Aluminum hammer

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I have this hammer that needs the edges dressed up. I dont want to remove any material so I need suggestions on welding the edges so they dont chip off. I have  a dc machine ready to TIG and Im in the process of wiring an AC buz box to use with TIG. Should I just set the DC to DCEP crank up the amps and go for it or wait till the AC buz box is ready? I have Helium and lanthanated Tungsten. Thanks for any hints in advance. Attached Images
Reply:If I read your description correctly, or you left something out you don't have a hi-frequency A/C setup to tig weld aluminum. "Anybody can talk $h!t behind a monitor, I let the quality of my work speak for itself"Lincoln Square Wave 255 and 355 Tig Lincoln 255 Power-Mig w/ spool gun Koike 5 x 10 CNC plasma Hyd-Mech DM-10 bandsaw Ineco QB-76 NC tube bender
Reply:Maybe I also "missed" something but it really sounds to me that if you tried "repairing" that aluminum hammer with the welders you described, all you'd do is "butcher" the hammer, possibly beyond repair.If you want the hammer repaired for use, take it to someone with the right equipment and who knows what he's doing.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:No hi frequency. DC and a AC buzbox only. What about the Lanthanated Tungsten? Is it ok for Aluminum?
Reply:You could just file off the mushroomed edges, and if needbe, smooth or recontour the face of the hammer as desired.  You could repeat this process a few times before significantly reducing the mass of the hammer.  A flap wheel on an angle grinder would make very quick work of this job.  This might be enough to solve your problem, without needing to do any welding at all.If you feel the need to deposit material back on to restore additional material thickness (perhaps as a welding project you'll be learning with), you should give some thought as to which alloy is the right one to have on there.  If you put on something too hard (or too soft), it's going to change the usability of the hammer.  1100 aluminum filler rod (basically "pure" stuff) would be the leave the softest deposit, that would be the most gentle on whatever you are hammering.  (It would also be very ductile.)  But if it's too soft, the face of the hammer may dent too easily for how you expect it to work.  So, it's kind of hard for me to make a recommendation on which filler rod to use for this.If the Helium you have is pure enough, it could work for TIG with DCEN.  If it's not pure enough, you will get a lot of black smut when trying to weld, and this contamination will impede manipulating the molten puddle.  You may also notice a red color in your arc.If you are going to weld, I would recommend prepping the metals by grinding, sanding, or filing the surfaces to remove all oxides.  Make them all shiny and freshly exposed aluminum, basically.  Do it right before you weld, ideally.I have doubts you'll be able to muster enough metal melting power for this with DCEP.  The only way I think DCEP might have a fighting chance of working would be, to preheat the work a lot, and also use a very large diameter tungsten.  It's very hard to melt a puddle in even thin workpieces using DCEP.This is not an application where aesthetic quality of the weld deposit matters.  You can just deposit more material than you need, and grind down to desired contour, and have as functionally good quality of a result as someone who can lay down the most aesthetically pleasing beads.  You don't need to worry about typical weld defects like craters, or depositing an uneven weld bead, because you'll just be recontouring the surface of the hammer face and edges anyway.  Just don't leave any undercut, or low spots.Last edited by jakeru; 05-27-2012 at 04:55 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Insaneride Im in the process of wiring an AC buz box to use with TIG.
Reply:I don't know anything about tig, but I'm just wondering is there any specific reason why you don't want to remove any material?Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2 Originally Posted by zapsterYou wanted to be the welder....zap
Reply:What is that hammer uses for.  Looks like the hammers used to remove wire wheel rims. If it is they sale them for 20.00 dollars. They even have a tool that you can buy to repair those type of hammers. You collect all the fallen led and then you boil and pour into a cast made.tool.  reminds me of.how u make waffels
Reply:http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...c-blog/4329523
Reply:jakeru, thankyou a thousand times. You answered my question thoroughly .  So many  primadonnas can only say, "it will never work" but jakeru, you are the  pro. From what Ive learned here about Helium is and please correct me if Im wrong: Helium requires a higher breakover voltage to ionize and the higher voltage creates more heat needed for aluminum welding?  My problem is; I dont want to remove material from it. I dont want to add filler either I just want it fused back to the parent material. As jakeru pointed out, it has to be grinded down to TIG it. I was planning to wash it in dish soap first then wire wheeled then alchohol rinse then weld. The head appears to be commercially pure and the handle is alloy. I have ER4043 but if I needed commercially pure aluminum I could use electrical Al wire. Im pretty sure the electrical stuf is pure. Again, I just didnt want to wear it down by grinding it so I will let it be for now. I use this for all kinds of stuf. Its been used on its side , its head and even the handle has been used to pound or punch with. Thanks again jakeru, your the pro. Fracking primadonnas
Reply:I would have just made a new one..And WHO is a primadonna??You asked for ideas on how to fix it and you got them.We all don't think alike...so.......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:+1.......to zap....what are you going to do, frame it?  You asked a question, several people spent their time to give you an honest answer and now they are "frackin primadonna's" because  their replies don't coincide with the equipment or knowledge you have at hand?   My suggestion:1) file off burrs and save the material2) prehat such material to a viscous state3) roll flat to apprx .005 in4) make hat and enjoy the rest of your day "Anybody can talk $h!t behind a monitor, I let the quality of my work speak for itself"Lincoln Square Wave 255 and 355 Tig Lincoln 255 Power-Mig w/ spool gun Koike 5 x 10 CNC plasma Hyd-Mech DM-10 bandsaw Ineco QB-76 NC tube bender
