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Hi, brand new here and not a welder. I am refinishing some old aluminum horns for audio. Ive stripped the paint and will eventually bondo all the imperfections and spray paint the finished piece. My question is that there is a 3/32 high weld bead that welded the two halves together, this bead is about 14 long and there is one on each side. What I would like to do is minimize that height of the bead to make the bondo-ing easier. How much of the height could I shave down without undermining the weld and structure? I have a carbide tip for a Dremel that I believe will shave the bead quite well. I am posting a pic I hope it attaches.Any ideas on far I could shave this bead down would be great!Stan Attached Images
Reply:Welcome to Weldingweb! First, the picture is a bit too far away to determine what kind of weld - butt, lap or other. If the bead is sticking too far up, it's possible the weldment isn't fully stuck together, what we tend to call a "cold weld". This is not a good thing. Can you take a picture closer? Normally if you have great penetration on a weldment, you can grind until you are flush with the surface. Again, welcome and I hope we can help further.John - fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!- bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Hi microzone, thanks for the speedy reply, I won't be able to take a closer pic for about two weeks, that's when my camera is coming back after a drop a few days ago I can easily put this post on ice and WILL post a extreme close-up at that point, I'd rather wait and get this weld evaluated so I can deal with it correctly.Thanks!
Reply:Sure thing! You don't have a friend, relative or girlfriend that has a camera? John - fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!- bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I agree the pic is from kinda far away to tell alot of detail. From what I see, I agree it does look a bit cold and probly didn't penetrate much. What does the other side look like?MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33I agree the pic is from kinda far away to tell alot of detail. From what I see, I agree it does look a bit cold and probly didn't penetrate much. What does the other side look like?
Reply:Grind it flush. If you didn't weld it properly, it will fall apart or have cracks and you'll need to redo it. If you didn't get adequate penetration, you'll need to grind it out and re-weld it anyway, so you might as well grind it now. If you did weld it properly, grinding flush is what you want to do to finish it.PatrickLincoln 175HD
Reply:I agree with patrick. if it falls apart bevel the 2 sides good and reweld.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Just something to think of, but in the past I have had a problem with Bondo sticking to aluminum. Some of the more experinced bodymen on the board might know more than I, but just something to think about. but I do agree with the above go ahead and grind it and see what you have. one way or the other it will have to be ground down anyway.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Hi, I'll try and post a few more closer up pics today. I'm not a welder, if I shave to far I will need to get it re-welded which I suppose is not all that bad? Good question on the bondo, I was told that 'Everclear' bondo is mostly used for auto repairing, I'll double check its capability w/ aluminum though, Everclear is supposedly a cut above regular bondo. The bondo is going to have two purposes, cover up the imperfections and it adds a damping to the metal to keep the horn from 'ringing' when playing. I am hopefully trying to get to no more than 1/32" of an inch buil-up of bondo over all on the two horns.StanLast edited by sklimek; 06-30-2007 at 12:52 PM.
Reply:Aluminum weld metal does not have the strength of the parent metal. When you remove the reinforcement it is likely you will see cracking later on. I would be leaving at least one eighth reinforcement if you feel that it is necessary to remove the bead. If it ain't broke ... don't fix it. If you are concerned about some sort of ringing harmonics you might consider coating it with a rubber like coating such as automotive undercoating.
Reply:Good idea about the automotive undercoating or truck bed liner goop but I plan to display these horns exposed on top on the woofer cabinet.OK, here are some pics, maybe too many. Please keep in mind its just the two large beads on each side of the outside of the horn that need to be shaved the ones that welded the two halves together. I do not need to shave flush if necessary; I can work w/ 1/32 high. Im not a welder so if what I ask is not possible because of cold weld or aluminum what would be the solution? Thanks - Stan Attached Images
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:57:18