blessings Stu and all of us.
Thanks mate!
Good to see it can be done with that machine, have exactly the same Bunnings special model
It may not be the best tool for the job but it's certainly the cheapest!
Gonna try this on my 12ft tinny! Awesome work.
Grab some practice metal first though!
I've had sipping whiskey and cooking whiskey, and even paint stripping whiskey,
but never tried Welding Whiskey before.
It's the best of all the whiskeys! ;)
Killing it brother, keep it up. Mississippi.
Thanks mate, will do!
Interesting thanks I’m a beginner I was always worried about welding Ali but now I’ll have a go. Thanks.
Good luck!
Some say that heating your piece prior to stick welding it really helps. I have yet to test it... but I will.
I worked on a Railroad for twenty-five years as a Carman and learned to stick weld aluminum when the 100 ton freight cars came out made from it. It is not easy, but it can be done. Later we went to Mig welding when they bought the equipment. Light aluminum can be welded by Tig, but, heavy thick aluminum is better with Mig.
Yes, I do really love TIG welding but I think when it comes to old hulls like this MIG with a spool gun is the way to go.
@@DangarMarine I am in this exact position. Bought the rods, watched vids and am now researching mini 160-200a MIGs. All made in China, duty cycle is key, apparently the higher the duty cycle, the longer we can use it before it overheats, shuts down and needs to cool down. Extra computer fan maybe 🤷♂️
....lookin' good. nice work, stay well...
Thanks, you too!
Ah, the old 'no battery, no noise' problem... Hmm, didja check and see if it had gas? They're a booger to run when the tank's dry. I'd also check the following:
1 - The keegeeflagger must be oiled before operations.
2 - Always (and I mean ALWAYS) make sure the dingus dakker is plugged in.
3 - And sometimes the transgronifier can get plugged up.
OK, that's my mechanical 2 cents worth. Good luck, hope it works better.
And thanks Stu, your videos are always informative and entertaining.
I appreciate the tips! ;)
...Thank You for the Aluminum welding ...I may have welded on snow but not barefoot in water !!! Good fun !!! ...yes just practice thanks for all the good fun and information!!
Thanks mate. I'm looking forward to the new packet arriving so I can get some more practice in. It's kinda fun once you get into it.
The wild birds are just a great addition. It’s amazing the flora and fauna in Australia.
Thanks mate!
I think you did a great job. Ive used that rod. Practice practice practice : )
That's a really interesting vid. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it!
My buddy was a underwater welder for the navy. His welding was off the charts could make mig spool gun look like tig and fast. I never heard of stick aluminum unless its that cheap aluminum rods u see on info commercials.
Great try stu looks good. Almost had me with your feet in the water about to weld
Nice one Stu, you're a dead set Legend. Wasn't even aware that stick welding aluminium was an option.....
Thanks Michael. It certainly isn't common because it is so tricky but I'm keep to burn though a few more packets to see if it is something that practice will help with.
Very interesting, thanks!
You're welcome. :)
Thank you sir.
you're a funny dude. You and Mr. Bean should make a show.
Great to learn a new skill Stu. You'll probably have the keel laid for the new 50' aluminium Renko, by the time I drop in for a coffee.
Looking forward to the live stream.
Cheers mate.
Sure is Norm. Some techniques aren't always the go-to but I do think it is worth knowing the options. You coming back down this way anytime soon?
@@DangarMarine On my way now Stu. Coffs Harbour at the moment. Probably a month or so.
When starting the weld you can grip the rod rather than using the rod holder, makes for an easier start with more control.
Love ya work mate
Thanks mate.
So totally relate to this. Pro plumber but by necessity multitrader here, so often practice what I know I will need to do a few times before the actual job. No one knows everything, even plumbing changes almost annually in my area ( why can't we all just use copper and call it good???🙄🙄🙄) and any skills one has go rusty. In a perfect world you turn up on the job and knock it out like it's your bread a butter...🤫😅😅😅
For sure, there is always something new to learn and nothing stays the same for long!
Nice selection of colourfull birds there stu
How my internet worlds of following DangarMarine for my boating interests, and weldingtipsandtricks for my Hobby of producing "premium artisanal scrap metal" collided, I have no idea, but I love it :P
Now, if you next do a 6 part 30 minute each series covering "Philosophy of use" and then reviewing what the best type of cleat (from a selection of 2 cleats) to buy, and you mention Nutnfancy, I'll laugh my ass off
We use MAPP gas handheld torch and aluminum brazing rods to repair our aluminum Jon boats here in my area of the USA. It seems to be as good and hold up as good as mig or tig. Not as pretty to look at though. Also, our boats don't see salt or brackish waters. Fresh water lakes only.
Yes, brazing does seem to be a good way to go in many circumstances.
That was very interesting. I'll be looking for more videos on it might be something handy for me to. I also noticed a CZcams plaque hanging up behind you well done
Thanks Trevor, glad you enjoyed, always good to file away little bits of information that might be useful in the future! :)
Previous to watching this I looked at some guys who had it down " Building an Aluminum Performance Cruising catamaran - Part 1. " from about 6:45 is the Aluminum construction
Great video!! Love the chickens
Thank you!
