Tig weld repair to aluminum trailer fender & why they fail

[@johngersna3263]

Greg, I personally can't help but learn something from everyone of your videos. God bless.👍👍👍

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

If the video isn’t loaded in high quality the image won’t be as good as it should be. I am experimenting with higher quality uploads but I am unsure as to how it loads on most of your devices. You can always manually chose the quality by clicking the gear in the upper right corner, I suggest 720p x 60fps. I may go back to 30fps if it means it loads better for people in higher detail 😀

[@Freetheworldnow]

I think that walking the cup could be a beneficial method in this exposed case. A wider materiel deposition would ensue I believe. Thank you for sharing. God Bless.

[@Cptnbond]

It was an interesting episode. Although, today I'm not ready for the challenge of welding aluminum, I do see a need to modify our floor in the trailer with sheets of aluminum. Due to the size 3.98 m x 1.8 m (13 ft x 5.9 ft), two sheets have to be stitched together. However, this task is for the future with MIG or TIG, where (maybe) the former method may be easier for a beginner. Cheers.

[@T3glider]

When prepping aluminum for paint, it is important to get any oxide off the surface to ensure adhesion. I wash with Dawn and then with phosphoric acid. The acid gives the ultimate cleaning because it removes the oxide layer. The surface is then neutralized with a baking soda wash and finally, we would traditionally treat the aluminum with Alodine prior to painting. This is how it is done in the aircraft industry. The reason for this info is that I think washing the aluminum with phosphoric acid (there are specific phosphoric acid based aluminum cleaners like Alumiprep, but hardware store phosphoric acid is just as good) prior to welding would be ideal. You wouldn’t have to rely as much on cleaning action and the acid bath would clean out the cracks. Another thought is that the hardening can be dealt with by annealing the area with a torch afterwards. Of course, you could avoid the issue altogether by gas welding the aluminum, something the coachwork builders know is the ideal process for sheet aluminum!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

All excellent thoughts on this 😀. Also, you’re one of the few people I have ever heard mention gas welding aluminum, and how it works great for thin panels. Most of the time I bring that up I get told “that’s not possible” lol. I used to gas weld fittings on aluminum lines, but I never did much sheet metal. Without a doubt the heat affected zone with gas welds is not hard like with tig. When I get a new shop setup I am definitely going to invest in better cleaning stuff/area to make my life easier lol.