TIG Welding Aluminum Techniques & Tips

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In this video, Brad Goodman shows how he welds one of his Dog Feeders. Material is 5052 aluminum .090" thickness using 5356 3/32" filler metal.
He likes to use a standard #5 cup for tig welding aluminum.
Brad welds dog feeders and dog boxes along with lots of motorsports parts and his customers like the stacked dimes look.

[@loulagro2315]

Back in the late 70's in the San Fernando Valley of California, I worked for a then relatively famous racing frame company named Trackmaster. We made flat track Harley racing frames, and later did all of the welding of the Redline BMX frames and a few others. Most all 4130 Chromoly. Anyway, Trackmaster was known for a signature weld appearance and it relied on aggressive pedal pulsing. Not only did it allow us to negotiate less than ideal frame tubing gaps (mostly on the Redline 4130 tubes, .... .039 if I recall, where the edge could disappear real fast) You can get your rod right in there as you come in with the pedal. But it also allowed us to get our signature spacing on our beads, at a high rate of speed. Lastly and importantly Chromoly does NOT like to be in the heat long...... get in get out, faster the better generally. If you walked into our shop at any given moment you'd see and hear all these pedals going nearly full travel pretty rapidly, lol, along with our big Linde UCC305 machines. Man, those were huge beautiful welding units! Still rival anything I've used to date. The pulsing has stuck with me my whole welding life and I use it probably more than I should, but it works and solves lots of problems. Thank you Trackmaster Racing Frames!

[@JacksonD489]

That’s RAD!

[@tomandres4129]

That little tab for tacking is freaking genius. Holy crap am i stealing that idea.

[@datdudedat1guy]

Watching the puddle sink initially lets you know you're getting full pen I love watching your videos it reminds me of why I got into welding in the first place

[@mrctuned2844]

Jody, you and your videos single handedly taught me how to weld. I had never even held a MIG before jumping in to TIG. Now a couple years later I'm able to weld just about anything at a satisfactory level, from fuel tanks, to chassis, to turbo manifolds. Thank you for all the hard work you've done making these truly exceptional videos!

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

That is awesome!

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

For years I worked assembling aluminum oil pans, tanks and accessories for race cars, with that same 090 material. We didn't normally wrap the corners that much but we did pulse everything and we also welded it on the inside. The inside weld was tricky because we couldn't affect the appearance of the outside weld. Some of the inside welds also had to be done left-handed and/ or with a mirror... On the steel pans we used silicon bronze on the inside. Stainless screen over the oil pump pickups also got silicon bronze.

[@Studio-ky2oj]

I'm a huge fan of your "jump in / let's do it" style with the constant play-by-play dialog over the visual. In these pulsing videos, however, I would love to be able to watch and hear the pulse to get a sense for the rhythm of the dipping, moving, pulsing, backing off. There is a lot going on at once and being able to use my ears to hear what's going on with the pedal while using my eyes for everything else might make it easier to take it all in. Keep up the great work.

[@venture17fly]

The main thing I feel pulse does is limit the heat input. He doesn't have to increase his travel speed to counter act the thermal conductivity of the part. If you can feed fast enough the same results can be achieved with a torch button, but with that you have to be on point with your stepping distance and filler amount. I use special four step and pulse on pulse quite a bit at work for this same reason, control is insane and it limits distortion. I thought the burst tack tabs were clever, thanks for the video Jody.

[@jameshuckett4038]

Hey Jody! I like many have been watching you for well over 10 years. You helped so many of us get better with the craft and to most of us your the GOAT when it comes to welding. One thing I would love to see you cover is how people can get into the trade on a budget. Quality machines are so out of reach for a lot of people wanting to get into the trade. I feel like there are some decent $300-$500 welders out there for people who just want to run beads and practice technique. Would love to see the goat talk about budget welders and tips for those who don’t have that big budget. Thanks for the many years of great vids.

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

I dont know of any brands of AC/DC tig welders in that price range that I would trust. I have been using a primeweld tig225x for about a year now and I in my opinion, its the best choice for an entry level tig welder. It welds nice and the company has done great in taking care of the very few issues that have come along.

[@duncanmiller1732]

I've been running tons of .060" - .030" 5052 work and it has been very difficult; whether it be the one handed tacks or having a touch too much heat in the assembly. I honestly forgot that working the pedal is something I've done in the past with relative success. Thanks for the reminder and the video Jody!

[@RoyClendaniel]

I'm new to aluminum TIG and learning so much from your videos. Thanks.

[@fast07dyna]

At our shop we would CNC tabs on that side plate that are .750 long and half mat out .045 in this case. Then have a receiving slot that is on the main part that is .780 long and .045 deep. This makes the side plate fit inside half of the mat and the tabs hold it in place. Would probably put four tabs on the one side plate. Zero gaps for welding and it’s stays in place.

[@mojomafia1]

Always enjoy working with you Jody, so glad we can share these techniques with your viewers.

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

Always a pleasure Brad...you are the man

[@jonnygalante3623]

Awesome technique! I can tell you put a ton of practice to get to the skill you have. Question, have you ever used a tig machine that can pulse on aluminum? Does that have a similar result as pedal pumping?

