TIG aluminum repairs overhead

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Hello all,I would like to hear from others who have taken repair projects that involve welding aluminum overhead.  I don't mean like welding a fillet bead overhead but rather welding for example a hole shut or welding a crack.I have been picking up work repairing pontoon boats and have started finding myself sealing up cracks or damage on the bottom of the pontoons sometimes in awkward positions that really tests my ability to get into position or hold steady, etc.I would like to know how others handle these type of repairs.  For example on my last project I had to seal closed a tear that happened when the bottom of the pontoon scraped the trailer in such a way so as to cut a gash in the bottom of the pontoon.  It was both a build up project (to build up the torn walls of the pontoon) and a sealing project (to actually close the gash shut).I went through about three pieces of electrode that got contaminated when the aluminum rod touched them and sucked them right up like a wick.  I am learning better how to hold my angle so that the arc doesn't melt the rod being fed into a ball.  I have started carrying around with me a pair of wire cutters to cut the ball off of the rod as soon as it forms.  I find this only happens when I give the torch too much angle towards the rod being fed.  I like to set my heat to 90 amps and work with it at that temp.  3/32" rod is all I can handle as if I try to use 1/8" it will ball up on me and the puddle is not big enough to melt it.I'll post some pictures of the gash I had to close but I don't have the "after" shot as I forgot to take pictures.  I've also concluded that I need to get one of those picnic seats, the kind that supports your back when you are sitting on the ground as it is hell trying to hold position sometimes not having back support.Any other tips, tools or accessories that others use for these type of jobs?  I use an old gas drive AC/DC welder with a  high frequency unit for aluminum.  It doesn't have any type of amperage control, only an on-off switch. Therefore I can only use one heat setting at a time.  That's why I set my machine to 90 amps.  I find it works well with the 1/8" pontoon walls.  This is all field work so I try to carry everything I will need with me on my truck.Thanks for any advice,Tony
Reply:Tony,I hope you don't take this wrong but my comments are based on several of your last few posts.It sounds to me that you're taking on projects which you neither have the experience for nor do you have the equipment to do properly.  The oil pan project and now a pontoon repair are but two examples.I am not the "pontoon expert" here (Fusion King is) but I do a fair amount of marine repairs.I personally don't see how you would expect to "fill" the crack you're talking about.  A patch panel would be a much more accepted solution.Trying to do extensive aluminum repairs with an engine drive welder with no remote capability, is I'm afraid, going to be an exercise in futility.  While I use a simple on/off button for bump welding anodized aluminum, it's a whole different story when you're dealing with repair work.If you intend to pursue this type work, I'd strongly suggest you invest in a true, fully capable tig machine (FK and I both use a Dynasty 200DX) for mobile repairs.  Once you have the right equipment, then it's just a matter of practice and more practice.  No one said it was going to be easy.  He11, if it was, "everyone" would be doing it.  It's not.Many of the "tricks of the trade" are not easily learned "on your own", nor are they easily explained on an internet board.  A couple days with an experienced marine fabricator (FK is in MO I think, I'm in VA) would greatly enhance the "learning curve".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:Hi SundownIII,I appreciate your comments.  I think my description of the damage to the pontoon was worse than it was.  It was a little gash about 1" - 1-1`/4" long, enough to breach the integrity of the pontoon.  The construction of this pontoon boat had a 1/2" angle running along the bottom of it as a skid.  This gave me the base I needed to simply make a weave from the angle on up.  I ran a slight bead on the edge of the torn pontoon material to give me the build up I needed so when the weave puddle approached it,  did not burn the edge of the tear and open it up further, making for a nightmare of a job.The job took a couple of hours in large part because it was a windy day and I had to rig up wind breaks and at times wait for the wind to die down so I could continue welding.  I carry around with me several blankets and plenty of spring clips specifically for this purpose.  Most of the time they work fine.  On rare occasions I have to cancel a job due to wind.  However, your suggestion of using small patch is a good one.  