ATV gear case, conclusion

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Well I cleaned it up with the stainless brush, and wiped it down with alcohol, then put a couple tacks on, then slowly welded it, letting it cool because I was afraid it would warp the bearing bores......so I just did short welds........wish I were better with TIG and had a bigger machine                                           I know its not much to look at, Im trying     Now, for some clean up with the flap wheel, had to make sure that the welds were not above the gasket surface and not past the mounting lug to interfere with the mounting brackets                             Think thats it for the photos, unless I forgot some or have them out of order, let me know what you think and what I should have done different, whats good whats bad etc...thanks for looking....
Reply:Work looks good, and fun.As a tip about forums, you don't need or have to create new threads for every portion of a build or questions or what have you. You can simply create a second post directly below your first post, all in the same thread. This not only keeps you in one spot on a single project, but also allows other users to follow your build to completion.
Reply:I'm not going to touch the welds and their functionality as I'm just starting with Aluminum myself and don't do Tig either. That being said, if that is a gasket surface, you'll need to get in machined again. the heat will have warped it no mater how careful you were. Also it appears in the third picture that the weld sticks out past the gasket surface.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Your setup and execution were very good, I,m not much with welding aluminum  so I can't say anything on how to improve on that but I just don't know how you can work in a place that's so clean LOL!!!!
Reply:Grant, Ill keep that in mind, Im still learning how to post pics with text etc.....How would I go about placing all three posts on to another forum I frequent without having to re write it all? Thor, I konw the welds are not the nicest looking, and the flange face with the three holes, I ran a flat file over it after using the flap wheel to remove the large areas of weld above it, Brewmiester, thank you, and the shop is usually cleaner.....sometimes im a slacker......lol...
Reply:Originally Posted by monkersGrant, Ill keep that in mind, I'm still learning how to post pics with text etc.....How would I go about placing all three posts on to another forum I frequent without having to re write it all? ...
Reply:Looking good.. looks like a fun project to do? Practice and more practice is what it takes!! As for my smaller  aluminum welding projects I have a hot plate that I got at the hardware store (the wife wasnt into me using hers) LOL.to put under my pieces that need welded,warms up the part before I start and keeps the heat in it between welds.I also use a helium,argon mix gas helps too when you have a smaller machine really increases the heat. When welding in tight corners a gas lense helps keep the gas from bouncing all around in the corners. Hope this is somewhat helpful?? Dale
Reply:DSW, thanks for the tips, Im using Photobucket, and I think I have seen something about re-sizing the photo, what is the best size for here, as I think I seen different choices.   Power, thank you, it was fun, I enjoy the challenge of stuff like this. I am going to get to practice a little more very soon I hope.....after a nasty divorce 2 years ago, I finally have a place to set up my equipment and do some projects, not ideal, but better than noting....lol...Neat trick with the hot plate also. On that machine Im usiong Argon gas. My little TIG uses Argon also.......like you said, practice. Is a gas lense different than the "cup" on the TIG torch? If I have to try to get in a tight spot with that I use a small dia cup and turn the gas up a little more.......thanks for the help and thanks for looking
Reply:That looks like a suzuki piece.  Your repair with the new sleeve is pretty nice.  I'm sure this will hold fine for this repair but you really need to get some more heat on some of those welds when welding.  Your weld almost looks more like it came from a spoolgun.  as a whole that cast aluminum in motorcycles and atv's welds pretty nice I think and it is not really something to be afraid of welding IMO
Reply:Cd, I screwed up on posting, there are 3 posts, in one I mentioned it was a spool gun. Ill try it hotter next time.....was a little nervous because some spots were thin
Reply:LOL, I just naturally assume when welding something like this that your using a Tig.  If that is with a spoolgun I'd say you did an excellent job.
Reply:Cd, thank you. I have a Lincoln squarewave 175 but I wasn't sure it had the power to do it,  and I need lots more practice with tig......lol
Reply:Originally Posted by monkersDSW, thanks for the tips, Im using Photobucket, and I think I have seen something about re-sizing the photo, what is the best size for here, as I think I seen different choices.   Power, thank you, it was fun, I enjoy the challenge of stuff like this. I am going to get to practice a little more very soon I hope.....after a nasty divorce 2 years ago, I finally have a place to set up my equipment and do some projects, not ideal, but better than noting....lol...Neat trick with the hot plate also. On that machine Im usiong Argon gas. My little TIG uses Argon also.......like you said, practice. Is a gas lense different than the "cup" on the TIG torch? If I have to try to get in a tight spot with that I use a small dia cup and turn the gas up a little more.......thanks for the help and thanks for looking
Reply:Originally Posted by monkersDSW, thanks for the tips, Im using Photobucket, and I think I have seen something about re-sizing the photo, what is the best size for here, as I think I seen different choices.   . Is a gas lense different than the "cup" on the TIG torch? If I have to try to get in a tight spot with that I use a small dia cup and turn the gas up a little more.......thanks for the help and thanks for looking
Reply:Thank you guys for all your help, I love this site!
Reply:Now the REAL test as to how good you did, is when it's all reassembled and put back on the trail. If it holds up to several trips of hard riding then it's a good fix. Looks like you did pretty good with what you had available. Let us know how it does after a few trips in the real world.
Reply:The guy that brought it to me will test it thats for sure, hes quite rough on things, probably would have still been driving it if it didnt stop moving........Ill keep you posted. He uses it a lot around here for deer season, so itll get a good work out (beating)....