Welding cracked aluminum rims

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Hey guys, took some rims from my local tire shop that had crack in hope to gain aluminum TIG experience...my invertec max'd out at 175 amps and my tungsten is dancing like crazy so made a few passes with OXY/ACL hoping i can bring down the amps...When I weld is my puddle forms but when i add my filler rod, its not beading it just sinks ( too much heat) and if I am abe to make a bead it wrinkles bady....Anyone have a idea on how I can fix this...I am running 145/150 amps on 3/32 tung....Thanks Alec
Reply:Show a pic. It will help, i do them all the time. Actually doing one early tomorrow morn.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:make sure you don't have a magnesium rim.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet
Reply:Also sounds like it might still be dirty. It'll skin over if dirty leaving a molten puddle beneath the skin. Must be very clean.  That should be enough amps for the edge of a rim. I think I had to go up to 180 amps the other day in order to get some crud to float out but most of it was done at 150 amps.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitAlso sounds like it might still be dirty. It'll skin over if dirty leaving a molten puddle beneath the skin. Must be very clean.  That should be enough amps for the edge of a rim. I think I had to go up to 180 amps the other day in order to get some crud to float out but most of it was done at 150 amps.
Reply:Definitely a lot more time cleaning than welding. Lots of scrubbing then carbide burr to groove. Then you've still got to float the crud out.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitDefinitely a lot more time cleaning than welding. Lots of scrubbing then carbide burr to groove. Then you've still got to float the crud out.
Reply:The worst is crevice corrosion. I ran into that the other day. It ran almost all the way through with several deep pits around the bead area of the rim. I told the guy he needed a new rim.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Yep bud, iv'e had to blow the horn many of times and play taps. It just happens lol.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:I have found the factory clearcoats are really tough to cut thru, and tend to mess a weld up like throwing water on an electrical fire. I agree so much about the prep and grinding out. I also usually drill stop the end of the cracks, about 1/4" past the known end of the crack in question.If a rim does not weld up well....... it's a really nice paperweight!And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:If you are wanting to learn TIG, do yourself a huge favor and go to your local steel yard and buy some aluminum drops. They will clean up easy and allow you to learn to weld without the problems associated with welding cast, dirty aluminum.
Reply:Must be the season for cracked rims. I had one waiting on my bench when I got home today. This is the third one one the same Volvo. The other 2 I did 2 years ago are holding strong. I put the rims on my Bridgeport and use a ball end mill and mill the crack right out. Much easier and cleaner than messing with an air die grinder with a carbide cutter in my book.www.tjsperformance.comDynasty 300 DXHTP 240HTP Microcut 380Hyperthem 85JD2 Hyd Bender and HF Hyd Ring Roller all in one =(Frankenbender)Bpt. Mill/DRO4' x 8' CNC Plasma TableInstagram: tjsperformanceYT: TJS Welding and Fabrication
Reply:Is you Invertec AC/DC?
Reply:Ugh....mines done. There was alot more steps involved but i did this as quick as i could to help a coworker, so i only took a few quick pics. Took a little over a hour start to finish with no stopping, all by hand. Attachment 925221I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:I hear that this magnesium chloride crap they put on the roads eats aluminum rims like candy.World is full of morons.  When I was younger they just put out a little gravel/sand, and called it good.  AND THEY DIDN'T PLOW THE ROADS DOWN TO AN ICE GLARE.  People used common sense when driving."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I tried to tig weld a cracked aluminum rim once. It taught me some valuable lessons. I had to put my rim in a blast cabinet to get it clean enough to weld with ac tig. Once welded, you will never get the proper balance back into the rim. Regardless of what filler you use (4043 or 5356) it won't match the base metal of the rim. In a month or a few , the crack will be back for sure. Your going to have to bite the bullet and buy a replacement rim. There are shops who specialize in repairing crack rims but they also use expensive machining processes to accomplish this.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeUgh....mines done. There was alot more steps involved but i did this as quick as i could to help a coworker, so i only took a few quick pics. Took a little over a hour start to finish with no stopping, all by hand.
Reply:Originally Posted by vwguy3Is you Invertec AC/DC?
Reply:I will give that a shot...Thanks!
Reply:You use a bur in the crack? is that to make it easier for the filler to penetrate?
Reply:Originally Posted by walkerIf you are wanting to learn TIG, do yourself a huge favor and go to your local steel yard and buy some aluminum drops. They will clean up easy and allow you to learn to weld without the problems associated with welding cast, dirty aluminum.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonOuch, that one went beyond the beadlock. Surprising it got that far without the customer losing all the air. Nice repair.
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitDefinitely a lot more time cleaning than welding. Lots of scrubbing then carbide burr to groove. Then you've still got to float the crud out.
Reply:Originally Posted by boatbuoymake sure you don't have a magnesium rim.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeUgh....mines done. There was alot more steps involved but i did this as quick as i could to help a coworker, so i only took a few quick pics. Took a little over a hour start to finish with no stopping, all by hand. Attachment 925221Originally Posted by RojodiabloI have found the factory clearcoats are really tough to cut thru, and tend to mess a weld up like throwing water on an electrical fire. I agree so much about the prep and grinding out. I also usually drill stop the end of the cracks, about 1/4" past the known end of the crack in question.If a rim does not weld up well....... it's a really nice paperweight!
Reply:Originally Posted by blowermaxThats a great repair...