At the time, I don't know why it didn't occur to me and would have made the job much easier.  I should have done that.  Thanks!I have used patch panels to repair larger tears or holes in pontoons and boat hulls, this time I just jumped in and started filling it up, the idea of a patch didn't even enter my mind.  I definitely will do so for future such repairs.Regarding the lack of a variable remote.  You are correct and I want to upgrade my machine to a multi-process unit with variable remote but the lack of funds makes it impossible for the near future.  However having said that, it has not hindered me in my repair work as when I need to cool down I jog the off switch momentarily, stop the puddle and pick up again like you might do when stick welding thin metal and need to avoid burn through.I freelance weld out of necessity as what few jobs employers here can provide are reserved for younger welders.  On top of that the wage scale here in Arizona is horrific and what I consider an insult to the trade.  They seem to have an aversion to hiring an older guy like me.I have never been trained to repair aluminum rims but have repaired several hundred of them.  I repair aluminum bike frames although I have never been trained on that either.  The same goes for diesel fuel tanks, aluminum pump housings, engine cylinder heads and blocks and so on.  When I'm not sure of a repair or project I ask around especially here on this forum.I posted this request because this forum provides us with a means to learn and through it I have refined my techniques, approaches to a job, when to walk away from one, etc.Strictly speaking I have been trained in welding ONLY mild steel with 6010 and 7018, period!  I ventured out into stainless, cast iron, aluminum by trial and error, reading books on the subject and online research.  Most of my experience has been on the job.  I practiced scratch start TIG welding stainless and running beads until I could pass my first test in a stainless shop on my own. From there I learned a world about working with stainless food processing equipment.  That's how its been for me and I'm sure for most of my peers in this trade.I would love to have a support network of welders who I could learn from hands on.  I have been freelancing for the past 11 years and just recently in the past three began taking on aluminum projects in earnest as it became evident that the market here would support that kind of work more so even than mild steel welding.  I will be 61 this year and started when I was 24.  I have worked in steel mills, ship yards and heavy fabrication shops where everything was iron based.I am good friends with what I consider a master welder who is about 20 years my senior but he lives four hours from me.  I used to pick his brain all the time and he was a true source of advice and training.  During a conversation with him one day I found out that he never welded TIG with scratch start and never welded aluminum without a variable remote.  In fact he commented to me "how can you TIG weld without a rheostat and high frequency?"  It just illustrates to me how necessity is the mother of invention (or in many cases, improvisation).  He was trained to do it one way and that's how he has always done it.My point to all this is that I view this forum as an invaluable resource for me as well as many others.  I have repaired my welding machines here through feedback from others.  It's great!!  So when I post and ask questions I value each response, even the harsh ones.  Yours was not harsh, it was constructive and I thank you for it.In fact, it did put the idea of upgrading my machine on the front burner again and I'll look into how I might pull it off.  I especially feel the need to be able to run a spool gun and wire feeder off of my rig.Thanks,Tony
Reply:agreed i have been doing  it for 20 years,  it's not easy welding on pontoon logs lots of practice on you part will be needed just remember peoples lifes may be on the line here, if it leaks.welding alum. over head is tricky set up some test scrap (.080--1/8 thick )  lay on your back and weld .. on dont grab some new alum  its gota be old oxidized the last bit of the crack/hole will blow ---when trying to seal it up show us some of your  real good work and maybe we might be more optimisticidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:Hi prop-doctor,well I don't have pictures of my "really good work", just pictures of work I do.  I try to take pictures when I do projects of the before and after shots.  Sometimes I forget to take them or sometimes I take the before and forget the after shots or vice-versa.1: a motorcycle engine mount2: a motorcycle fairing mount3: a bicycle frame break repair which I plated.Thanks,Tony Attached Images
