Someone school me on marine grade aluminum.

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Ive done a little research and cant really come up with what i need.  First off, ive been welding steel for years and im just getting into aluminum.  Ive got the welding down to an art, both spool gun and tig, but im now trying to learn all the details. Im building a few large commercial crawfish boiling pots and the pots are 5052 grade aluminum... No problem, i welded them up with the 5356 wire, but now i need to weld handles and some bracing to the pots.  However this material is NOT marine grade.  So when i go to weld them to the pots, should i use the 5356 or 4043 wire?  Also, feel free to chime in with any other details you may think will help, im here to learn!Thanks, Josh
Reply:I'll assume that the additional pieces your welding are made of 6061 (extrusion). 6061 is considered a marine grade. You can welds two pieces of 6061 together with 4043 wire, but you don't want to weld a piece of 6000 series aluminum to a 5000 series aluminum with 4043 wire. . The 4043 wire will not give you the weld strength your looking for. I also believe that 4043 is not as corrosion resistant as 5356. WelderbobSound Marine Custom Aluminum Boats
Reply:How hot do the Pots get?"4043 is suitable for service temperatures above 150 Deg. F, however, 5356, because of its 5% magnesium content is not suitable for these elevated temperature applications."http://www.alcotec.com/us/en/educati...ller-alloy.cfmEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Im really not sure what grade the bracing and handles ill be adding are.  When i ordered my aluminum they just sent me the "regular stuff" lol...  As far as the temp of the pots, they get HOT!  I can get 50 gallons of water boiling in 12 mins... i dont know the exact temp though.
Reply:Originally Posted by yamahajoIve done a little research and cant really come up with what i need.  First off, ive been welding steel for years and im just getting into aluminum.  Ive got the welding down to an art, both spool gun and tig, but im now trying to learn all the details. Im building a few large commercial crawfish boiling pots and the pots are 5052 grade aluminum... No problem, i welded them up with the 5356 wire, but now i need to weld handles and some bracing to the pots.  However this material is NOT marine grade.  So when i go to weld them to the pots, should i use the 5356 or 4043 wire?  Also, feel free to chime in with any other details you may think will help, im here to learn!Thanks, Josh
Reply:Originally Posted by yamahajoIve done a little research and cant really come up with what i need.  First off, ive been welding steel for years and im just getting into aluminum.  Ive got the welding down to an art, both spool gun and tig, but im now trying to learn all the details. Im building a few large commercial crawfish boiling pots and the pots are 5052 grade aluminum... No problem, i welded them up with the 5356 wire, but now i need to weld handles and some bracing to the pots.  However this material is NOT marine grade.  So when i go to weld them to the pots, should i use the 5356 or 4043 wire?  Also, feel free to chime in with any other details you may think will help, im here to learn!Thanks, Josh
Reply:I never really thought much about this aspect, but i guess i need to be using the "salt water proof" grade (5086) because the seasoning we use contains a lot of salt and seasoning... However unlike a boat, my pots only have salt/seasoned water in them for maybe 2 hoursa wee k, then they are cleaned very well with clean water.  As far as the extrusions, they are 6061 aluminum, so since im welding them to 5052 matl, i need to use my 5356 filler rod?  Just want to clarify this.thanks for the help so far!
Reply:I wouldn't worry too much about salt water corrosion. I'm assuming you'll clean the pot after using it.Powcon 400SM2-PD60 wire feedersMiller XR controlAlumapro push/pull gunSpeedglas 9100xBFH
Reply:5356 will work to weld the 5052 h-38 to 6061 t-651... every sign on disney's property in orlando was built with the structural parts of 6061 and the sheet of 5052 and welded with 5356 filler.... i know, because i built them.... just sayin....migweld 250parcmate 205weldall 250piforcecut 80i plasma'07 pro 300 miller'08 trailblazer 302mm350pdynasty 700dynasty 200deltaweld 452xr-a 50ft push pull feeders and gooseneck
Reply:yama,Normally, this weld would call for the use of 5356 filler (or 5654).  The problem you run into here is the fact that neither (5356 or 5654) are recommended for use where they will be subjected to sustained temperatures of greater than 165 deg.  I'm sure your boiling pots exceed that temp on a regular basis.I like 5356 and use it a lot in marine fabrication, but in this case I'd probably go with 4043 because of the heat involved.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:I wouldn't weld the handles. But rivet or bolt them. More simple and easier to repair. Handles on heavy pots have a tough job. Calculate the stresses at the welds and you'll be surprised by the values attained.The 5052 has almost not problem of HAZ (heat affected zone), it has been designed for that.But the 6061 (which is not a "true" marine alloy, used normally only for inside not exposed directly to salt water) is a heat treatable alloy. It will return to state 0 (annealed) and will be very soft. I assume it's a 6061 extrusion T5 or T6. If the handles are casted, it's probable another alloy and welding them can be adventurous if the alloy is not known. Sometimes casted alloys contain zinc or other metals and welding may introduce a problem of micro crevice corrosion.Unhappily the 4043 has tendency to crack under tension (because of the silicon) if the stress approach the yield value. The value is pretty low so the welds have to been calculated in function of the expected stresses and it's better to keep a large safety margin. Few welds are perfect...5356 won't be good at that job because of the temps combined with the stresses involved.Juste the 2 cents of a retired naval engineer...Last edited by Don Pablo; 05-12-2011 at 02:32 AM.