Welding Tips and Tricks

I am wrapping up my welding cart and thought I would share some pictures. This is my first real project with aluminum.

There are some 4043 and 5356 welds in there

Very nice.

Gotta love a project with a heap of short runs, eh? Interesting, I was wondering just very recently whether anyone had built a cart in aluminium rather than steel - considering an aluminium cart build myself.

Thanks for sharing.



Kym

Yeah a lot of short runs but great practice. I even builthough the rear axle out of aluminum.

Building one out of steel would have been much faster and cheaper but I learned a lot. That and it will never rust!

If I had a bigger garage/shop I would have built something bigger but space is a premium.

I will get some pictures of the finished cart soon.

I like the round corners on the tube you are using.

Where I am, I can only find aluminium tube with very sharp, square edges.

Looking forward to seeing the completed cart.



Kym

MosquitoMoto wrote:I like the round corners on the tube you are using.

Where I am, I can only find aluminium tube with very sharp, square edges.

Looking forward to seeing the completed cart.



Kym

Hey Kym...if you have a carbide round over bit for your router...does wonders on those square edges.

exnailpounder wrote:

MosquitoMoto wrote:I like the round corners on the tube you are using.

Where I am, I can only find aluminium tube with very sharp, square edges.

Looking forward to seeing the completed cart.



Kym

Hey Kym...if you have a carbide round over bit for your router...does wonders on those square edges.

That's a great idea, exnail.

Mind you, I don't own a router. I'm thinking there must be somewhere in this backwater I live in that has round cornered tube...



Kym

Just need to buy thicker tube...and it costs more Heck, you got your hands on a welder, you GOTTA be able to find a measly router now. Do you potty indoors yet

exnailpounder wrote:Just need to buy thicker tube...and it costs more Heck, you got your hands on a welder, you GOTTA be able to find a measly router now. Do you potty indoors yet

Potty indoors? Hell no, what sort of people do that?

I actually think I'll just stick with sharp edged square aluminium tube. Routing the edges round is just one more exercise in covering my world in aluminium confetti, and I have way too much of that already, and not enough space. Building engines and cutting/routing aluminium in the same small space is not a good idea.

Love the OP's choice of aluminium for the cart though. Pretty sure I'll go that way myself.


Kym

I used to weld for a guy who built breathing air compressors for dive shops and dive boats and I welded the frames for him...that was back in the 90's and he thought that square edged didn't look right so he made me round off everything. He taught me how to tig weld so I can excuse him for making me work. Gosh where does the time go

exnailpounder wrote:Do you potty indoors yet

It used to be that it was totally unthinkable for anyone to shit in their own house.

I built my cart from cheap, 3/4" water/gas pipe from home depot. What I really want is to build a cart from something like .030 Titanium DOM.
If I ever get the $$$ to get er done then yous guys will think my cart is the next best thing to when Bill Clinton was free balling in the White House.

RamboBaby wrote:I built my cart from cheap, 3/4" water/gas pipe from home depot. What I really want is to build a cart from something like .030 Titanium DOM.
If I ever get the $$$ to get er done then yous guys will think my cart is the next best thing to when Bill Clinton was free balling in the White House.

Thanks for painting that mental picture. Gotta go throw up now

^^^ You're welcome my brother!

I'm starting my first welding project with my daughter... seems to be the same kind of thing you're doing. We're building a go-kart with an aluminum frame. I have an inverter welder AHP AlphaTIG 200X (not sure if anyone knows that model). We're having a hell of a time getting a good puddle started on a T joint.

We're using 1" rounded tube that's 1/8" thick. I can get a nice puddle going on a flat surface but the minute I try the T joint it goes to hell. I'm using 2% Lanthanated tungsten... 134 amps, 35% balance, 3/32 aluminum filler.

My questions are... are these settings OK? Is there a technique to doing T joints when the aluminum is "almost" touching each other?

I went and bought more practice aluminum but we're running out with little progress. Any suggestions anyone might have would be AWESOME.

Thanks!