Reply:Here's a few other pictures of jobs,1: broken tranny cast before and after2: conversion of van for county prisoner transport3: "survival" stove built from recycled water heater.  It incorporates a double drum design with an oven sleeved into the upper drum and a cooking surface.Just picked a few to give you an idea of work that I take on.Thanks,Tony Attached Images
Reply:Tony,I can definitely relate.Back in the mid 60's we were racing boats for OMC.  Out of necessity we needed a welder capable of fabricating the custom fuel cells we were using in our boats.  Since I was the only one with "any" welding background, I became that guy.  One of our team members was an engineer with Hercules Powder Co in Hopewell, VA.  He got me into the welding shop after the day shift left.  One of the "old timers" stayed to give me mybasic "tig welding" training.  We were using an old Linde Heli-Arc machine at the time.  Those welds I produced may not have been the purdiest at the time, but I never had a tank fail.  Had some torn in half in crashes, but never had a weld fail.Over time I had the good fortune to learn one on one with some of the best in the marine fabrication business.  They taught me a lot.  Also was fortunate in that my next door neighbor owned Atlantic Steel Fabricators, one of the larger steel fab shops on the east coast.  They did a lot of stainless work for the textile industry.  Did a bit of consulting for him and learned a lot from some of his "old guys".Can't imagine doing the work I do with anything other than "top drawer" equipment.  Had my own Sync (in one shape, form or fashion) since 1977.  Finally made the jump to inverters a couple years ago and am still amazed at the capabilities of those machines.  The frequency control feature of the Dynasty series makes aluminum tig a "whole different animal".If the work is there, the machine will pay for itself in short order.  Even though I still have a Sync 250 as a "shop machine", the little Dynasty 200 more than paid for itself in the first six months I owned it.  I was able to do some remote SS jobs that would have been impossible with just the Sync.Good/proper tools don't cost a professional money.  They make money for him.PS.  I'm 63 now so I know what you're talking about.  Guess I burned my first rod back about 1953.  Learned welding from my uncle who'd been a hard hat diver/welder in the Navy during WWII.  That ol boy could weld the crack of dawn and it'd stay dark all day.Last edited by SundownIII; 05-29-2011 at 05:49 PM.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:Hi SundownIII,Sounds like you've had a pretty exciting career.  I have never put my hands on one of the newer welding machines with square wave and programmable sych settings.  All my equipment is from the 70's or 80's with the exception of a ESAB plasma cutter that I picked up about 10 years ago and that is worth its weight in gold.  I have never MIG welded aluminum and find that I need to have some type of wire feed setup as all my aluminum work is TIG based.  This is not always practical nor desirable  especially when having to join a lot of metal.My shop TIG welder does have a remote and it makes welding aluminum so much better and easier.  I admit.  It's an old Hobart TR250HF.  Weighs a ton, welds great.I always enjoyed the repair end of the welding trade much more so than the fabrication end of it.  I find it more challenging.  I hate production welding and is the least desirable task.  The ship yards and steel mills was full of that.Admittedly the aluminum side is relatively new to me so as you can see I am somewhat of a novice at it.  I first leaned TIG aluminum back in the early 80's on an old Lincoln AC 225 amp AC welder fitted with an old Crafstman hi frequency unit back in Chicago.  I started taking on my first aluminum jobs with it but I never had to do much of it so I never developed any great proficiency in it.I find that the principles and dynamics of metal are consistent in terms of things pulling or distorting, the way a puddle runs, how to approach constructing your weld, buildup, etc.  So these have helped me as I venture into the aluminum stuff.My post was designed to see if I can get advice from others who do this regularly.  For example I concluded that I need to have a wire cutter next to me to clean up my rod when I cause a ball to form on it or it gets otherwise contaminated before continuing.  This is because I have had that ball on the end fall into my cup and mess  up the tungsten.  So now at the first sign of balling up, I stop and clean it off.  This is hardly an issue when welding flat or horizontal so I am learning the ways of overhead TIG welding of aluminum in a repair situation.Also I discovered the need for some type of seat that will support my back when I'm on the ground welding or on my back.  I need some type of neck/head support.  I told my wife today that I want to go out hunting for these things over the holiday.  Maybe at a thrift shop that has a wide variety of odds and ends that could be pressed into service.So what other things are good to keep handy or keep in mind?  