Reply:Originally Posted by StukasI don't know anything about tig
Reply:Originally Posted by angel85lxhttp://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...c-blog/4329523
Reply:Originally Posted by kidtigger24Oh you will. We just read about you in another thread.You will after your Master gets though with you. kidtigger24
Reply:Im bad. I forgot to thank Angel85 for the positve idea and interesting link.Zapster, we dont think alike thats why Im here to learn new ways of thinking and doing. I also like looking at the shops and homemade tools/projects and try to share the same.I stand corrected on the primadonna thing; the definition includes "annoying but necessary".I would say it was more like amusing and unnecessary. I did like the advice from jakeru. Hes not afraid to push the envelope.  Zap, if I had your skills, Id make a new one.Coupe, you didnt offer any real advice; make a hat Show me something I can use.DSW, I think youve given good advice in the past but insults?Sundown, I was just looking for something to do that was useful. Im gonna leave it the way it is.Stukas, I was just looking for a challenge. There will always be the naysayers who will say,"it cant be done" and obstruct an action that others want to take.Heliarc would not be possible if the cynical opinions of naysayers was followed.Last edited by Insaneride; 05-28-2012 at 06:20 PM.Reason: cynical
Reply:Not sure about your machine options there... but what you are wanting to do and what can be done with your skill level may not be feasible.You could probably clean it up well and brush it with SS brush and "maybe" fuse some of the fractures but the material is out of the basic shape.A common repair would be to remove the unnecessary material and then weld what, if anything, is needed. Drop the attitude and listen (read) the advice from people that have actually done the things that you ask. I don't mean me but all of the "Fracking primadonnas"Tim Beeker.
Reply:Soon as he said, "I'm rewiring an AC buzbox" and "I've got helium" it was very evident that the OP was in over his head.Some posters will tell another what they want to hear, whether they know what they're talking about or not.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by InsanerideDSW, I think youve given good advice in the past but insults?
Reply:Irish fixit posted some photos off casting babbit lead hammers a while back if your interested:weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=56353Personally, I'd clean up the head with a flap disk and call it good. You do want to keep the mushroom to a minimum so the pieces have less chance of splitting off and hitting someone. How long did it take to mushroom to the degree it is now?The problem with attempting to "melt" the mushroom back into the face with a welder is that each facet of the mushroom is oxidized aluminum. Technique and process aside... it simply won't puddle well.
Reply:Hammers are up there on the list of the most dangerous tools. I'm not going to bother to look up exact statistics. most of the companies I've worked for haven't allowed DIY hammers.Let's say you go out and buy a hammer from Dumbistan Tool Company. Then one day the head comes off suddenly, hits your coworker in the side, and breaks three of his ribs. So, he hires a lawyer and gets evidence it was due to faulty workmanship in the hammer. He signs out a fat legal settlement from Dumbistan Liability Insurance and retires.Now, let's say you make your own DIY hammer from recycled materials. Let's say the welds connecting the head break (and I have personally witnessed this happen with improvised hammers)...and it shatters your other coworker's knee. He hires a lawyer and finds evidence of defective workmanship.........Who is you coworker going to sue?My point here = Don't improvise dangerous tools. Especially when you can buy properly engineered ones for 25$ at a local hardware store.Last edited by Joshfromsaltlake; 05-29-2012 at 03:21 AM.
Reply:Something a "professional" would recognize, is that building up material on an edge like has the tendency to create a venturi effect, sucking atmosphere into the weld area and forming excess amounts of oxides. In AC operation this effect can be mitigated by turning the AC balance to give more cleaning action, however in DCEN operation, using He shield gas, there is no cleaning action from the arc.  All oxides need to be remover prior o welding, and any that form during will make your life very difficult.Something a professional would recognize is that DC TIG on aluminum is very difficult because of the characteristics of the weld pool.  It can be sluggish and hard to identify from the surrounding weld metal.Something a professional would recognize is that DCEP and thick aluminum is simply impossible.  It would require far to many amps, and tungsten diameters larger than the torch itself., resulting in a weld pool closer to an in width with very shallow penetrationSomething a professional would recognize is that grinding the hammer is a considerable better option that trying to weld on it.  The shop I work in has a hammer identical to that, and it has been ground many many times over the years with no ill effect.  We easily have the equipment to weld it, but the time it would take to properly clean all of the embedded dirt from the faces and reshape after welding this professional knows that it is not necessary.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Can this be done with an oxy acetalyne torch?
Reply:This has become silly.  Im gonna leave it as is. I was just looking for something to do.  Rusty,   the answer is yes but my Oxy is on empty.  Before Heliarc was invented, Aluminum was welded with OFW. Oxy fuel welding. http://www.tinmantech.com/html/alumi...ng_article.php Forhire, its been mushrooming for about 16 years. Thanks for your advice. You always have useful information to contribute and the pictures of your projects are worth looking at. Im also a fan of Irishfixit. I will check that thread out. Snoeborder, you have a very"professional theory" sounds good. Do you have any pics of any work that you have done lately?I wired my garage with a second 240v outlet for the buzbox and installed wheels on it last night. As I said," I was just looking for something to do". Think Im gonna go TIG some Titanium now with DCEN straight polarity and Helium at about 200amps more less but Im not asking for advice this time. Attached Images