TIG Welding 7075 Aluminum - Who Said You Can't?!?

[@RonCovell]

Aaron - I have always heard that 7075 is not weldable, because zinc is the primary alloying material. Your tests seem to bear that out. I have also heard that some high-end bicycles are made from aluminum in the 7000 series, so apparently there are some alloys that can be welded. Pretty fascinating to see how you went about testing the possibilities. Maybe you could do something similar with 2024, which is a copper-based alloy - also not recommended for welding. Thanks for mentioning my welding rod holder. It has really helped me keep my filler metal organized!

[@krusher74]

cheap mountianbike frames are 7005, the material has very little flex and they are harsh to ride.

[@ypaulbrown]

Ron, 7075 is 1.2-2% copper…6% zinc, 2.2% magnesium, developed by Sumitoma in Japan for the Zero fighter inWWII…Alcoa reversed engineered in 1943

[@ohwowthatsgood]

Ron , I know nothing about the processes. But I do know that some bikes are brazed and not welded. Would brazing be the reason 7000 series is used? or when 7000 series is used, brazing is the best technique to use?

[@robertqueberg4612]

I worked for a rather large blowmolding company, Whose molds were all made of 7075 T651. The rumor about "not weldable" flourished to some extent in the early years. I was a toolmaker, and did not need to do any welding, so I can not speak from hands on experience. Most of their welding of 7075 was done along edges and repair, rather than fabrication, but the results were solid and usable.

[@COBARHORSE1]

Some bike frames are glued into brackets. No welding.

[@danvrana6758]

I’m certified to weld on Aircraft and I was told that 2024 and 7075 are not weldable because the alloying metals separate when heated to melting temperatures. That’s probably why the aluminum brazing worked. Unfortunately a majority of aircraft use those two aluminum alloys. Made for a great video though. Keep up the good work.

[@whodat90]

That ‘low temp aluminum brazing rod’ is no joke. In the right application it works very well.

[@wojciechk2107]

Thanks for taking a hit for the team. With my welding skills I don"t think I will step out of comfort zone of easily weldible materials. 😂

[@Nicoya]

Regarding the tack welds holding at the beginning, I would guess that this is a combination of the corners of the plate burning off and feeding the weld puddle a bit more, combined with the cooling weld puddle being able to shrink back from the open end of the joint as it cools, rather than just pulling directly on both sides and sinking in from the top. Less stress, less thinning. As for other 7000 series aluminums, the internet says "The exceptions are 7003, 7005, and 7039, which are readily weldable with 5356 fillers." and I'm sure we can trust that since when has anyone ever said something incorrect on the internet?

[@hu5116]

Sounds like the plot for the next video! 😅

[@paulkurilecz4209]

There are a few other 7xxx alloys that are weldable. 7024 is one as well.

[@nathancole8188]

The fact that you are still using and praising the primeweld machines makes me confident in my decision to buy their products. I also find it so funny how many people have shit on primeweld because of the price. Your videos prove the results you get are not machine price related.

[@zenlandzipline]

Years ago, I thought I hit the jackpot. The person whoever figures out how to weld steel to aluminum is going to be very wealthy very quickly. I have it a shot. Some thinner gauge material. I can’t remember what filler rod I used. But it seemed like it worked!!! I looked at the piece closely…no cracks. I tried to break it by hand…no go. It held. I thought “man, I must have come across, by accident, the secret machine settings, filler, technique etc. I’m going to be rich!!!” Then I put the piece in a vise and gave it a wack with a hammer. All of my dreams vanished within a split second. I went from “I’m going to buy a yacht and a big log cabin in the mountains” to “quit playing around and get back to work, loser. Youre a welder, and you’re stuck in that dark world of bright light forever” ☹️

[@6061]

"dark world of bright light" I like that, never heard it before

[@nunnas5393]

You can get steel 'welded' to aluminum, they produce it in big sheets by laying a sheet of aluminum on top of a sheet of steel then covering it with explosives, the force and heat join the two together. Or its something long those lines

[@tmo26]

@@nunnas5393 See wikipedia "Explosion welding"

[@PANTYEATR1]

I welded stainless to aluminum one time in welding school. It was out of carelessness. I mistakenly picked up a stainless rod that i thought was an aluminum rod. It was making some colors and being difficult, so i forced it more. In the end, i welded 2 aluminum plates with a stainless rod. I figured out it was a stainless rod after i finished by trying to bend the rod. 😔

[@billhicksmcgee1181]

Haha yes indeed, can't even count how many times customers have brought in steel and aluminum to be fused together

[@adambergendorff2702]

I did read an article about 4 years ago a rod was developed for 7075 that used some nano technology with titanium in the rod, it was real expensive. The article said it was a big deal because auto manufacturers could start using 7075 in cars more. The article even showed how it wasn't the prettiest looking weld but was structural sound.

[@darenscott1718]

I don't ever take on aluminum projects, I far prefer playing with steal. But I find these videos interesting, and sometimes I learn something that applies to steel fab. Thank you for all your work!

[@jae878]

7075 is super strong and machines awesome. Never tried welding it before and now I never will! Thanks for sharing.

[@Reuben-]

Thanks for the video. It was educational to see how you approached learning what worked or didn't on this alloy.

[@ToharSD]

Great video Aaron I learned a lot The more informative the video you make the more I like it Thank you

[@Rocksolidhandyman]

I learn something new every time I watch your videos!

[@stabdd]

I've been told this is why you shouldn't weld riveted ladders? great vid as usual!

[@REDRIDER101]

I built cradles for turbine gpu's. We would cut all the tubes and gussets and send them to heat treat to take them from T6 to T0. Once the welding was done and inspected we would send the entire weldment back to heat treat and take them from T0 back to T6. The weld always comes out T0 I believe...unless it's heat treated.

[@fmbjmf]

Really enjoyed this one! It helps us beginners to see that sometimes, it just can't be done. If I had have seen that crack appear on my bench the way I saw it appear in the video I would have automatically assumed I had done something wrong.

[@minigpracing3068]

Before I had a tig, I used the alumiweld rods on a couple 6061 projects with a propane torch. Not ideal but for their intended strength it worked out good. It would be better with oxy-fuel torches so you can dial the o2 down a little to prevent the aluminum from oxidizing. With an AC tig they should also work pretty well when you don't need ultimate strength, just decent strength. My kit came with special flux, so it was a lot like soldering or brazing.

[@jamesa7506]

JB weld, duct tape, super glue, or bailing wire. Got it. 7075 here I come.

[@U.F.O.Technology]

It is necessary to rename the channel to 7075 and then the welding will be successful.

[@highviscosity749]

Nice one 😂.

[@halilefeyaldiz2314]

This man is a hero

[@keithjurena9319]

Very good..would be interesting to see if matching alloy filler welds can be heat treated back to T6.. T651 is a wee bit more brittle or less ductile than T6. Welding in T0 is preferred, then heat treated to desired strength. I did some 6061 tube which I annealed to T0 to bend and then welded. Aluminum does this funky thing called over aging which is probably why your welds failed in the HAZ while the AlumiWeld braze didn't..just a SWAG. Anyhow, gloves and bandsaw? I don't believe that hooey tale. I'm wearing them because I can keep my booger hooks away from moving blades.

[@karroome]

Thanks fo the demo👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 And oh dear am I thankful for the effort you put in these vids Been on your channel for years and only last night I had my first go at tig welding as I bought my first machine The learning curve is more like a brickwall😅😅😅 Thank you thank you thank you

[@ypaulbrown]

Super informative…thank you Aaron for the time and expense to make this video…Paulie Brown

[@ianrudge8789]

As always great content and something I've been told you don't do but never actually tried to see why

[@snowfarmer69]

Great tests, I always enjoy your approach to a challenge

[@ralphwaters8905]

The alloy components of 7075 include zinc, magnesium, and copper (in addition to the aluminum of course). I believe the copper may tend to glob together when molten instead of staying in solution, and you end up with a slurry of copper solids (higher melting point) in the remaining liquid over a wide temperature range as it cools (and shrinks). Aside from the obvious change in the grain structure of the alloy, the liquid has zero strength as the solids contract while cooling, and you get inevitable cracking in the microscopic gaps that grows quite large in the final pool. I think the reason the tacks worked was that there was a large molten pool available to feed the thermal contraction from the side.

[@davidlong3521]

Great info. Thanks for video. Most talk able 7xxx issues, love the "do it" and see.

[@Enword_Jim]

I welded a 7075 80% AR lower after an end mill made a nice slot in the side of it (forgot to set the tool diameter in the mill). Works totally fine when it's a cosmetic fix, but no good if you need strength.

[@flyinpolack6633]

Got me curious. I've never tried it myself. 1000 Years ago I had a GT Zaskar that was made from 7009 material. The bike shop had a video featuring the making of those frames, and they specified that the 7xxx material needed to have pre & post weld heat treatment done. The rest of their Al frames were 6061 at the time. Couple things for you to try: Try a He/Ar mix? Maybe try on DC with High Purity He? How about with Pulse? Maybe control cooling? Maybe weld in a chamber. possibly the O2 hitting the backside of the weld causing embrittlement like on Ti?