I also discovered that I should have on hand a good supply of ready to weld tungsten to replace the contaminated ones that I will inevitably dirty up when doing these overhead jobs.  In the past month I have gone through a pack of 3/32" tungsten  that has lasted me several years as the volume of aluminum repair work has picked up.  So I will have next to me when I'm doing these on my back types of repairs:1. a good stainless brush2. a stainless wire wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder3. several tungsten to replace dirty ones as I weld4. a back rest5. a wire cutter to clean the ball off the end of the rod if (when) it forms and to cut my rods in half to make it easier to handle in tighter situations.6. a pair of reading glasses to help me with detail I may miss when welding7. a neck support of some type8. some type of fixture that can serve for me to rest against so I am not trying to hold perfectly still with both hands while TIG welding.  Maybe a little adjustable sliding arm on a vertical pipe with a thumb screw set to the height I need.  I got real tired holding my knee bent so that I could rest my arm against it so I could hold position.9. a sharp pick or scribe that I can use to clean out tight spots where a brush can't get into.10. a coarse file that I can use to file away unwanted buildup or dirty spot that doesn't require a grinder.This is probably a partial list but it was all from hard gained experience seeing that I needed one thing or another while taking on these projects.I'm sure there are other things I have not yet realized that others use when tackling these types of repairs.Thanks for your comments and history,Tony
Reply:Hello Prop-doctor,Question:  how do you go about sealing the hole when the pressure in the pontoon builds up?  I usually look for a plug or vent tube somewhere in that pontoon or that section if their built compartment style.Once I remove the plug, the problem goes away.  However I did one Friday that had no such vent so I drilled a small hole near the top of the pontoon (about a 3/32" hole) and sealed it with some silicone after the hole on the bottom was plugged.  I used this approach because on others I've worked on I saw holes sealed in this manner (even much bigger holes) so concluded that it is an acceptable form of venting/sealing.What do you think?  I have had a hell of a time at first until it occurred to me to start looking for vent or drain plugs but not all pontoons have them.Thanks,Tony
Reply:Question SundownIII,I looked at the specs on the Dynasty 200 and the DX model.   I see it and it runs on both on 220 and 120volts.  A machine like this is ideal for doing portable work as you can carry it into a place and setup without running leads from a gas drive with all the hassle that represents depending how far you are from your rig.  I assume you would use a small argon bottle with it?So do you use this welder with the power outlets of a generator based welder for field work?  How is your field rig setup?  What machine do you use for portable welding work?I have been called several time into restaurants to repair SS equipment (sinks, tables, etc.) and luckily have been able to access the work by pulling my rig right up to the rear door and into the area where the work had to be done.  I have a 25 foot TIG lead.However going beyond that requires (with my present setup) for me to pull out the HF unit (a Miller HD-251HF), bring it closer to the job, connect my argon hose via a spool of 1/4" hose and connect it to the HF box and finally run my welding cable to the HF box from my truck. What a hassle.  I am definitely NOT set up for jobs like this.  I could use a portable TIG welder for just such occasions.  However this machine is way out of my reach economically.  The basic setup is in the neighborhood of $3,000 up to $4500 or so.Is there another route or machine that would give me that kind of portability for SS jobs that are more affordable for me?Thanks,TonyThanks,Tony
Reply:q used miller maxstar would be alot cheaper and just as portable. They are DC only so you wouldnt be doing aluminum, A used dynasty is also going to be cheaper, Ive seen complete rigs ready to go for under $2500. If your not stuck on miller, you could look into Lincoln or Esab although the prices arent going to be that much different. All of these companies also make very small portable DC inverters in the 150-160 amp range that offer tig capability for around $1000-1800. Most of these will run on 120-240 as well
