I've used CX stuff before with the thin wall on the ouside of the bend.

Once you do a lot of aluminum you get used to playing with the feed speed while you go around and see it widening out.

Its the nature of the beast for mandrel bent elbows vs extruded elbows.



HellaFab Turbo GXP intercooler kit by HellaFab, on Flickr

 

I can not for the love of god get my machine to weld aluminum well.

I'm honestly almost starting to think it's a machine issue too.

 

Biggest thing is making sure that your tungsten is 100% clean.

Everything else is pie.


The weld above-virtually no prep. Cut the pipe with band saw, sand edge of cut with belt sander, weld.

Dont use a grinder wheel on aluminum... pounds air into the metal and it comes out when you weld.

If you dip the tungsten, you HAVE to clean it and the tube or whatever your welding with a brush.


I have tried a multitude of tungsten and the green tungsten and red tungsten would work fine for a second and then randomly just go black and really **** the weld up. go get some purple e3's if you havent already and you will be good to go.

 

Machine settings? I think we're using the same one, or one that's close.

 

120a, 120hz, ac balance around 10 o'clock (cant remember off hand what the number is in that area)
No preflow (but 1s would be better) and as much post as I need to get the tungsten cooled before it shuts off... usually about 10s.

Using 1/16" purple e3 tungsten, but a 3/32 would hold up a little better I think. If i mash the pedal and hold it, the tungsten begins to melt... but you dont need that much amperage on this 0.065" wall aluminum for more than a few seconds to get going.

 

I'll try it.

Thank you sir.

 

First downpipe off of my 1.6L 16G setup.

 

Some weldz. This is removing a neck down on a HKS exhaust for an EVO.





Dann

 

Here's something I made to speed things up, and increase quality, since I weld dozens of these ******* every week. Previously I would go about a 1/6th of the way around, and then I would let the glowing orange bung cool down with the 15 second post flow. At best, I would get a purple color, hardly any blue, never any gold or silver. I've used aluminum to suck the heat out of many header flanges I've welded, so I made this device. U cut the "fins" carefully by hand on the vertical bandsaw, obviously to add surface area. It works so ******* well, I could do the whole sensor in 1 pass in theory (I'm only capable of doing half at once right now), and it never glows any more than any other regular weld when I'm finished.

 

Here is a small selection, but its 3:30am so gnight.













Dann

 

Did you mirror this photo, or is everything backwards because the picture was taken upside-down?

 

I think thats an RB engine in not a miata.

 

You're both geniuses. That's a 2JZ in a Supra.

 

2JZ no ****.

 

Does it make 900hp and run 13s?

 

You know it's a ten second car, right?

 

Maybe if you tow it, or push it.

 

with rockets.

 

Lol you guys.

Here's a few welds from my daily routine.

304 ss tube to cold rolled steel flange. Note the nearly perfect silver color (though I like blue personally)



Yeah blue, much prettier.



And you all remember my o2 heat sink? Well it's working great

 

Like.. 1200hp and runs 15.6@155mph lol.

Dann