[@drumtwo4seven]

perhaps preheat would work because the brazed joint didn't break during the bend test Only thing you didn't try was preheat or annealing prior to welding 👍👍👍 Already subscribed years ago those were extra thumbs ups in addition to the one I already clicked on

[@rogerrascal8632]

Excellent work, always wondered about 7075, thanks

[@mikerecords5530]

Thanks for the thorough research.

[@RHarris42]

Thanks for sharing the test. I too have heard the 7000 series aluminum is non weldable.

[@ArckRanger]

Filler rod developed at UCLA in 2019 infused with (titanium carbide nanoparticles) 7075 is weldable.

[@6061]

Define "weldable"

[@f250superduty76]

Thanks I love your videos. Been watching for many years. I really like your approach to your projects

[@motoxjim929]

I worked in massena when the extrusion part was alcoa I worked also in the re-melt where it was alloyed there is a lot of zinc in it.

[@321ooo123]

I have a trials bike frame Planet X Zebdi, that is made of 7075 T6. It is welded, survived lots of bashing and it's still in one piece. So there is some method to do it.

[@COBARHORSE1]

Very informative! Thanks for putting in the work.

[@kenw8875]

Aaron, look into DCEP welding of Aluminum using high-purity He2. not Ar. common in the aero snd semi-conductor field for thick section assys.

[@liamfite-gv8ir]

Thanks for showing us!!

[@LittleAussieRockets]

Thanks mate that was quite informative.

[@davidchristensen2970]

2024 is the one with a lot of copper. I’ve always heard that it can be welded without any drama but the copper migrates to the edges the weld which creates corrosion and strength issues.

[@rowycoracing]

Interesting results.

[@MyLilMule]

Interesting video and demonstration. Good info here, thanks!

[@gosmith124]

Learned this lesson the hard way...before Go Pro! Thank you for the validation. 😂

[@VictorMPR]

Very cool and informative. Thank you! I really enjoy your videos 👍🏼

[@nunnas5393]

7075 is a mix of aluminum, zinc, magnesium and copper. Makes for a high strength aluminum that is more for cast parts than fabricated parts. Im with you on just dont bother trying to weld it as its going to fail. It becomes brittle along the weld joint or just cracks.

[@Flying0Dismount]

That explains why the brazing rod actually worked the best.. It is basically a zinc alloy solder... Any solder for Zamak or "pot metal" would likely also work reasonably for 7000 series if you absolutely had to...

[@melgross]

The problem with 7075 is not just the copper, which isn’t a serious problem, it’s a moderate amount, not exceeding 2%. It’s the zinc which is a problem. There’s 5 to 6 percent zinc in 7075. The brittleness is from the zinc. Zinc is strong, but brittle. This just glues to show that standards are often correct.

[@johnsobel4409]

Thanks for the video, always educational and sometime funny

[@toddwatzka960]

Very informative. Love your videos

[@brianp8148]

Great video, thanks!

[@modergun8321]

Здравствуйте. Благодарю за полезное видео! Значит, лучшей сварочной присадкой для 7075 показал себя Alum Weld Rod, тот что предназначен для пайки на низкой температуре? 9 минута.

[@ls2005019227]

Awesome video!! I enjoy machining/using 7075 for certain applications, given it's strength....but have never tried welding it. Actually; this video just gave me an idea for a project that I've been putting off, where 7075 would be preferable and the weld wouldn't be structural. On the larger blocks; did the higher heat input required to weld, anneal the entire part? Thanks!

[@GraemeFinlayson-l7x]

Always entertaining. What’s the main use of 7071?

[@hjvisagie]

Love your channel

[@DadBeard-pi2oy]

Very interesting.. So 7075 is good for machining non structural parts maybe? It seemed to fracture easy..Also the fractured has the "rotted" aluminum look.

[@jamesretired5979]

Thanks

[@RyanAUS]

‘Beat the piss out of it’ haha 😂. I thought that was an Australian saying. There you go, nice

[@cdjklm8483]

Very interresting

[@jcnpresser]

That alumina weld rod? Is that the hobo freight stuff? I bought some of that stuff years ago and haven’t used it yet. Supposedly you don’t need much heat, that’s why I got it. Thought it may be handy to keep in my tool box.