Reply:There's no doubt that the Dynasty is the cats meow for portable work. I've run mine off my AEAD200LE a couple of times. But usually I can find a outlet near where I'm working to use instead. I know where your coming from. It's hard to justify the price of the good machines in a repair setting since you have no clue what's coming down the road and when. I jumped off the deep end just before the crash and bought my Dynasty and MM252 at the same time. I upgraded from a old Hobart TIG and MM180 I had at the time. I was expecting a price increase at the time since Miller hadn't had one in over a year plus there was a road show not far from here and my LWS was able to get me a extra discount because of it. I think I paid about $2700 for the Dynasty and $1600 for the 252. I haven't regretted either since though I must admit that the 252 makes me a lot more money. But the Dynasty allows me to do jobs I couldn't do any other way. The problem with the Dynasty is that it's such a good small welder than everybody wants one. Thus it's nearly impossible to get in any great deals on them. I try to stay away from the portable work as much as possible but there are times when you just have to get into the field. This is the reason I've not got a better welder on my truck. If I was doing more portable I would probably have something like a Pro 300 on my truck. I traded for this AEAD200LE about a year ago. I'd been looking for one for a long time. I had a Bobcat on the truck before that. It was actually newer than the AEAD200LE but it was always screaming at me and I couldn't stand the noise. Plus the AEAD200LE has a much better arc than the Bobcat ever thought about having.   As far as a remote for your AEAD200LE I've been giving that some thought. It would be very possible for you to add a remote capability to the welder. Now I'm not talking about foot or hand control on the torch kind of capability (though I'm sure that would be possible with enough electronics nohow) but rather having a remote next to you when your welding. I know that there are guys out there who have made them for there SA200's. My buddy has one made for his that's simply a replacement rheostat for the welder that he put in a small ammo can. He pulls the lid off when in use to keep it cool and closes when hauling to keep the dirt out. I just checked and Miller Parts$less lists the rheostat for a older AEAD200LE for about $68. You could use a extension cord for the lead and standard 110V outlet plugs for adapting. So for around $100 you could have a remote handy right next to you.   In fact I may just make one for my welder one of these days. I know there's been lots of times when I wished I didn't have to crawl out from under something to change the heat.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:therrera if your thinking the dynasty route hit up you local miller rep and have them look up the refurb and used list miller has. last time i looked at the list they had a few dynasty 200sd. i think its minus the pulse the dx has there were at a pretty good savings vs new and i think the refurbs have the same warranty 350P 30A spool gun cut master 51  syncro 250 other stuff " take a dog off the street and make him prosper and he will not bite you sad the same cannot be said for man" i didnt use punctuation just to piss you off
Reply:Hi all,thanks for all your suggestions.  The sad fact is that I don't have the money to buy something newer right now.  What I was thinking was how I might dispose of stuff I have and get the money together.For example I have an older Miller Hi Frequency box that predates the HD-251HF.  I don't know the model off hand, it's in the back in a storage room.  I intended to mate this to an old Hobart G310 300 amp AC/DC gas drive welder that is trailer mounted with a dedicated welding trailer complete with a fold down work bench and bottle brackets and an on-board gas drive air compressor.The welder motor (a Jeep Willy's 4 banger) runs great, the welder needs work as it just sparks and does not produce welding current.  I need to troubleshoot it and get it running if I can. My plan was to leave my old miltary (Mercedes Unimog)  truck/welding rig and switch to a trailer mounted setup so I could use a 3/4 ton pickup for service work.  The Unimog runs slow and is a gas hog thought its fun to drive.  The pickup and trailer would be a more practical setup and would give me the use of the pickup for other things.If I sell these things and a few others I have stashed away I could raise some cash to invest into upgrading my existing setup.Work these days is just keeping us afloat and I can't count on it to raise the kind of money needed to buy right now.What type of wire feeder would mate with the AEAD200LE anyone know?  Attached are pics of my work truck.  If I resign myself to keep it, I can sell the other stuff off and raise some cash.  Besides I tend to hoard stuff anyway!Thanks,Tony Attached Images
