ARC Welding Aluminum

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by Simon Strauss

...the mentor who is going to teach me how to use it ...

If you have the opportunity to learn to weld, even if its only practice on scrap metal, definately take advantage of it.

Welding is something that every person with a creative or mechancial aptitude should learn.

[Dick Linn]

Do learn to weld. If it's an ac/dc box, you can stick weld aluminum using DC, but it takes a lot of practice from what I read. You can also convert it to a TIG unit, though you'd need to add a high frequency box to do AC. Search around on http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/ There are some expert professional welders that frequent that site.

[eshteyn]

If your are careful enough you can weld aluminum with an arc welder. I have tried with a TIG, MIG, and even a Stick welder. The only thing you really have to watch out for and always remember to check is the guidelines on the welder for your material and thickness of material. My recommendation would be using a MIG welder because its it easier. If the only thing you have is a TIG welder then practice on some spare material and make sure you have your feed speed right for the material and amperage your using. I like to feed the aluminum welding stick in a way to create a ball pattern one on top of the other, this makes for a good complete weld and it also looks very nice.