Al welding rod

[William Yanda]

Ads for Aluminum welding rod keep popping up on my screen. Allegedly work with a propane torch. Anybody here have experience using them to weld Al angle or steel angle? Allegedly operating temp is 800-900 degrees which would probably work for lead and alloys. I'm thinking they might work to make some ingot molds. They do seem a little pricey. I do not have access to oxy, a buzz box, mig or tig. (Yet).
Bill

[farmbif]

aluminum rod will not fasten two pieces of steel together. there are solders that are designed for fastening stainless steel together. I would think you would want to at least mig weld or tig weld aluminum together in making a ingot mold. might try finding a local welding shop to put together something for you if you don't have access to welder or possibly go to local vo tech school and ask instructor if one of the students could weld something together for you.

[bangerjim]

I have a 2" bundle of the things. Got suckered into them at a swap meet years ago. The peddler was welding pop cans together with a propane torch. Of course THIN cans will not suck the heat out and the welds did look like you would expect. I took the bait.

They do not really work very well at all, like good old brazing or steel welding rod/wire do. The experiences I have had are more like a mud dauber's nest than a good flowing weld that I achieve with oxy or arc welding. And they only work on Aluminum. And Al really sucks heat, so you MUST use a MAPP gas torch to get very concentrated high heat very fast. Never could get standard propane to work. Oxy/propane will work!

TIG is the way the pros usually do it. Those "home hobbyist" rods you see are a joke. Save your money. Have all your AL welding/fabrication done by a professional with correct tools & equipment. Shop around locally. I did, when I had to get a 3/4" hole filled in one of my AL alloy tire rims.

I tend to weld everything.......................but not Al. For that I use JB Weld and rivets! Works every time.

You would be much better off just buying pre-made molds, because it sounds like you have absolutely NONE of the tools needed to fab metals.

Good luck on your quest!

banger

[Jeff Michel]

Banger Jim is right on the money. You can weld aluminum with a stick welder, but it can be an interesting experience. MIG or TIG with the proper shielding gas is really the only practical way of doing a decent job. You might seriously consider an inexpensive multi process welder, HF has a number of different choices that may not be up to the rigors of a oil pipeline welder in the Yukon but are just plain handy to have for the home gamer/occasional user. For me, welding aluminum is more trouble than any other of the commonly encountered metals. Takes a different gas blend, more amps, and getting it clean enough and keeping it clean can be a chore. Good luck with your project.

[DougGuy]

I tried to use them to build up a flared mag well on an old Para Ordnance frame, they did that part okay, but the heat from welding shrunk the cast aluminum frame so badly that a grip safety or mainspring housing would no longer fit into the frame.

By the time an aluminum lawn chair needs welding, it is so old it needs to go to the dump anyway.

I still have a small handful of them that I got at a gun show in the 90s, I think I stumble across something I can use one or two of them on once every 5yrs.

[farmbif]

takes argon gas to properly weld two pieces of aluminum together. stick welding aluminum? I know al rod is available but never seen a quality weld with them, I mean mean even with TIG welding, you cannot scratch start AL, you need controllable hi freq to get any kind of a quality weld, or a mig spool gun or push pull. or if your real careful and maybe use 5356 filler wire in larger diameter you can push it through a normal mig gun.
anyway if you want something in aluminum welded properly and don't have the equipment your better off just having a welding shop do it for you.

[para45lda]

Seems like I read in an older thread where a member used an aluminum rod to stir his melt. It slowly but surely was being consumed by the lead. Said it made it harder.

Of course I could have dreamed all that. Happens more and more

Wes

[wbbh]

The Project Farm Youtube channel review them.

Best "No Welder" Aluminum Welding Rods? Let's find out! Alumiweld vs Bernzomatic vs Hobart


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKIKsDfRAcs&t=13s

There are other YouTube video on using them.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve used aluminum stick type welding rods and surprisingly, they work. I wouldn’t recommend using them for a big project, but for a quick repair when there is no other option, they work.

The type of rod used with a propane torch is more like soldering. Depending on the application, they seem to work.

If you want to make some mold you need a real welding set up. You can buy cheap buzz box welders and they work, but if you are just leaning to weld, it is easier to learn with a big machine. Maybe you have a friend who has one.

[tunnug]

I had a an aluminum compensator that the screw hole for the set screw was buggered, the whole area started out 1/8" thick but then the manufacturer made a lightning groove that left the area 1/16" thick so of course the screw stripped.
I put the compensator on my vise and used a stainless brush to clean out the area really good, used mapp gas and heated up the comp really good until the aluminum brazing rod started to melt, built it up above what was needed to allow for the shrinking, when the braze cooled down, filed down flat and re-drilled and tapped the set screw hole, made the section back into 1/8" thick and you almost couldn't tell I'd done the repair, painted it flat black and it worked and looked like it's supposed to.
So yeah, certain repairs can be done with a torch on aluminum, I'm terrible about documenting anything I do so there's no video or pictures.

[William Yanda]

Thanks for the responses. I think you have saved me some $$$.

Bill

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The low melt temp rods, that are sold to weld Aluminum with a Propane torch, are an alloy.
Most sellers won't tell you what that is in the alloy rod, besides Aluminum.