Reply:The only wire feeder that will work with your welder is a voltage sensing type. I have use my 8vs with my AEAD200LE. But only with flux core wire. I don't think it would work to well with aluminum. I also have a Ready Welder spool gun. I did rig it up to run on my old Bobcat but that had a CV mode. I never really used it that way other than to try it out. Most of the welding I did with the Ready Welder was powered by my old Millermatic 200 I used to have.   The problem is that the AEAD200LE is a constant current only welder. You're pretty much limited to spray mode of some form usually with flux core. The only way you're going to get real wire feed capability is with a small wire feed welder running off the generator. The problem there is that 5000 watts limits you to pretty small units. Then the problem is that small migs have limited aluminum capability.  As bad as I hate to say it but in truth you'd be in better shape with a Bobcat. I'm not a fan of them but they do have more functions than the AEAD200LE. It still wouldn't give you true remote capability (at least on the older one's I'm not sure about the new) but it would give you CV capability, more generating capacity, generating capacity while welding, as well as AC/DC CC capability.   Maybe you can keep your eyes open for a older Bobcat. It's the cheapest solution to most of your problems that I can think of. There's definitely a lot more Bobcats out there than AEAD200LE's.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:Hello Irish Fixit and all,I went on line and checked out on one of those craigslist search engine web sites looking for bobcats.  I found several for $1500 and under within driving distance of me.  One had 1200 hours on it and the other 3600 hours.  Most were around $2300 up to $4000 or so.  I don't know what is considered "high mileage" for these welders.  But the price seemed good to me.  One was a 2003 and the other a 2004 model.That's not bad at all however the fact is I don't have the cash in my hands yet.  But it gave me an idea that these machines are within my reach.  My present AEAD200LE just barely squeezes into its present compartment on my rig.  Does the Bobcat have a larger footprint than its predecessor?I also bought a ReadyWelder several months ago with the idea of hooking it up to my AEAD and also adapting it to an older Hobart 250 MIG machine I use in my home shop.  I have been needing a way to run aluminum wire as TIG is not the way to go when you have to fabricate something of any size in aluminum.However despite the ReadyWelder's literature on hooking it up to a CC machine, it ran really rough and was  hard to weld with.  This was with flux core, I hadn't tried aluminum with it but I am not optimistic about it.However I did not give it more time to practice with it so I can't say definitively that it won't work.  I haven't yet made the time to hook it up to the Hobart.  However I think that adaption will work OK as it is a CV machine like you did your Miller MIG machine.I like your suggestion of hooking a remote to my AEAD and it sounds entirely doable.  I would like a foot pedal type remote for it and wonder if a spring loaded foot control could be adapted using the same technique you speak about?  I think all I would need to do is match the ohm rating of the AEAD's fine adjustment, no?I have used my shop Hobart while welding TIG on my back by resting the foot control at a vertical angle against a 6x6 block of wood so I could operate it with my foot while lying down and it works great.  That capability would really enhance some of these aluminum repair jobs I take on in the field.  Can the fine adjustment on the AEAD be moved while welding or does that require circuitry to support that capability?  What do you think?I made a major mistake when I originally setup my welding rig 12 years ago and bought my AEAD.  I didn't think ahead as to the type of work I would be doing and only thought of stick welding as that is my background.  I knew that the AC side would give me aluminum capability and that I could adapt it down the road but that's as far as I reasoned it out.At that time I had money to spare and could have gotten a multi-process gas drive but was swayed by the cheap price of the AEAD that had been in storage for a couple of decades with only a few hours on it.  It was basically new.  A lesson for others who are making such decisions.  Think ahead!!!I like the idea of adapting one of those TIG inverter based machines to my gas drive welder.  Wow!  The possibilities!!Thanks,Tony
