**Texas tig welding aluminum** “Sorry if my beads don’t look great” Man I’m surprised it even worked. Thanks for giving me a good idea in a pinch! Great videos!

SOLID WORK!!! I have been waiting for this video. I absolutely love how you show both the upside and the negatives of doing this.

Thanks for the experiment :)

Very interesting, another great video.

That was interesting! Definitely looks like in a pinch you could get something sealed up or welded that didn't need to be structural. Just picked up a AHP AlphaTig 203xi so I'm setup for both DC and AC for a very reasonable price!

Great topic - thanks for this. I think a lot of folks are hoping for the next revolution that makes aluminum welding accessible to a wide group, the way that cheap inverter boxes have brought that to those working with ferrous material. I'd be curious to see what is the present most economical non-hacky aluminum setup, and hear your thoughts on where we're heading in the aluminum world. A lot of guys are waiting for the "cheap chinese inverter box" equivalent for aluminum, but it really doesn't seem to be happening..

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Considering an AC TIG machine from any of the big names (ESAB, Fronius, Miller, Lincoln, HTP) is at least $2,000+, the fact that we can get some fairly well-liked AC TIG machines from Amazon for $800-$900-ish is already pretty good. But I know what you mean. A $200-$400 DC TIG machine is pretty attractive and I think people are interested in any way they can reliably weld aluminum with it.

You should consider demoing aluminum SMAW. I’ve only tried it once, but my stick skills weren’t up to par.

What happens if you try tig on the aluminum flux-coated rods without argon? Will the flux from the rods protect the weld like they would with just stick welding? Wondering if that's an approach for a windy day outside that might produce better results than stick welding.

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, TIG does not work properly without an inert gas to shield the arc. In the presence of oxygen and other "active" gasses, the arc turns into a firework show and burns away the tungsten in seconds.

@randonloebsolvingproblems4421

Жыл бұрын

@@bigtb1717 Thanks.

Any plans to test the HZXVOGEN HVT250, HVM270, or HVC6000Pro? I kind of want all 3 lol. I've got a GUOZHI CUT-55HF coming in which sits somewhere between the BestArc BTC500DP and the Amico CUT-60HF. I see the Hitbox migpro200 performed well and HZXVOGEN offers it in the HBM2280 flavor w/perhaps older firmware but I'm also tempted by the Arccaptain mig200 w/what appears to be beefier 50A DINSE and leads w/potentially worse thin metal performance. Do you have any feedback on the MIGpro200 on the lower advertised amp settings for really thin stuff?

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

I'd love to test it all, but the reality of time and money doesn't let me, lol. I have been swamped with normal life and work stuff lately, but I would definitely like to test more cheap MIG machines. The Hitbox was okay at lower settings because you can control it manually, but I never tried it on really thin metal. I'll try to make a point to test thinner metal with any MIG welders I test going forward. I currently have an Andeli MIG/TIG/Plasma cutter in the list on Amazon that I'd like to try out, as well as a handful of other MIG machines. I just have to find the time and money.

@idontwantcorporateretaliat6301

Жыл бұрын

@@bigtb1717 a couple of those I listed along w/the arccaptain have very deep coupon discounts w/prime. The arccaptain (i think newer model than one you tested) seems tempting and appears to perform ok on thick sheet metal w/the spot weld function but I think min setting is still like 30A. The Hitbox you got goes down to 10A if specs are to be believed (yeah right). As you pointed out in one vid, they may go high but for how long w/crappy leads and dinse connectors....I liked that about the arccaptain but a few of these guys are adamant about running 15A connector to 50A converter. I'm not the biggest fan of the hitbox and hxyzvzblabla GUI either. The latter seems to list differing specs from the hitbox on an otherwise identical looking box. I got a small vevor mig that impressed me and wanted to pull the trigger on their bigger 270A machine + ac/dc tig but didn't and are now sold out.

Were both of these run DCEN? So all heat, no cleaning action. TIG with the stick rods might allow you to get every last amp out of a machine, and look a bit better than stick welding with them. Thanks for the great demo!