FYI...it's ZINC :shock:
...and probably some Tin.



https://www.weldersupply.com/P/2939/BlueDemonTriplePlayLowTempAluminum-ZincBrazingRod18x181LbTube

[GregLaROCHE]

The low melt temp rods, that are sold to weld Aluminum with a Propane torch, are an alloy.
Most sellers won't tell you what that is in the alloy rod, besides Aluminum.

FYI...it's ZINC :shock:
...and probably some Tin.



https://www.weldersupply.com/P/2939/BlueDemonTriplePlayLowTempAluminum-ZincBrazingRod18x181LbTube

Nothing wrong with zinc unless it’s in your casting alloy.

[john.k]

In fact ,people have been successfully welding aluminium castings ever since the stuff became an industrial metal.....not soldering...welding using oxy acetylene to melt the alloy and filler .......There is a technique to it,which is very well known to welders,and completely sound weld results.......in exactly the same way as the aluminium was cast in the first place......magnesium castings can also be welded successfully.......You should note that the zinc/tin/silver soldering processes look good ,they may detioriate rapidly in a damp environment ,and fail completely.........also note the soldering alloy is poison to any attempt to weld with correct filler metal later on.

[john.k]

My other comment regards aluminium bicycle frames ...the ally can be TIG welded quite successfully,but the weld will never have a fraction of the strength of the original frame ,which is heat treated five times at least during manufacture.

[William Yanda]

Nothing wrong with zinc unless it’s in your casting alloy.

or the atmosphere you're breathing.

[MarkW]

I used to repair boat props with those alumaweld rods as it worked quite well for that. As mentioned it takes a bit of heat, I used my oxy/acet torch. The main thing to keep in mind is that everything needs to be clean clean clean. Wash with soap & hot water a couple times, rinse a couple times, then use a stainless wire brush under a light flame and THEN use the rod. It's pretty tenacious when done right.

[stubert]

I have a Snap-On Mig welder with an aluminum spool gun setup, welding alum. is not for the beginner. It is normal to spend more time cleaning, than welding, and cleaning again. the weld has to be done fast, you don't want to stop the wire from moving EVER. My advice, take it to a pro.

[abunaitoo]

Many years ago, there was Alumaloy.
Adds on the TV all the time.
I'm sure this is the same thing.
Friend was a dealer for it.
The owner said the patent was going to run out, so he wasn't pushing it as hard as before.
Company is still listed.
I have used it.
It's not as easy as they make it look.
To me, it's more of a solder/braze that a weld.
I still have a bunch of it someplace.

[abunaitoo]

I watched a guy using a Dillon welding torch.
I've always wanted one.
He could weld almost anything with it.
Could even weld two soda cans together.

[megasupermagnum]

I am no welder, but TIG set on AC (other settings I usually set to book recommendation) is the only way I can weld aluminum. It is the easiest method I know of, although much harder than any method of welding steel. The goofy part of welding is that aluminum doesn't quite want to puddle like steel does, so you have to really watch it, as it can go from nothing, to burned through in no time.

The methods talked about in this thread, and that video are brazing. The difference is you are not melting any of the metal on the part, only the filler. It is heavy duty soldering in essence. All you need is hardware store MAPP gas and a brazing rod. You can do it with propane, but MAPP is hotter and easier.

[popper]

weld aluminum with a stick welder A fun project in HS auto shop class. Learned to NOT do it! You can scrape a spark but leaves a nasty. I got the grade by just spotting enough to hold the parts together.

[elmacgyver0]

An Eastwood TIG 200 AC/DC welder works like a dream on aluminum.
I only tried it twice, no practice and both welds held up and still going strong.
Frankly I didn't think it was going to work, I was surprised.

[Carrier]

I’m a refrigeration mechanic and use aluminum soldering rods a lot for piping, condenser and evaporator repairs. I tried some rods that were suppose to work on such as the OP is trying to do and had mixed results. It worked on
1/16 aluminum flat bar but couldn’t get a good weld with it on anything thicker.

[jim147]

I’m a refrigeration mechanic and use aluminum soldering rods a lot for piping, condenser and evaporator repairs. I tried some rods that were suppose to work on such as the OP is trying to do and had mixed results. It worked on
1/16 aluminum flat bar but couldn’t get a good weld with it on anything thicker.

As an old HVAC/R guy can I ask what you are using?

For aluminum to copper I use the old epoxy. For steel to copper it's silver. Copper to copper is mostly 15%. I do have some of the rod the OP talks about to fix my john boats. I have several pits and a bunch of boats.

[Carrier]

As an old HVAC/R guy can I ask what you are using?

For aluminum to copper I use the old epoxy. For steel to copper it's silver. Copper to copper is mostly 15%. I do have some of the rod the OP talks about to fix my john boats. I have several pits and a bunch of boats.

For aluminum to aluminium or aluminum to copper I use AL802 from Handy&Harman (I think they have updated that number) which has a powder flux inside of the rod. There are several others out there. I can’t remember the other one I have used in a kit form for soldering aluminum condensers and evaporators. It comes with Rod and a separate flux and worked really well on some Thermo King condensers. It is so easy to solder and just use a hand held propane torch but find using mapp gas is quicker especially for larger pipes.
Just google aluminum solder for HVAC and you will find one.