Reply:Hi all,I downloaded the picture of the damage to the pontoon off of my phone.  I had misplaced the data cable for it so I couldn't post it when I started this thread.  As I mentioned at the beginning I chose to build it up and seal it without giving much thought to other routes to use to repair it.  I acknowledge this was a mistake.Notice the small angle on the bottom?  I cut the the shard from the gash with a cut off wheel leaving a nice "v" of the angle that I could begin my bead on.  I basically made a weave from the bottom of the "v" upwards until I hit the overhead part of the tear.Then I started to close the gap on the forward overhead portion of the gash making a somewhat wide bead that closed up that portion of it.I then built up the sides of the gash adding material and closing the hole.  Once I had enough build up on the sides I was able to continue the weave overhead as it wasn't that wide anymore due to the buildup on the sides.Then I joined all the sides, closing the hole.  Once done, I added material from the point of the gash to the back thus adding the material back again and giving it shape again.Finally I tested the pontoon for leaks with the customer so he could be satisfied that the it was water tight.  Since getting into these types of repairs I now carry with me one of those small electric air pumps used for blowing up air mattresses and a spray bottle of soapy water.The pump really cranks out air and because it has several adapters for different air mattresses, toys, etc. it was just a matter of pressing it into the drain hole and turning it on.  It pressurized the pontoon in no time.  When I pulled the pump away, air rushed out for about 10 seconds after wards indicating that it had indeed pressurized it.  I hadn't tried this before, relying on the customer's compressor in past repairs.  The air mattress pump is now a permanent part of my tool chest.In hindsight I should have made a cardboard template of a patch, transferred it to aluminum, cut it and bent it in the vice to conform to the shape of the tear and welded it on.  This would have practically eliminated all overhead welding and buildup and the hassles associated with it (contaminating three tungsten, holding such an uncomfortable position, etc.),   All welding would have been horizontal and vertical along a fillet/overlapping joint.  A much easier repair job.  I carry several pieces of aluminum of various thicknesses for when the need arises.  It didn't occur to me.I forgot to take an "after" picture.  I'm going to call the customer and see if he won't mind taking one for me and sending via email.  If he does so, I'll post it.Thanks for the advice,Tony Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by therreraHello Irish Fixit and all,I went on line and checked out on one of those craigslist search engine web sites looking for bobcats.  I found several for $1500 and under within driving distance of me.  One had 1200 hours on it and the other 3600 hours.  Most were around $2300 up to $4000 or so.  I don't know what is considered "high mileage" for these welders.  But the price seemed good to me.  One was a 2003 and the other a 2004 model.That's not bad at all however the fact is I don't have the cash in my hands yet.  But it gave me an idea that these machines are within my reach.  My present AEAD200LE just barely squeezes into its present compartment on my rig.  Does the Bobcat have a larger footprint than its predecessor?
Reply:Hi irishfixit,I appreciate your feedback and research you've done on my behalf.  From your notes, it sounds like the trailblazer is the way to go because of the remote capability.  I did a quick search of trailblazers using searchtempest.com.  It's one of those craigslist search engines that lets you search all of craigslist in all states in one shot.I found several trailblazers within the same price range as the bobcat.  In fact one of them is about 90 miles from me and is a trailblazer with a Miller spoolgun mounted on a trailer for $1500 or $1100 without the trailer.  That's a deal!!However it is still out of my reach at this moment but it means that these machines are available and within my grasp once I sell off some stuff.  I will most likely have to modify my rig to accommodate it.Thanks again,Tony
Reply:No problem. I know what it's like to have no money to upgrade for more work. It's taken me a long time to get the equipment I have and in most cases I had to wait and look for super deals to do it. That Trailblazer deal sounds great to me.   I still kick myself for not jumping on getting a new Legend (the new name for the old AEAD200LE) welder back when I recommended one to a friend. Miller quit production shortly after. But that was about the same time that I bought my Dynasty and 252 and I couldn't justify getting one for the small amount of portable work that I do. But that last Legend model had AC/DC CC, remote, CV, and lift arc TIG capability as well as a DIG setting for stick mode. It also had up to 300 amp welding capability by spinning up to 3600 rpm if needed. But it welded up to 220 amps at 3000 rpm like the old ones and generated at 1800 making it one of the quietest small low cost welders I've ever been around. I've kept my eye open for one but I don't think they sold very many and those that do have them don't want to get rid of them.   The only draw back is the low 5K generating capability and the fact that you can't get 60hz AC while welding. Those are things I can live with for my use.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