Well stick welding Aluminum.....That is a first for me....Thanks mate....Love the birds.....Shoe🇺🇸
Its come full circle. First video I ever watches of you was found a few years ago working on my tinny.
I'm enjoying doing the small boat videos again.
I love this guy :)
New setup looks good, audio sounded a little muffled but overall going in the right direction.
Yes, I'm not a huge fan of that microphone sound. I've got a new shotgun mic arriving tomorrow so I'm going to try that instead. I'm hoping it is clearer and warmer.
Looks good. Hopefully you get your go pro back soon, dragging around a Mac book can't be fun. My cat enjoyed the birds at the end, launched himself at the TV.
LOL. Hope the cat and the TV are okay. I found the GoPro in the bottom of my toolbag so all good. :)
Back in the day before tig we welded with gas on aluminum ( lots of flux and low heat , almost sutty ) and it holds really well plus you don’t need electricity !
Hey Dave, I am a big fan of gas welding too!
Keen to watch the outboard videos. Don't watch many live streams they are a little all over the place for me haha
The grinder not working without a battery is a safety feature. The battery acts as a balancing aid, providing optimal control over the grinding disk. That is also why there is a fail safe built in which will prevent the grinder from turning on at all if a properly weighted battery is not installed at the counter weight position behind the handle.
Ah, very clever. It's great to see they are looking out for my safety. ;)
Grinder and paint make me the welder I ain’t. 😝👍🏻
Indeed!
I tried practicing aluminum welding on various bits I had available and found a piece of extruded AL that could not be welded at all.
Then I saw a video that included talk about "unweldable aluminum alloys" from This Old Tony.
Yes, there are certainly plenty of aluminium alloys which all behave differently.
Always wondered if you could stick weld Ali good to no Stu as I had never looked into it , look forward to the workshop vids again Stu , cheers , shaneo, nelson, nz, 🍺👍
Thanks Shane!
Your work place reminds me of my garage. Organized chaos.
Indeed!
I loved seeing the JUSTU IT sign I made. 👍
It add a lot to the workshop. Thanks! :)
Glad to hear someone else has a problem with their battery operated power tool not receiving the power (wirelessly) from the battery sitting on the bench. I thought it was just me! Lol
Ah, we all do it!
Dam Stu i know you like a drink but only 58 seconds and the decanter is almost done LOL
Mmm, parrots! I like them, nice to have some friends in your workshop.
The best!
That cockatoo is amazing😀
There are plenty of them around. Noisy buggers too!
A lot of good information on the drop down description except for what whiskey you're drinking. Honestly, the most important information.
It was actually Mount Gay Rum.
For the grinder get a flapper disk and hook up a garden hose with a small nozzle to a pump and shoot the water against the little ridges on the flapper disk...move the grinder around quickly too. It will clean the dust away, if any, while you wear yourself out! 😁🤣 For the bow sprit were there any other option than welding? For a first go at this it's a good start. The changes in format are sounding interesting.
To be honest I think it would be easier to cut the bow sprit off and make a new one (if it is needed at all.)
Nice a little practice will go a long way
For sure. It would be good to burn another 20 rods or so with different settings to get my eye in.
It is difficult to keep the heat at the weld point. Definitely using another torch for keeping the general area warmer would help but that cold river water coupled with the surface area of the hull beneath the waterline is one hell of a heatsink!
A couple of good points there. Extra heat definitely would help and I hadn't thought about how much heat the river water would be taking away. Should have done it on a low tide!
Newer welders have high frequency arc stabilizers installed to keep the ac arc lit. The old days we would hook up an arc stabilizer to our old ac welders to scratch tig weld. Arc stability is key with aluminum
I did run some of these rods on a better welder and was definitely a bit easier.
A simple mod for your grinder battery issue. Just take a 50 amp cable and solder the leads onto the battery and then connect to the bottom of the grinder. Then you wont need to lug that bloody battery around :-)
That's not a bad idea. ;)
You have the cordless grinder. To run without the battery you need the contactless version. Or buy the cheap eBay cord adaptor to convert your cordless to corded. If you run it on 240 volts it will have heaps more grunt, but you will have to work really fast...
Holy Crap .... That bottle is leaking ... LOL Kind regards Alex ..
it makes sense that when you said " aluminum isn't hard, its just fast" the base material is going to steal your heat so fast. I'm surprised that the thinner metal didn't blow out super easy, probably in part to the heat getting dumped so fast into the base. neat video, fun to watch someone else make gross welds instead of looking at my Pidgeon poo welds. grinder makes a good welder right?
Our shop had a problem with humidity getting to our welding rods. When I priced rod ovens, it ran from $300 USD to almost $3,000. So I built a plywood box sealed with epoxy and installed a 100 watt incandescent bulb in the bottom. Had to drop it to a 60 watt as the rods came out too hot to handle. But, no more crumbling rods! Cost about $20 in parts and just needed a new bulb every year or so...