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeUgh....mines done. There was alot more steps involved but i did this as quick as i could to help a coworker, so i only took a few quick pics. Took a little over a hour start to finish with no stopping, all by hand. Attachment 925221Attachment 925241Attachment 925261Attachment 925271
Reply:If your using pure tungsten those cant handle much amps. Get  a 1/8 inch 2% lanthanated or zerconiated or rare earth
Reply:Yeah good job Mike.Looks about the same as the one I repaired Mon. That seems like about the average sized crack around here. Some are less but most are close to that.  I've never had one come back yet. One guy I ended up doing about five wheels for. Said all the others are holding.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Another thing to consider, if your doing this job for someone else. What will happen if something happens to this wheel and someone is injured or killed because of it? The repair is traced back to you. This is why most places won't touch a job like this. It looks good now but the crack will be back for sure.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitYeah good job Mike.Looks about the same as the one I repaired Mon. That seems like about the average sized crack around here. Some are less but most are close to that.  I've never had one come back yet. One guy I ended up doing about five wheels for. Said all the others are holding.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeAnother thing to consider, if your doing this job for someone else. What will happen if something happens to this wheel and someone is injured or killed because of it? The repair is traced back to you. This is why most places won't touch a job like this. It looks good now but the crack will be back for sure.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeAnother thing to consider, if your doing this job for someone else. What will happen if something happens to this wheel and someone is injured or killed because of it? The repair is traced back to you. This is why most places won't touch a job like this. It looks good now but the crack will be back for sure.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveYou know that's not quite how it works......what really happens is a truck towing a trailer will rear-end Mike's customer while he's parked,...and then the trailer will pop off and hit another car,...which then crashes into the Dairy Queen ruining the ice cream,...and then Mike's wheel welding will get blamed for the whole thing. Then Mike gets sued by the parent who couldn't buy his kid ice cream 2 hours after the accident. Then Mike finds out he doesn't have ice cream insurance coverage....Well, maybe I exaggerated a little, but it seems how stuff works now.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeBwahahahaaa Dave so true. Anyways guys this guys car is a new BMW M7. The rim was fixed so he could take the donut off while hes waiting for a new rim.
Reply:I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeAnother thing to consider, if your doing this job for someone else. What will happen if something happens to this wheel and someone is injured or killed because of it? The repair is traced back to you. This is why most places won't touch a job like this. It looks good now but the crack will be back for sure.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeThanks Terry. Yeah it was a good one. He came in on a donut and tire was trashed as well. We have one highway here that just eats up rims and tires for breakfast lunch and dinner.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonSo what do you use for filler Mike? We got the same problem with roads around here. We used to call our mayor the "Pothole King". The idiot let it get bad in the first place.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeThis pic never posted, don't know why, but that crack is not coming back if you threw it off a building and it landed on the repair. I'm pretty confident in my abilities and only repair items that I would trust my own life too. Cut out 100% gone, with a drill stop, beveled on both sides and done. I'm not gonna argue with you all day, but I will have to disagree with you. I surely would not suggest that anybody should try this, but my experience from past tells me when they go in the dumpster, and when the job is good to go. I'm not being a jerk by any means, so don't take it that way, but if you want i'll be a complete fckin dlck. I'd rather not be, I have to save my energy for the race riots that are about to erupt around where I am right now, so aint no body got time fo dat.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeI hope for your sake it doesn't come back mike. But it not the impact of being tossed off a building that caused the crack in the first place. It's the rotational forces, a week or damaged spot and a rim that's not correctly balanced turning very high rpm at 70 mph. You now have weld metal in this rim that's not even close to the alloys that the rim is originally made of. Your welded rim is not the same. It may take a few months or maybe even 6. But from my experiences in the past, the cracks come back. In my opinion,I wouldn't touch a job like this for anyone. Too much potential liability for too little pay. Good luck my friend. Regards.
Reply:This is why i never replaced the 16" wheels on my truck. So many friends tried to tell me how cool bigger wheels and thinner sidewalls were. Screw that, i like some tire in my tire. GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproe It's  not the impact of being tossed off a building that caused the crack in the first place. It's the rotational forces, a week or damaged spot and a rim that's not correctly balanced turning very high rpm at 70 mph. You now have weld metal in this rim that's not even close to the alloys that the rim is originally made of. Your welded rim is not the same.
Reply:Truth is I do these all the time and not one, has ever come back in years. I took some pics  and only commented on things just for this thread not because I was rolling the dice on something, just to participate and not just talk shlt, so all the nay sayers open up wide and suck a dlck. Don't even gotta be mine, just go shut up somewhere else with a dlck in your mouth. I try so hard to be nice, I swear I do.....you guy don't make it easy tho.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:It looked like you did a good job on that rim mike
Reply:Damn.
Reply:I've done them as well. Dont like doing them though, frankly just not enough money in doing it to be worth my time. I have two welded ones on my truck right now. Getting up to my cabin is 4wd required, and it can get bad in a hurry. What I dont like the most is the patched appearance of the finish afterwards. I am considering replacing with steel wheels at some point. I have never had one come back either, nor have I read of any of my failures in the obituaries.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeI tried to tig weld a cracked aluminum rim once. It taught me some valuable lessons. I had to put my rim in a blast cabinet to get it clean enough to weld with ac tig. Once welded, you will never get the proper balance back into the rim. Regardless of what filler you use (4043 or 5356) it won't match the base metal of the rim. In a month or a few , the crack will be back for sure. Your going to have to bite the bullet and buy a replacement rim. There are shops who specialize in repairing crack rims but they also use expensive machining processes to accomplish this.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeTruth is I do these all the time and not one, has ever come back in years. I took some pics  and only commented on things just for this thread not because I was rolling the dice on something, just to participate and not just talk shlt, so all the nay sayers open up wide and suck a dlck. Don't even gotta be mine, just go shut up somewhere else with a dlck in your mouth. I try so hard to be nice, I swear I do.....you guy don't make it easy tho.