[@nigelsmith7366]

I think in the mid '90s I had a mountain bike frame made with 7005...and I know a lot of components were machined from 7075

[@fvrrljr]

*Damn You....* *quote "i'll be damned"* *Very Entertaining*

[@erniedelmonico9576]

nice job

[@tjs_welding_and_fabrication]

I have to pre scratch all the time with my dynasty 300dx. It is a habit now.

[@monizpaul]

When heated during welding, 7075 aluminum's molecular structure causes the aluminum, zinc, magnesium, and copper to flow unevenly, resulting in cracks. This is known as phase segregation. 2024 has the same issue.

[@brandygray5894]

Enjoyed the vid!!

[@hoodznchromez4179]

I’m pretty sure in the D 17.1, 70,75 along with 2024 series aluminum which are common in aircraft are considered not weldable.

[@LibertyDankmeme]

very valuable lesson and it only cost $30? that's a W

[@nhra7110]

very interesting!

[@keithcarpenter5254]

Spool gun? Like cast iron with a puddle gun? Seems to behave like a casting when welded conventionally. 😊

[@theoriginalDirtybill]

i bought a shit pile of 7075 on ebay to machine parts from. good to know i cant weld them to anything. will stick to 6061 for threaded bungs and flanges that need welding. thanks!

[@tomwatson3662]

The easiest way I found to clean aluminum out of a burr is a piece of steel handy just grind on that a little bit and the aluminum comes right out

[@xSHOOTERTOOTERx]

I've welded 7075 in the past using chips from previous machining ops on the same part where the CNC operator was supposed to put a chamfer on a hole and the tool went an inch deep into the part... Never tried anything like this though....

[@Rusty-Metal]

These comment retort vids make for some really cool content.

[@RoboDriller]

It has copper, zinc, magnesium, iron, titanium and chromium... Maybe friction welding?

[@jacksonbeverly3250]

Always heard what you proved

[@johnjay5143]

Definitely not for me . Thanks Aaron for saving a lot of people headaches . :)

[@tylerhensley2312]

Anything can be welded if you try hard enough. I'm 40 with 55 years of welding experience under my belt so I should know.. 🤣 all joking aside, at the aerospace manufacturing facility that I welded at we were never told to weld 7075. So obviously there is more to this that what can be convaid in this video. I mean if it was a sufficient process then they would have had us welding it all the time. And they used 7075 for everything that didn't need to be welded.

[@ultimatemonkey]

Im just here to point out that gloves on a bandsaw are 110% fine.. its going to cut the glove as easily as it cuts your finger off, IF it pulls the glove in, itd just as easily pull your skin in , at that point gloves or not youve got a problem😂.. things that spin - drillpress, lathe, mill those ARE the ones thatll happily take you for a ride 😂

[@MrMertstube]

I heard one of the reasons to not weld 7 series and 2 series is that the weld will corrode after time and fail.

[@ypaulbrown]

7075 is 1.2-2 % copper 6% zinc, and 2.2% magnesium…hope this helps…Paul

[@ophirb25]

So what is the conclusion here, the material is the problem, the filler material is the problem or is it inadequate process?

[@impavitus]

Nice video. Good for brazing but no good to weld

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great

[@tallyman15]

Interesting

[@glennunderwood4690]

What if you used copper filler...worth a try

[@StuPierce77]

Dumb question: What are you using to clean up your aluminum plate that you're welding on?

[@tubeonline629]

Did you try your magnesium filler rod?

[@Chris-ut6eq]

👍 👍

[@alexcatto1432]

Thanks for making a video from my comment, lol

[@hinz1]

7075 the cast iron of the aluminiums ;-) Nasty shit, but great strenght Kinda weird, because 7005 is apparently usual stuff for bike frames, quite similar to 7075 with zinc and magnesium but with no copper.

[@Alex-jr7sg]

It looks like the entire part made of 7075 is supposed to be heat treated after such welding.

[@xtremeownagedotcom]

So, where do you get all of the aluminum from? I apparently need new sources, my sources are expensive!!!!!!!!!!! Hell, I have to pick up steel, and steel plate from auctions. Only way to not spend a fortune on it.

[@jacobjames1171]

Throw some 5183 at and see what you come up with.

[@olliwhoSu]

use AlSi rods and DC!!!!!!

[@olliwhoSu]

😅😅😅🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😉

[@michalcihlar5275]

what band saw blade are you running?

[@johnscott1153]

Top man👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@joell439]

👍😎👍

[@aerogfs]

1.2-2.0% Copper, 5.1-6.1% Zinc... That's a lot of trouble..

[@glennunderwood4690]

Interesting, the puddle isn't breaking the material is