Need Help Whats the best or fastest way to weld thin aluminum?

[0igo]

It’s there a safe way to weld .04 aluminum pieces together? I’m thinking of going out to go buy a welder but I know there’s different types, do any of you have recommendations on what I should use?

 

[jasonx]

TIG.

 

[GAC05]

It is a skill like most anything and takes time, practice, and good equipment. See if you can rent a rig and do some tests to see if it something you would be comfortable doing.
I used to do radiator repair and a big part of that was brazing and soldering on very thin copper header tanks, cores & tubes. It took a long while to get good at it. Then radiators started being made of aluminum and plastic......

 

[visual800]

.040 is very thin to weld on and I would expect some warping, have a you thought about lords adhesives?

 

[Jester1167]

Not to mention aluminum is one of the hardest metals to weld. .040 will be a nightmare and I would look for other options.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Simpleweldingrods.com

I've not tried these myself yet but I hear really good stuff about them. My uncle uses them to repair the real thin aluminum on his wheel-line field sprinklers when they get shot.

 

[signbrad]

I have never had any success welding anything thinner than .080" aluminum.

 

[Tessellate]

Before holding a squeegee I was a licensed mechanic turning wrenches in a custom performance shop. Fair share of pushing rod on 6061... 0.04” aluminum is in the pop can world... you need a very stable machine but more importantly - years of practice. Only process that can do that thin gauge would be Tig - and you are basically starting at the hardest process to learn.

as mentioned if possible stick with the two part epoxy’s or if it needs to be welded - look for a local welding shop that specializes in aluminum / stainless / titanium.

Any Joe can use a glue gun and MiG to pieces so ensure the jobber you sub this to isn’t a mouse that makes Swiss cheese

 

[Pauly]

Less about the welder, more about how good you can weld.

I would be looking at a TIG with a soft start feature minimum. even pulse width modulation too.

 

[MikePatterson]

.040 is doable but your will probably need a bottle of whiskey and another bottle of zanax. I would use 3m panel bond adhesive or Lord Fusion panel adhesive. If you prep the metal right, the metal will tear before the joint will.

 

[The Big Squeegee]

I have welded and been certified for welding aluminum. For something that thin, I would use a TIG welder with a copper backing.

 

[iamclaus]

Would aluminum soldering be strong enough for your application? It isn’t really welding, as all you’re using is a blowtorch, bringing the area up to temperature, and letting the aluminum solder stick melt and flow into the joints.