Practically Classics Forum

Has anybody tried this? The internet has some people saying that it is easy, just the same as steel and other people saying not to bother.
I need to repair the mounting tabs on my rear wings so it doesn't need to be tidy as it will never be seen, just solid.
As this is pretty cheap and will attach to my Clarke 160, I thought about giving it a go anyway (thanks to John for the regulator!)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 1201480913

I've done it, but not car work, I've welded up some ally garden furniture in the past. It is pretty much as steel really, you need a reel of ally wire and a tip to suit (it's fatter than steel wire), a bottle of argon, and away you go. Mind you, this was pretty thick stuff so I don't know how it'd be with thin ally, but I can't imagine it would be too difficult.

I looked at this and thought that, had I still got a regulator for aerosol gas instead of giving it to a friend, I might have tried it; there are several "eroded" holes (galvanic corrosion - the lad used steel penny washers when he put it back together) on the Landy's tub and a few places where the same idiot has cut chunks out of panels rather than working things out properly!

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/aluminium-setup.htm

It might be worth opening a hole out in a tip (or using a 0.9mm tip from a gasless torch): I can't remember if Clarke do a 1.0 tip that would help the wire feed. The liner is another thing I was a little concerned about (though I have a nice euro torch, so getting a better alternative liner isn't as much hassle.

I'm not going to go and buy another Hobbyweld (or other brand) cylinder as I'm saving up for an acetylene one (£160-odd last quote)!

I still have some .9 tips as I have a 5kg roll of flux core which I am using on the bits of metal you can't see (it is very spattery compared to welding with gas)
As it is so cheap I'll give it a whirl and see. For the sake of £20 I think it is worth a try. I can't find a used wing that is better than the one I have and new ones are hens teeth so this strikes me as the best option.
Cheers chaps.

Yeah I did it when restoring the Midget, I had to weld up the steering wheel boss as it was smashed.

As above, I bought a reel of ally wire, a big tip (no need to drill it out, they're all available cheaply) and a bottle or argon and away I went.

My main recollection is of a lot of "ash" floating in the air, so I think I'd recommend doing it in a place with a lot of ventilation. It worked OK though, the boss has never given a moment's trouble since.

Cheers

Is MIG welding Aluminium a new thing or have I just never noticed it?

It's as old as MIG itself. You've just been too caught up with welding ferrous metal to Solihull's finest holework to notice this newfangled technology.

JPB wrote:It's as old as MIG itself. You've just been too caught up with welding ferrous metal to Solihull's finest holework to notice this newfangled technology.

Us Silhillians are evenly balanced. The Ally is just as shonkey as the steel in places

It is amazing how nobody realised (or cared) that galvanic corrosion could be an issue when these things were designed. Still, I don't think 20 years and 185,000 miles is too bad. A bit of new metal and hopefully it will do the same again.

take a few pics when you try it..