Welding Tips and Tricks

If you have the time to answer....

I am getting into aluminum pontoon repair and will need to acquire several methods of cutting, shaping, grinding, cleaning aluminum.

I like to buy quality. Can you reccomend a company that specializes or sells well made tools for such. Thinking carbide burrs, files, etc. Don't really know what I need or what would even work. The names of the files for example (i.e. half flat bastard) and what not, I just don't know the names of the tools to search for them. I don't know what companies make quality files. I understand carbide burrs can be useful, whats a good brand that makes the coarse ones that will not load up as quickly? Most use will be cuttting and fitting cast skeg replacements for lower units and cutting fitting cleaning and shapeing reinforcment plates, patches, and brackets. 3/32" to 1/4" aluminum marine grade sheet I assume.

I will be learning the trade as I go in effort to get good enough to sell my work. I own a marine repair shop and need to bring the welding and repairs in-house as wait times and quality have dropped off significantly in my area.

I don't even know what companies sell this kind of stuff, don't know what the tools are commonly called. Just ignorant on this issue but I know I can succeed with some hard work, passion and attention to detail.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Since you have compressed air it start with a couple of die grinders. A straight one and one at a 90. I like to use the small rubber adapters that you can put scotch brite pads or abrasive pads on.

Pretty much anything used to cut wood can be used on aluminum. For burrs, get those designed for aluminum. Their cutting edges are spaced further apart so they won't gall up. You can spray files and blades with WD40 or wax them to help keep them cleaned out. Flap sanding disks on a 4 1/2" grinder work really well. Grinding and cutting disks are aluminum specific. Disks made for steel can load up with AL shavings and come apart when the AL heats up and expands.

Any specific brand or toolmaker? As in I buy Snap-on Sockets and wrenches I should by ???-brand files and burrs?

Yes, I have more die grinders than I can count. I have several side grinders and angle grinders and dual action sanders and all the usual tools you would find in a full service marine mechanic shop. What I don't know is the aluminum specific grinding attachments and discs and who makes them. I have looked through my wholesalers catalogs to not much avail and they dont usually carry the better brands, just the inexpensive bulk stuff. Maybe thats what every one uses though.

I just need to tool up. Dynasty is on the delivery truck so should be here monday or tuesday.

Thanks again for all the replies in these threads. I am not the most savy computer googler. Usually I just wait for the candy store to pull up on wednesdays but I dont know that snappy is the way to go for this stuff. He may have the files and cutting wheels though. Seems like for steel I et them through the body shop supply but we go through so few that I cant remeber where I order all this stuff from.

Here is a recent thread on carbide burrs for aluminum
http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... it=Carbide

I like tap magic for aluminum on drill bits and burrs, and tool saver wax on norton abrasives blue fire grinding disks. A couple of quick touches with a wire brush cleans the crud and dresses the disk nicely.

PeteM wrote:I like tap magic for aluminum on drill bits and burrs, and tool saver wax on norton abrasives blue fire grinding disks. A couple of quick touches with a wire brush cleans the crud and dresses the disk nicely.

+1 that is THE go to cutting fluid

Great, thanks for the answers. Sounds like Buckeye is the goto brand for burrs and such.

What about files? Is there a brand of files that are better than the rest? Specifically interested in files for aluminum.

I understand that I can use regular woodcutting tools for the aluminum sheet I will be working with. I don't see much more than 1/4" thick stuff being used much. So I will try and figure out what blades I will be needing for all the various saws I have. I was pleasantly surprised that my trusty makita jig saw did a fine job of cutting circles out of 1/8" aluminum sheet. Just had a medium tooth blade in it. I wonder if fine tooth would clog up or produce cleaner cuts? Would the wax or lube work on the saw blades as well?

I am just starting to tool up for the new endeavor now that I am confidant that I will be able to get the hang of this tig welding. Especially after the classes I am signing up for and my limited practice so far. A couple very experienced local welders stopped by the shop to check out the dynasty and complimented me on my practice results. They mentioned that after I get this neck brace thing off I should be able to improve more.

I've gotten fine results with with a typical single cut smooth and 2nd cut file. For those, I would also give it a light brush (using a flux/acid brush) with cutting oil. Makes a super quick cut and blows out with compressed air really easy. Without it they get cruddy and can be ruined pretty quick.

Cutting a lot of aluminum, we lubed everything pretty often. Wax like Doall tool saver on circular blades (table and chop saws) really helped keep the carbides from getting the chips galled to them. For reciprocating and band saws a medium metal blade and the tap magic was always good for the cut quality.

Because of its softness and low melting temp, aluminum acts very sticky when being cut, so everything gets lubed. Not heavily, but just enough to keep the cutting tool and cut clean.

Check out McMaster-Carr they will have everything you need by quality manufactures.

I might catch heck for this but, you might stand a better chance to run your grinders and such as slow as you can and still get them to work. They won't make as much heat and the kickback won't be so drastic. The dag blasted burrs are pretty sharp, so use caution and face shield/safety glasses.

Guy's it's a 4 yr old thread! GeorgeTurner is just spamming for links to hit his site. Check the date before you reply!

Well crud...

well gawwwwwly......told ya so.