[@mojomafia1]

You can get similar results, but the kicker is you just aren’t in control of when the pulse comes. It’s so critical to be able to have total control of each pulse.

[@jonnygalante3623]

@mojomafia1 that makes sense. Thanks!

[@hopelessnerd6677]

Haven't turned on my welder in 2 years, but MUST watch Jody's videos! They keep me from withering away until I can get my welder powered up again. Thanks!

[@bovissanchez6793]

Trinidad as in trinidad and tobago? That is my country looking forward to seeing some proper welding💯

[@mojomafia1]

That’s awesome man. I’ll be in a power facility there welding inconel.

[@bobs-nq8wr]

Impressive craftsmanship! Thank you for sharing these techniques

[@21gioni]

Welding Aluminium Tool Boxes for Utes, Trucks and Trailers. Customers complain about different colours between the parent metal and the weld. I use home made rods made from the same material and it is cheaper than buying rods. I only use rods for specific industrial applications. Try it out one day thin guillotined strips used to weld Aluminium tool boxes. Do a cut and etch and you will be surprised how difficult it is to see the difference between the welded section and the parent metal.

[@jondavidmcnabb]

The absolute expert level of the video capture on this is amazing!!! Jody you really know how to capture "The Weld" on video.

[@JD-ft2lr]

Great video. Im building a aluminium storage box for my boat. Trying it with .07 aluminium i had on hand. Only tacking stuff so far. A little heat goes a long way with this thin stuff. I may need to rebuild it with 1/8 material but will definitely be trying this pedal pulse first! Timely video and awesome!!

[@user-ox1er9sz9v]

Jodey thank u for teaching me to weld aluminum because for the next 2 years I have a welding certificate aluminum plate vertical 6mm but not only my test but for welding test for workshop reparing Semi trucks for petrol and diesel Thank u for teaching me ❤❤

[@rsbharley4766]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing. Cheers

[@papalilburn]

Awesome, love the look he achieves!

[@hpk4917]

Great Video again, Thx 👍👍👍

[@troybrouillard5266]

Great idea with the added material "points"

[@arneminderman3770]

Wow!!! The welding King !!!!

[@karthikeyanjeevan9369]

Very Good explanation ❤

[@TheAnonymous1one]

Amazing when I joined this channel there was around 100k subs and now you’re over one million. Congrats

[@tibbsingh]

Great video 🇹🇹

[@WillCouch]

It's always interesting to me that generally the guys that immediately are nay sayers of the pedal pulse aren't industry welders. Or at least automotive industry for sure. I run a motorsports based fab shop down in florida and I'm a big fan of pedal pulse. Sometimes it's nearly the only way to do it in weird spots. Also I've always felt like for certain applications especially on thin ish material you'll get a stronger pen with less heat input. This is especially apparent on metals that really show a visible heat affected zone. The higher amperage punches through but background low amps during travel is less heat in the parent metal over time. Best of both worlds. Not to mention on tube work where rotating your hand is crucial, if you get hung up with manual pulse it's no big deal.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Thanks for sharing Jody. Good information!! Fred.

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

You bet!

[@michaelszczys8316]

Most of the aluminum I weld is dirty, grimey, and out of a scrap pile so I have no idea what kind it is. On occasion I actually weld some that is new and clean I barely know how to handle it. Tack welding pieces like that is tough, because unless they are touching tight together they want to melt and puddle into themselves. They need something to ' bridge ' the gap. I have found that welding most aluminum it is better to have high heat and ' blast ', then stop, because of the high heat transfer.

[@anthonypierre4999]

Jody still uploading. Legend 🐐

[@garthbutton699]

I have a aluminum tank in the fixture now .125" lap joint,gonna give it a go with my syncrowave 250,will let you know,thanks for what you do🤗😎🤗😎

[@wadepatton2433]

points. Like that. And also seeing a different Al guru run his type of bead. I see the styles.

[@21gioni]

I used this technique for mail shoots at the Postal Service’s Mail Sorting Center. They used 1.2 mm thick Aluminium I used high silica rod’s for strength as they get a beating.

[@Omanmuscat51.84]

Amazing

[@seanwilliams3390]

That's smooth brother I tip my hat off to u. I looked at this video cause I'm trying to get a few pointers off u my friend

[@7628739]

I love my tig finger, makes life easier

[@paulmorrey4298]

Thanks

[@alafawnduh_eg]

Brad is a bad man on aluminum. Brad forgot to wrap his corner though 5:50

[@humberoestrada388]

Hey máster, excellent tip

[@mdtransmissionspecialties]

First off I want to thank you for my tig fingers I finally received them and love them! I’ve always used a pedal unless it’s a situation I have to scratch start. I love the fact I have full control of the amperage. I worked in a fab shop that welded chromoly tubing making jr dragsters up to top fuel and it’s all they used was pedal. Why is it everyone talks smack about a pedal?

