Welding Tips and Tricks

Posted: **Sat Jul 27, 2013 6:39 am**

I have some excess 3/32 aluminum and steel filler rods and wanted to ask you gurus if any 'ol' shop trick exists that makes it easy to split a 3/32" thick filler rod in half so you get 2 ~0.046" thick rods? (Thereby, resulting in 2 thinner filler rods)?

The filler rods that are thinner than 1/16 make it much easier for me to weld on thin walled tube, so just trying to make use of what I have..

Posted: **Sat Jul 27, 2013 1:30 pm**

MeatHead wrote:I have some excess 3/32 aluminum and steel filler rods and wanted to ask you gurus if any 'ol' shop trick exists that makes it easy to split a 3/32" thick filler rod in half so you get 2 ~0.046" thick rods? (Thereby, resulting in 2 thinner filler rods)?

The filler rods that are thinner than 1/16 make it much easier for me to weld on thin walled tube, so just trying to make use of what I have..

No. There are some things that even welders will not do! You could just use pieces of mig wire if you needed some thin filler.

Posted: **Sat Jul 27, 2013 3:18 pm**

MeatHead wrote:I have some excess 3/32 aluminum and steel filler rods and wanted to ask you gurus if any 'ol' shop trick exists that makes it easy to split a 3/32" thick filler rod in half so you get 2 ~0.046" thick rods? (Thereby, resulting in 2 thinner filler rods)?

The filler rods that are thinner than 1/16 make it much easier for me to weld on thin walled tube, so just trying to make use of what I have..

that almost sounds like a challenge?! be careful what you ask a bunch of welders with lots of spare time on their hands. we're a crafty bunch!!

Posted: **Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:23 pm**

If you're feeling like a creative shop challenge, you could build a drawing die to pull the wire through. You'd need serious mechanical advantage, though. Build it onto a log-splitter for a two-purpose tool, perhaps?

Someone SAID "challenge"...

If you COULD split a 3/32 rod in half, and round the halves back into rods, you'd get .066"

I don't see a practical way of doing it. What it would cost you to build a drawing rig would buy a lot of rod in the right size.

I suppose you could build a fairly simple jig to run the rods across a grinder to reduce the diameter or section off half. Whatever you try, you'd have to do it on an "as needed" basis, as you'll lose the rust protection.

You can buy E70-S2 and -S6 (as well as many Al alloys) MIG wire on spools as small a 1 or 2 pounds in .0625 (1/16), .052, .045, .035, .030, and .023 and use it as filler with the ability to fine-tune the filler size to the job, as well as the Si content to the cleanliness/quality of the metal.

Maybe you could simply trade your surplus to someone with some 1/16" they don't need, through an ad on our "sale or trade" section, or one of the many bartering websites that are popping up.

I love thinking through a challenge, and I hope others toss out crazy ideas, too.

Steve S

Posted: **Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:34 pm**

Otto Nobedder wrote:If you're feeling like a creative shop challenge, you could build a drawing die to pull the wire through. You'd need serious mechanical advantage, though. Build it onto a log-splitter for a two-purpose tool, perhaps?

Someone SAID "challenge"...

If you COULD split a 3/32 rod in half, and round the halves back into rods, you'd get .066"

I don't see a practical way of doing it. What it would cost you to build a drawing rig would buy a lot of rod in the right size.

I suppose you could build a fairly simple jig to run the rods across a grinder to reduce the diameter or section off half. Whatever you try, you'd have to do it on an "as needed" basis, as you'll lose the rust protection.

You can buy E70-S2 and -S6 (as well as many Al alloys) MIG wire on spools as small a 1 or 2 pounds in .0625 (1/16), .052, .045, .035, .030, and .023 and use it as filler with the ability to fine-tune the filler size to the job, as well as the Si content to the cleanliness/quality of the metal.

Maybe you could simply trade your surplus to someone with some 1/16" they don't need, through an ad on our "sale or trade" section, or one of the many bartering websites that are popping up.

I love thinking through a challenge, and I hope others toss out crazy ideas, too.
need i say more??

Steve S

Welding Tips and Tricks

Split 3/32" filler rod into two ~0.046" rods?

Split 3/32" filler rod into two ~0.046" rods?

Re: Split 3/32" filler rod into two ~0.046" rods?

Re: Split 3/32" filler rod into two ~0.046" rods?

Re: Split 3/32" filler rod into two ~0.046" rods?

Re: Split 3/32" filler rod into two ~0.046" rods?