Welding Thin Aluminum Sheet

Welding aluminum is not as hard as you think.

Welding thin aluminum sheet.

This instructable will teach you how to use a propane torch and some aluminum brazing rods as a quick way to bond aluminum without using a welder. When the job calls for thin aluminum starting around 0 060 in. I used 1 16 1 6m 4043 rod for this outside corner joint in 040 and it worked out ok. I keep blowing through my thin sheet.

Fortunately the basic motor skills learned in gtaw of moderately thick aluminum sheet are also applicable to welding on thinner material. Proper technique will come with practice and experience. It makes for a very strong bond and with a little practice can be done quickly with great looking results. Turns out you can weld aluminum without a welder.

It simply isn t going to be quite as forgiving as when working with thicker sheet. And less the welding is that much more difficult. In this article we are taking a look at how people should go about welding sheet meta l what kind of wire and shielding gas need to be used. Using too small a filler rod can be a problem too.

When it comes to welding thin sheet metal like car body panels if you are not experienced and skilled enough then you can easily create a mess as blow holes in the sheet and make the metal useless. Tig welding sheet metal. The stitch welding technique can be very powerful. I was hoping to manage a butt weld too but the metal was far too thin for mig and i just blew holes.

Another rule of thumb for tig welding sheet metal thicknesses is try not to use a filler rod that is thicker than the metal you are welding. Here s a shot of 0 3 mm stainless cut from a 5l thinners can that was welded in this way. Welders should also preheat a thick piece of aluminum when welding it to a thin piece. Also it will ensure that you don t get any warping of the materials you are working on and no burn through as well.

If cold lapping occurs try using run on and run off tabs. Forget the larger 1 8 inch tungsten electrode and use a smaller one. To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity. Andy gives helpful insights and tips to mig weld thin sheet metal.

In order to weld sheet metal or patch panel you have to follow certain rules and use specific techniques. Don t attempt to weld thin materials like sheet metal with flux cored wires which put more heat into the base metal.