What's the chances of me not screwing this up?

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I've never TIG'd aluminum before and I'm very low on the skill chart with steel.I need to make a little holder out of two pieces of angle iron and flat stock that will hold a binder on a refrigerator door. It has to be taped to the door and I'm guessing steel is too heavy.It's not a big loss at all if I screw it up, probably only $10 in material but is it pretty likely I will fail? Im going to use 1/16" aluminum from Home Depot and probably have to make 4 outside corners and 2 butt welds.Calculator says use 1/16 filler and 75amps.  Material will probably be 1" wide all around. Is the extruded stuff from Home Depot a weldable alloy?Prep wise I believe I just wipe with acetone until paper towels come up totally clean and then aggressively scrub with clean stainless brush.Last edited by BrooklynBravest; 12-23-2014 at 04:07 PM.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:Only advise I could give is - do not practice on the final piece - buy extra material.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Am I better off using 1/16 or 1/8" material?Thickness for strength isn't an issue, ease of welding is.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:1/8" is a nice thickness to weld, in my opinion.1/16" is not much harder after you practice both.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:nothing ventured nothing gained, just clean clean and clean before welding...stainless wire brush..Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:Should I be gapping the pieces or butt them together?www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:Originally Posted by BrooklynBravestShould I be gapping the pieces or butt them together?
Reply:Have you simply thought about a cheap clip board and some really good flat magnets?.No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:That's no fun.Why buy when you can build.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:Even if you belly flop it it will still be good.
Reply:I bought enough to make some practice welds.I need to find an aluminum supplier it im going to get into aluminum.$16 for 4' of 1/8" angle iron at Home Depot. I'm not paying for it but If I was thats insane.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:Why you gotta fasten a binder to a fridge ?Ed 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:Originally Posted by BrooklynBravest$16 for 4' of 1/8" angle iron at Home Depot. I'm not paying for it but If I was thats insane.
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Why you gotta fasten a binder to a fridge ?
Reply:It was frustrating, I did an awful job. But it held together so It will make due.I thought I had the butt welds down and outside corner would be no problem... Wrong...I didn't get into the root of the corner at all. It was a disaster.I have no idea how to tack aluminum.Attachment 948071Attachment 948081www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:Tack aluminum quickly with high amps and then get off the pedal.I've experimented with 1/16" aluminum and speed tacking at 230 amps for approx 3/4 of a second - no filler.Works excellent.But you don't have to be quite that extreme. Edit: that was with an old transformer machine - I think an inverter would do it quicker.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Different levels of disaster....it's not like you stuck a hot tungsten into your nut sack.
Reply:Originally Posted by mikecwikDifferent levels of disaster....it's not like you stuck a hot tungsten into your nut sack.
Reply:Well it works fine and the welds are on the backside so, mission accomplished.Attachment 948121www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.
Reply:Time for a beer  Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Looks like you did good for your first time on aluminum! Clean again with acetone after brushing. And use 3/32 filler. How many amps did you use?i would have set the machine to about 125
Reply:Originally Posted by motolife313Looks like you did good for your first time on aluminum! Clean again with acetone after brushing. And use 3/32 filler. How many amps did you use?i would have set the machine to about 125
Reply:What cup size and tungsten and size and cfh? I use 1/8 tungsten #4 cup and 12 cfh with great success.
Reply:I think it would have been a bit easier to tack with filler than without. I'd use 3/32" gold/blue/purple/grey tungsten, pointed with a tiny flat, 1/16" 5356 filler at about 120a. Nice go of it though, mmmmm beer! SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:When I was trying to tack I was doing my best to get the tungston down in the corner but if I got that close the base metal would ride up towards it and contaminate it.Trying to tack it without filler was a disaster. It puddled but it did so into two separate puddles. The filler rod didn't melt clearly either.My practice welds were all butt welds and only problem I had was I kept gouging out the base metal at the start and end of the weld. These outside corners were way harder. I ended up just lay wiring them and it was what it was. It didn't fully penetrate the backside though.I think my filler rod was definitely too thick. I feel like a #4 cup would be on the small side for 1/8" material? I have been using a #7 gas lens for everything.Another thing I didn't even consider was I cant use magnets on aluminum. What a pain that was.www.FirehouseFabricators.comZachLincoln 210mpLincoln SW200Hypertherm Powermax 45xp2x4 CNC Plasma Table.this is all 1/4. #4 at 12cfh
Reply:Make a third hand to hold stuff. You can't weld stuff with a magnet anyway the arc will get pulled to the magnet like crazy. Unless you speed tack. Then that works
Reply:Those inside corners are a delicate balance of amperage, then speed. A higher Hz on an inverter can also help a lot to focus the arc into the corner, on a transformer machine your only adjustment is tungsten profile and flavour. I use a #6 on a small gas lens for alu, 12-17 cfh.1/4" stock gives you a lot more time and room for error with your heat input, I'd be curious to see that sample cut in half Moto.+1 on the third hand. With thin stuff, a piece of copper behind can soak up excess heat and help get full pen.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:Looks like you did great.  Especially if it's your first time on aluminum.  Remember that actually welding on aluminum is a hell of a lot harder than running a pretty bead on a plate.  Many will try to show off their ability by showing you those, but in the real world making aesthetically pleasing beads on a workpiece is tough.  You're continually changing angles and sometimes there's no place to prop your hand.  Plus, your aim is to get penetration and join the pieces solidly, not make perfect dips.
Reply:I was showing you can weld thick stuff with a small cup. And yes real world stuff is harder when you got clamps to weld around and not being able to move it in perfect position because its clamped. And brazin I showed a price of 1/4 inch aluminum I cut in half the other day on a thread I started
Reply:And that doesn't even look good. It was a little cold on the t-joint
Reply:Thanks Moto, curiosity satisfied.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:Reminds me of making a Kindle holder out of 1/4" using a Dynasty 200 - it worked, but it was not pretty! It is amazing how complicated something so ostensibly simple as welding two pieces of aluminum together can be.I think a higher amperage would have helped you with the tacks, like Dave said. If the fit is good you just have to slam it with energy to get the two puddles to run together. I think the arc force actually moves the liquid around a bit and causes it to fuse. When you start you don't realize how hard you actually have to hit it up front. And the proper rod makes things a lot easier.My vote is well done.
Reply:Those look good for a first attempt!  Try not puddling the metal and just running an arc over the weld area a few times to preheat it.  That seems to help make the puddle a little more consistent, IMO