Aluminium weld repairs

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My neighbour has quite a few of these repair jobs in Al. for me, possibly one or two per week.I need to demonstrate that I can do an OK job on these. It shouldn't be too difficult to improve on the previous repairs done on this Rolling Bakery Rack. Those were likely done by one of his employees with their Dynasty 200 DX. This illustrates the fact that a very good machine will not help you if the skill isn't there.  Not that my skill level is super high, but I'm hopeful that it will be high enough to get the job.This is the right kind of job, not much liability with the top speed being around 3 mph.Would hate have it come apart and lose a full load of dinner rolls tho!These things are not going to be easy to weld.  My first attempt is not pretty but should be strong. The aluminium is saturated with fryer fat. Any ideas on how to deal with that?I ground the old repair weld out, wire brushed the area to be welded and cut a short piece of new  1"x1" 1/4"  angle to buttress the corners with . After doing the first weld the whole shop smelled like a bakery and I had to stop for an early lunch! Attached Images
Reply:I have done my share of fixing crap like that...First off you need to remove all the old weld as best you can.."V" out where the seperation is..Use Acetone and a stainless brush on it after all the old weld is gone and clean it as best you can..Then get ready.The smell after you get it hot enough to weld will be enough to make you gag..And as a extra added bonus after the smell gets in your nasal cavity you will be able to smell it for hours on end after you are done....(Just wait until you get in the shower..)...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:Thanks for the advice Zap, I followed it and managed to get a weld on there . It isn't pretty but I think it will hold up to the cinnamon buns.With all of the black crap coming thru during the weld it took a lot of heat to get things to flow together. I might be perverse but I thought the welding smell of the fryer fat burning off was very nice Attached Images
Reply:Looks like that will hold up just fine..Just how many buns are you getting for this?...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:In addition to buns they also do some very nice 10" apple/pear pies there.I'm thinking maybe two pies per corner?
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Reply:what kind of welder are you using for this/Lincoln Hd pack
Reply:Are you local? I want lunch.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Wotked in a bakery for years as a maintenance mech. Fixed many an aluminum rack, until we got smart and started building them out of stainless. We had the same problem that you are facing, ended up using aluminum wire on a spool gun and migging it back together. The welding supply shops also sell a cleaner for aluminum and as Zap posted cleanliness is of the up most importance with tig. With the mig process it made life a lot eaiser.Kevin
Reply:Originally Posted by BAKERHUSKIE1what kind of welder are you using for this/
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI'm guessing you are digging this up from the dead after a search ( original date 2010 for those that missed it)  because of your question in your other thread about fixing racks. Last activity here from the OP was Aug of 2011 BTW.  The welds look like tig. I'd guess he used the Dynasty he mentioned the place he was getting the racks from had from his original post.
Reply:Originally Posted by worntornI might be perverse but I thought the welding smell of the fryer fat burning off was very nice