[av8r]

I was at the welding store and saw a display of aluminum welding rod called Aluminator from MG Welding Products. I thought I would give this a try. It behaved about like Hobart 4043. It seemed that the arc had a more pink color for Aluminator. Aluminator recommends preheating to achieve flatter welds. I make a few practice welds in 1/4" and 1/16". The latter was easy to burn through. The technique that appeared to work the best for me was to keep a fairly good rod angle and tight arc, almost like drag rod. This is certainly no threat to MIG welding.

[BDoubleU]

Trying aluminum STICK welding gives one an understanding of why MIG and TIG were developed Thanks for the summary of your experience - mine is similar. However, as crappy as STICK aluminum is - I have found it to be very useful in some situations. If you ever find yourself needing to make a quick, utility-style repair where functionality is the main objective, aluminum STICK can come in handy. Take extra care to clean your material and use a little preheat for best results ...

Just a note on preheating aluminum: be extremely careful because some alloys are heat treatable and solution annealing can occur at temps as low as 300 degrees F / 150 degrees C. Sorry for technical term .. but in general, preheating above this can soften or weaken the base metal. As a rule, most recommend just enough preheat to remove any moisture ... which is just above boiling. The benefit? You will slow the cooling rate of the weld puddle and allow it to flatten out. This is especially important on any sections thicker than 1/4" / 6 mm.

Brent

[semihemi]

hmmmm now i know how im gonna fix my aluminum kick stand on my dirt bike.....thanx guys

[BDoubleU]

hmmmm now i know how im gonna fix my aluminum kick stand on my dirt bike.....thanx guys

LOL - clean it, fixture it, preheat it, cross your fingers and good luck! Don't forget to post that in the projects area

[semihemi]

well hells bells theres another great idea.... i like hanging out with yall...ill do that... ill get pics before during and after ... 1998 Kawasaki KLX300 bored and stroked .. its a beast