I think it's a good way to go to make one, there isn't much too them.
We did same with an old fridge .
Love your channel, fabulous content. Stick welding aluminum is reality hard for the back yard weekender I have had more success with a gas mig welder. I had better penetration overall. Also like us all we run out of space to store all our important and very usefully items as witnessed by your dive regulator hanging above you vice. Good luck and keep going. Mike
Try using a “positive” ground on the piece your welding… that’s what the instructions for the rods I used on my aluminum boat said to do….
Interesting. These say electrode positive but I'd be interested to try both ways.
I wonder if using positive ground with the boat sitting in salt water will dissolve it around you🤷♂️
@@DangarMarine I tried it both ways… seemed the same to me. I had more trouble with the high alloys in the aluminum I was welding. I have a US Army twin DD-353’s diesel Bridge and Barge boat… built out of some tough aluminum…
Ur stick welding skills surely increased even if the welds looked lumpy. U did alright. Try running cast rods...bluh. I'd rather Tig em.
Hi Stu - Are you going all posh on us and serving your Coopers from a decanter - Man you have style . Take care and best wishes from the UK.
Only till summer comes. ;)
Mate you’re living the dream.. been in the states for 22 years .. pittwater native… I’m wondering if another guy up by Brooklyn be crowed for small fishing charter and boat repair guy.. ?
2:17 Weird problem, huh? Try turning the grinder upside down to stop the electrons from draining out. ;3
Good thinking!
Better man than me all I could ever do with aluminum rods was blow holes lol
It's not easy that's for sure, but it was interesting to experiment with.
I thought this was a older video then I saw you just put it up. I was wondering about stick welding aluminum?
Hey Tim, I've been meaning to try it for ages...
Watching Dangar and a This Old Tony video showed up instead 🤣
LOL
Im a train welder and i find it best that wrap the welder cable round your forearm once and then hold the welder gun as less weight on you wrist when you weld.better control and results.
Nice tip!
Back to the 'crystal decanter': That 'tan liquid' is nearly empty when you are welding 1/3 the way through the video, yet almost full when you close the vid. Magic stuff I am sure! Hey --- I have always wondered --- if you hold a lit match, take a swig, then blow past the match, will you blow flames? Might work well for preheating aluminum ....... worth a try anyway .... probably would have to practice a lot to get good at it ....
I love your vids ...
Could be a good way to preheat. ;)
Good
If you are going to be doing more live stuff you could consider the obsbot, the little 4k camera that has ai motion and face tracking so follows you around while you are doing stuff. It's stationary, doesn't actually follow you around.
They do look like pretty cool cameras.
Welding Ali with a new type of amber flux being poured out of that bottle Stu....... did it improve the cocky spots hahaha
I think it was worth a shot to see if it helped though. ;)
@@DangarMarine .....or two 😂
Maby try to straighten the rod a litle. 25-30° for alu. 40-45° for steel. Easyer for the flus to cover the melting point.
Thanks Bobby, the new pack of rods finally arrived yesterday so I'll give that a try.
The battery is there for weight distribution. Without it, the disc jams on the work piece and friction causes the grinder not to work. I'm a BS engineer, so I know.
If you clean up the welding area with a stainless steel wire brush is always advisable it takes of the contamination
Looks darn good if I do say so myself. I can mig weld good but not aluminum weld for crap.
Thanks Keith, MIG is great for aluminium.
You could make a perch with several little bowls far enough a part that might not fight for a bit, and aim a 1080/720 cheapy ipcam (security cam) at it. Aliexpress has then for as cheap as 27$ free shipping.
you could pre dry the sticks in the oven and quickly put them in a sealed vakkum bag. the kitchen style things are cheap and weld the bags shut with heat. you could go so far to single seal them or in 2 and 5 groups. should keep them fresh even on see till you need them.
Sounds like a good way to go, particularly when it comes to keeping some onboard Renko.
Hello there, Im not a fountain of information, but when I welded aluminum I did it with tig and reversed the polarity on the machine. I have not welded aluminum with stick before but you could try and see if reversing the polarity would do the trick. Heating up the aluminum might help as you mentioned in you vid. Have a great day.
Yes, with TIG I always go AC for TIG but I think preheating is definitely the way to go for stick.
does work without battery. move it vigorously
Very true, works for sandpaper too! ;)
I have a cheap (like really cheap) Telwin MiniMig 130 that is set up with aluminium wire, and it works surprisingly well. I recently got a quite expensive AC/DC tig welder specifically for alu, but I must admit I still prefer the cheapo mig machine for most alu work. Much faster, and the welds are structurally sound, if not pretty. Not going for showroom quality anyway. That said, I am determined to master the tig well enough not to embarrass myself. Well, before I retire anyway...
I must admit, I've always been a TIG guy but I think when it comes to doing structural repairs on old aluminium boat MIG really is the way to go. I'll look up the machine you mentioned. Thanks!
Can I bring beer to the live stream?
Absolutely!