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

Folks from the UK seem to love a torch switch

[@mdtransmissionspecialties]

@@weldingtipsandtricks USA here :)

[@cooperbrosracing]

The pedal pump I suppose is an old skool way of pulsing, I use it for ally and 4130 - you have so much control using this technique

[@hoaithietle2212]

Thank you teach

[@garrettslobey9204]

So what I do for tips on parts is have them side by side in the drawing, then once it's cut, layered, or plasma'd, I butt them up together and it sets the location and the nice filet ledge.

[@KASTIANYCH_]

Спасибо.

[@treyrags]

Awesome

[@77Avadon77]

Looks great, now I have to hit the shop and practice both pedal pump and constant amperage to compare the two. 🤓

[@gford1491]

Never heard of pedal pump but also dont know alot about tig to begin with always stick and mig welded haven't got into tig yet

[@MannoMax]

If you cut your parts with a shear or anything else where making those nibs isn't practical, I sometimes put a small bead of weld on one part, and use that as my material for tacks.

[@tyrelle4232]

Which part of Trinidad would he be. I am from Trinidad and interested in learning TIG welding

[@PhillyDee215]

Nice welds....

[@vw3800]

I would like to see how you fix it if you blow through a spot, do you redo the whole thing or repair it?

[@user-xz3ov5kn6y]

The best

[@Mightiflier]

“And that’s the tacks, ma’am!”

[@steventwiddy3402]

Damn that guy could weld a Peter on a snowman ⛄️

[@justayoutuba5380]

I always pedal pump only need to see my dp shows how great it is

[@InchFab]

That little point is genius. Even if the fit is perfect, sometimes the edges want to melt back instead of fusing together nicely. I usually have to hit it at a sharp angle to "push" some material toward the mating edge. Having that extra little bit of material is great for alignment and gives you a touch of filler for the tack.

[@jonnygalante3623]

Are there any machines that have AC tig pulse? If you had a pulse machine that could weld aluminum, wouldn't that be easier than pedal pumping?

[@khalidskhalid8869]

❤

[@Mcalvey]

Hey Jody, I’m a high school student at lansing community collage I’m currently in there 2nd year welding program and was wondering if you could do a 3G open root groove 6010 root with 7018 fill and cap pass im having trouble with both my fill and cap I can’t get the perfection im looking for and it appears that there isn’t any videos of that exact weld it would be amazing if you could run a demo we run a 30 degree bevel with 3/8 plate

[@tinnedanger]

Curious. Is there any extra to be done if you want to grind the weld smooth ?

[@davestaco]

I have that same optrel helmet but hate the "isofit" headgear. Did he square the holes to modify it to fit a Miller style headgear? They latch up and do not drift down.

[@jamiefoley6250]

Is backstepping weld sequence used in aluminum tig?

[@bahusarsentiev]

Красота 👍

[@banzaiib]

gorgeous. Ain't no tik-tok welds here :)

[@davidstover2311]

I assume that the pulse setting on the welder won't give the same kind of results? By the way, I know very little about tig welding but am very interested in it.

[@user-jv4tk4wp8t]

Hi! I need help with adjusting a cobot. Around two weeks ago the boss came and sad to start welding with cobot, without practice or tutorial. The plates are 10 mm, wire is 1 mm, ArCo2 75/25. I will look forward for answer or help.

[@iceagestoneage8067]

Now i can see in a tin sheet metal weld.

[@PacanTokar]

Расскажите пожалуйста как делать красивые швы на тоном металле 1 мм алюминий

[@joshuaennis3799]

Which way do you adjust the cup size for humidity? Smaller cup for higher humidity?

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

usually larger cup size with more argon flow and short stickout along with slightly more cleaning action on the ac balance

[@thehighriseconstructionob9679]

Where is his link ?

[@baderel6678]

Can a welding robot perform welding work and eliminate the need for labor?

[@paulkurilecz4209]

I have been practicing a lot on doing outside corner welds on .063" Aluminum. It is definitely challenging but it looks so nice when done. I have a number of projects planned using .063" aluminum. One of them is to make tote trays like you did in a video a number of years ago. One question that I have is does the risk of burnthrough go down when you are welding on larger sections of .063" material? I am practicing on 2" x 4" coupons and it is quite easy to overheat and get burnthrough and even worse, complete meltdown.

[@weldingtipsandtricks]

it does help to have a large piece compared to a small practice coupon. heat dissipates way better and the pedal pump technique can help too when nearing an edge

[@paulkurilecz4209]

@@weldingtipsandtricks tyvm, your videos have been most helpful as I Have been learning and practicing to TIG weld.

[@tweake7175]

Blast tacks work on 5 series aluminium but are weak with other grades. Often it pays to do a dab of filler on top of the tack.

[@Marusija8]

❤👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@TB-LivingFree]

DropComment &ThumbUp 4Als

[@tapaiferenc577]

Have you ar another chip kamera?for ,seing katód lhigt.

[@alisherbekaxadjonovichh2360]

👍👍👍🔥🔥🔥

[@ericmcglothlin9779]

Tungsten size and filler size used in this video? I heard the material was .090 thick? Pulsing is a handy trick im practicing lately

[@silentmarine4993]

Badass.