How to TIG Weld an Aluminum Cube

[@TimWelds]

You can learn to weld. I'll show you exactly what to do in my affordable online welding courses at courses.timwelds.com.

[@tangerined5412]

I have an aluminium TIG test coming up on Tuesday. Watching these to really get the theory stuck in my head. Thanks for all the super informative videos!

[@randysretired2020]

I did this using GMAW and flux core as part of a welding course I took at the local adult school. After welding the cube, we drilled a hole on one side and the instructor tapped it and put in an air valve. He filled it with air pressure and dunked it into a water tank to see if we had welded it correctly, so no air escaped. All of us failed. 🤣 It’s not as easy as you make it look.

[@TimWelds]

That’s awesome!

[@KingBigBabyJesus]

If your cutting your own coupons taking time to make sure they are all the exact same size helps tremendously

[@TimWelds]

Completely agree, even a difference in length of 1/8" makes it much more difficult. Thanks!

[@johnjabster2247]

Nice job Tim looks good but higher frequency usually means more pinpoint penetration . But your welds look professional . Thank u for video

[@skye3991]

really good, except having trouble closing the final weld, gas comes blasting out and makes a mess, even if i wait for it to cool off then try to plug the hole, what do?

[@ZILAwelds]

I learned that my gloves would NEVER be that clean and i would have big brown smudges all over that cube 😂

[@CraigHollabaugh]

Those must be his "on camera" gloves. Mine are mess like yours.

[@TimWelds]

LOL. I just got new ones, but the old ones were pretty crusty.

[@samwarwick7854]

How did you vent it to keeep it from blowing out when you closed up the last weld

[@TimWelds]

I forgot to mention that, but I just stop about 1/2” short of the end of the last weld, then let it cool. I make the last 4 dabs one at a time like tacks.

[@fadelmajzoub9274]

do you have like any entry level instruccion for tig welding?? im from venezuela and trying to get my self into the DIY car proyect my self!!

[@catherineharris4746]

Nice!👍👍👍👍👍

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! 👍

[@jonstark3193]

what size stick were you using for filler?

[@hotlinedubai1235]

Thanks

[@TimWelds]

You're welcome!

[@johnjabster2247]

What I mean is more focused pinpoint area with higher frequency

[@CraigHollabaugh]

Your corner tack seems effortless. I can never get a tack going without blowing out the corner. I'll try your approach and see how it goes. Thanks Tim.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! The main things are a good fitup, a little extra amperage and a short arc length.

[@jakemasterson4344]

How are you liking that HTP?

[@TimWelds]

It’s a great machine. I’ve welded with Miller (I also have a Dynasty), Lincoln, Fronius and several brands of machines. As far as welding goes, this unit is as good as any of them. The only place where it falls short, in my opinion, is the menus for settings. They aren’t intuitive, so you need to use the manuals to know what buttons to press. After a few days, I learned where they all are, but it was a little clunky at first.

[@jakemasterson4344]

@@TimWelds Glad to hear it! Thanks for responding. I picked one up used about 6 months ago for a steal and I love it. I use a Dynasty everyday at work, and honestly it blows my mind how good the HTP is for the money. With a cooler, it's half the price of a Dynasty 210DX Tigrunner package. I've only used Lincoln transformer tig machines, and I've never touched a Fronius, but I love my HTP. I'll agree on the clunky interface, but that's really the only negative. I'd love to get one of the new 301's. Thanks for your videos!

[@RTR-eh8dm]

What kind of torch are you using?

[@TimWelds]

I’m using a CK #20 water cooled torch with super flex hoses.

[@Fab2Mc]

Super 👍

[@HunterC_617]

Where do you get you metal

[@TimWelds]

I get it from a variety of places, but I get practice material and these types of project kits from Weld Metals Online: weldmetalsonline.com/?ref=0483beq7ld

[@Hey_Its_That_Guy]

Good project Tim, thanks for sharing. What CFM do you normally run for this and does it vary with material type and/or thickness, or is it pretty much the same for all?

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! Gas flow depends on the size of cup you're running. A good rule of thumb is to run a CFH that is twice the cup size. I was using a #5 cup with a standard collet body at 10 CFH. This works pretty well for most aluminum welding. For stainless and carbon steel, I'll usually run a #10 cup with a gas lens at around 20 CFH. With aluminum, you can run a pretty easy experiment running short beads on a plate and turning up the gas a little between each bead. With low gas flow, you'll see contamination and floaters in the weld. Then the weld will clean up, assuming everything is running right. When the gas is too high, the AC welding arc will start to get really loud and you'll notice changes in the etching region around the weld.

[@kerrynball2734]

Hi Tim, I've been watching a few of your videos that are quite helpful. But really welding a bunch of new steal on a bench in the workshop is borderline cheating. How about a video welding some clapped out heavily pitted rusty thing where you can't get your grinder into every nook & cranny. ??. That seems to be what I run into trouble with. Two bits of new steel seem OK.

[@torowazup1]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼🍺