it's a no-no....

admin

i am well aware that tig welding alum. with anything other than 100% argon is a no-no, but in a pinch what would (in theory) happen if you use some 75/25 or say tri-mix to weld out a lap or corner (outside) joint in 4043 alum.!   would it smoke up the weld? improper fusion? contaminated tungsten? erratic weld? like i said i know what is right but just wanted to throw a question on the board for the general population to give some different experiences!   i don't have a spunky username just what it is, me!
Reply:i'm thinking it would mess the tungsten up..StangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey
Reply:well so much for   that  i don't have a spunky username just what it is, me!
Reply:Hey Mr. Paul, did you try this? if so let me know what you found out.....I have seen guys Tig carbon with 75/25 and it didn't look bad. Mike
Reply:if i had some 75/25 around i would try it, all i have is argon and speaking of that i need to get that swapped out aswell...StangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey
Reply:well mikey it's a little hard on 2% tungsten almost as if "splitting" or almost snake tonguing the tungsten! hey viper don't feel bad i have to get a new bottle of 75/25 plus a bottle of 100%...............mmmmmmmmmm i think i'm out of oxygen too. whew i'm gonna hate that bill!  i don't have a spunky username just what it is, me!
Reply:Tig welding Al with only argon is not a no-no. You can use helium (heliarc) that is what the first tig was called because of the helium sheilding gas. Ar-He mixtures are great on Al because the allow more heat transfer. Also hydrogen can be used in small amounts below 5%. I would sugest buying a gas mixure. Then you can buy a bottle of helium and experiment. If you use strait heluim you will have arc startin problems. Al readily oxidizes so I would not using enything that has O2 in it as a sheilding gas. Hope this answers some questions.
Reply:used Ar-He on stainless pipe at work but have never tried on alum. thanks for the tip i'll be sure to experiment   i don't have a spunky username just what it is, me!