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Yes, DCEN for all of it. I agree that with some practice, I could get better looking welds doing this than with stick welding. It's just a bit slower and the stick rods feel like they have more flux than needed. And the flux is annoying to remove. But it works a lot better than DCEN and 100% argon. If helium wasn't so dang expensive, I'd try a bottle of that. I haven't priced it in a while. Maybe I'll give my local place a call...

@bobblick7963

Жыл бұрын

@@bigtb1717 I took my 250 cu ft helium cylinder in two months ago for swap. The gas alone was going to be $547, so I opted for argon!!! Your mileage may vary, but be aware, helium is pricey now. Thanks again!

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Wow. I know it was pricy the last time I checked, but it has been a couple years at this point. I didn't figure there was any chance it had gone down, and it seems like definitely not.

Hi, Tony! Do you ever make shorts on your youtube channel? They can get ALOT of views sometimes! And then more people subscribe!😊

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Hi, Timmy. I've thought about it, but never have. Maybe I'll start at some point.

@timmyasmr1596

Жыл бұрын

@@bigtb1717 Cool! Ya, I got ALOT of subscribers with my shorts

what about with AC tig on a scratch start? (buzzbox with tig leads)

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, I don't have a transformer machine to test out. Generally, AC output, transformer machines (buzz boxes) required continuous, high frequency in order to keep the arc lit. Older machines often had a "high frequency box" that could be added to allow for AC aluminum TIG welding. Eventually, more advanced electronic control allowed for balance control and advanced waveform manipulation which allowed the arc to stay lit without continuous high frequency. At that point, high frequency started to be used only for arc starting. A buzz-box used for scratch start on AC likely would not be able to keep the arc lit. If I come across a used one for a reasonable price, maybe I'll get one to make a video.

@yurimodin7333

Жыл бұрын

@@bigtb1717 no worries, I didn't know it was because of the arc not staying lit (I thought it was just for cleaning action).....Thanks for the knowledge.

Try removing most of the flux from the stick and try again.

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Not a bad idea. I was also thinking about looking into some kind of flux paste that could be spread on the joint before hand.

@mrojomrojo9478

7 ай бұрын

​@bigtb1717 what type.of flux paste could be used? I wanna try this method

If you have pulse on your tig rig try that process it may be the answer!

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Have you tried it? At one point I did a bit of manual pulsing using the foot pedal, hoping to sort of agitate the puddle in an attempt to get the two pieces to initially flow together. Didn't really seem to help, but I suppose I could give actual pulse mode a try to see if it makes a difference.

It’s funny you can weld with mig welder on dc looks good but tig on dc don’t

@bigtb1717

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's just a totally different process. MIG on aluminum is a spray transfer process where the filler metal itself is creating the arc and being blasted in droplets at the joint. It sort of naturally breaks up the oxide layer.

Hello buddy, some days ago, my bike fell off the stand and got cracked the generator cover, so it drips oil here and there when it warms up (crack is visible with naked eye) Whats your opinion, could i fix the crack with that method? Unfortunately i only have a DC tig welder and i can find some rods like these for free... Does this method create porosity on the bead?

@bigtb1717

7 ай бұрын

It will create a rough surface that you'd probably want to smooth out. For a crack repair, you'd also want to drill the ends of the crack so it doesn't just spread past your weld later. Just because of the fiddly nature of this method, I probably wouldn't recommend it for this type of repair. I would say that if you can get some of the rods for free, grab them and practice on some scrap/unimportant pieces of aluminum first to see how it goes. You'll probably be able to get an idea of whether or not you are comfortable trying this on your bike. Another thing to consider is what type of aluminum the case is made out of. If it's cast aluminum, some grades weld better than others. Might want to do a little research to see if anyone else has had success welding on that casting to be sure it won't go poorly.

@bigtb1717

7 ай бұрын

I would also say that if your options are to try this or buy a new cover, you don't have much to lose. If you are going to have to buy a new cover otherwise, then give it a shot. The worse case scenario is you have to buy a new cover, which you were going to have to do anyway.

@georgestam1710

7 ай бұрын

@@bigtb1717 thanks for your time buddy! It's not the genuine cover, it's a cheap one from Amazon. Don't care to buy a new one, but bike is my daily ride from and to my work. Can't wait for a month or so, to arrive a new one from Amazon. I'll try on some scrap first as you said. Thanks again for your interest! You earned a subscriber!