A Guide To Welding Aluminium

Even the most professional and experienced welders will often comment that aluminium is the hardest metal to work with, simply because there is a number of different chemical properties that must first be understood. Some of these properties include the fact that aluminium doesn’t change colour when it’s heated and that it has a far wider range of melting temperatures than other types of metal. This means that extreme care must be taken to ensure that you are welding the metal correctly.

The melting point of aluminium oxide

One of the first things that you must realize is that aluminium oxide actually has a higher melting point than its base alloys – it won’t start to melt until it reaches 2,050 degrees Celsius. Unless you displace the oxide, you will also be left with a weld that is incomplete. This can lead the connection to crack, break or even to shrivel in size.

The thermal conductivity of aluminium is higher

Another thing that you must understand about welding this metal is that the thermal conductivity is higher because it has to work with a fairly specific amount of heat. This means that aluminium will be more sensitive to the different heat fluctuations that may occur during welding; this could cause the metal to crack or warp.

A higher level of electricity is necessary

When welding aluminium using the arc method, you will need to have a much higher level of heat, because the metal conducts electricity at much higher levels than other metals. This does, however, permit the welder to use a gun that holds longer contact tubes, as the electrode doesn’t get heated the way it does with other methods.

Safety should be your primary concern when welding metal, so you should ensure that you always wear gloves and a helmet. It is also a good idea to wear a long sleeved cotton shirt, as this will protect your skin from being burned by the UV radiation produced.

To ensure that you are able to effectively weld aluminium, you will need a variety of tools, including: a TIG welder (otherwise known as a Tungsten Inert Gas Welder), a pair of strong gloves and a good protective helmet. You will also require a gas to ensure that the weld is perfect. You cannot use argon by itself, but a number of welders say that an argon and helium mix tends to work best with aluminium. Make sure that you have a steel brush on hand to effectively clean the metal as you go.