My first aluminum project!

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In my race motor a bmw 1969 M10, High reving m10 motors the higher lift cams the oil from the oil spray bar gets even more atomized and tends to leave the stock oil breather located at an alrming rate. Even tough this is more of a problem on 316 or 336 cams above 7000rpms I decided to do this on my engine since I have expirience some oil loss to my coke can catch can.taking inspiration from skidmark racing's bob breed's car....wwwskidmarkracing.comhere is my creation from start to finish the second one came out much better and is actually up for sale. (email me if you want it)I got better at painting with the wrinkle paint and achived better welds on my second try. Welding the cast aluminum was tricky.finished projectwelding the cast aluminum sometimes was dificult. I got was looks like some porosity? what was I doing wrong. On my second try I did much better.1st trysecond try, much better !but here is a close up of the porosity, looks like pinholes........the catch tank came out ok, had some good welds on it!once again all the pics can be found here,http://bmw1602.lostbrazilian.com/v1/...20Systems&pn=1oh yeah,here are some other people's take on this project.http://bmw1602.lostbrazilian.com/v1/...&nw=640&nh=480once again all the pics can be found here,http://bmw1602.lostbrazilian.com/v1/...20Systems&pn=1
Reply:coolChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:looking good m3pedroyou going well Creative metal Creative metal Facebook
Reply:You've got plenty of good welds there.  I have done this kind of aluminum a bit and it is always hit and miss as to the weld quality.  Old castings are a real pain, and it looks like you did a pretty good job with these.  The places where you got less satisfactory welds are very likley due to contamination in the metal.  I can see some dark areas on the aluminum right next to the weld.  This is where grime has embedded itself into the poors of the metal.  Some folks run the tig torch over these areas to bring that crud to the top of the metal for easier cleaning, some use a wire wheel and just brush until it's gone...it all depends on the situation and the severity of the contamination problem.  Judging from the consistancy of your welds in places where you don't have the problems, I'd say your problems are all contamination.  Your technique and gas coverage in other areas is more than adequate...good job.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:getting better... looks like you'll need to find more stuff to weld soon......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:The porosity probably comes from contaminates that have diffused into the surface of the aluminum, like oil.  Dirty aluminum like cast valve covers and oil pans are usually easier to weld after being etched in an acid solution.
Reply:Originally Posted by smithboyYou've got plenty of good welds there.  I have done this kind of aluminum a bit and it is always hit and miss as to the weld quality.  Old castings are a real pain, and it looks like you did a pretty good job with these.  The places where you got less satisfactory welds are very likley due to contamination in the metal.  I can see some dark areas on the aluminum right next to the weld.  This is where grime has embedded itself into the poors of the metal.  Some folks run the tig torch over these areas to bring that crud to the top of the metal for easier cleaning, some use a wire wheel and just brush until it's gone...it all depends on the situation and the severity of the contamination problem.  Judging from the consistancy of your welds in places where you don't have the problems, I'd say your problems are all contamination.  Your technique and gas coverage in other areas is more than adequate...good job.
Reply:sandblasting aluminum prior to welding?.. all you do is inpregnate microscopic sand granuals into the aluminum and then you can never get them out totally...bad news...clean it with acetone..clean rags..a stainless wire "toothbrush" but stay away from sandblasting..even scotchbrite with acetone works well..theres no reason to sandblast aluminum sheet  or tube for that matter.. ...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:agree with the ZAP. brush an accetone and heat does hurt  or go back over another (grind) and wash(or blend) wouldn t hurt its not like its got pressure or structural weld
Reply:Originally Posted by zapstersandblasting aluminum prior to welding?.. all you do is inpregnate microscopic sand granuals into the aluminum and then you can never get them out totally...bad news...clean it with acetone..clean rags..a stainless wire "toothbrush" but stay away from sandblasting..even scotchbrite with acetone works well..theres no reason to sandblast aluminum sheet  or tube for that matter.. ...zap!
Reply:Nice little catch can, I may have to build a few. Where did you get the fittings to weld to the catch can for the AN fittings?John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Nice job m3pedro!!http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:Originally Posted by MicroZoneNice little catch can, I may have to build a few. Where did you get the fittings to weld to the catch can for the AN fittings?
Reply:I'll have to check that out. They sell just a weld fitting? I guess they would if you needed to fabricate an oil pan...or something along those lines.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:yeah they have all sort of weld fittings even petcocks....