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Whatever you do, I hope you have done this weld before, such as previous identical work, or mocked up exact practice pieces. If you're practicing ON the projects, well.......
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'Stang
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ONDGAS wrote:How would you guys tackle this?
I was going to get a stainless bolt and have it sitting flush with the end of the hole and hope it doesn't do too much damage and hopefully just run a tap through it after.
Any ideas? Possibly have the bolt a touch past the thread?
Are you going to tig weld it, or use mig? If tig- spatter should be no problem. If you are going to use mig, then just wrap that section with the threads with heavy kitchen aluminum foil. Hope this helps.
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Just weld it, run a tap through it. You will have to regardless, I have done plenty of welding near threaded holes, welding nuts, pem nuts, all kinds of nuts, stainless mainly but have done some aluminum. I have tried putting bolts in before, in stainless, they gall (i think its called) and your screwed. Aluminum seems to not really care unless you get too close.

For this, considering its aluminum, I would just weld it and run a tap through it after, spatter or not, still gonna solve it for you. No need to risk a bolt getting locked in, even though alum and ss won't fuse, the threads around the bolt can get screwy and you will have a jammed bolt in there regardless. At least I think that can happen....

Weld it, run a tap through it, the end. ;)
if there's a welder, there's a way
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Olivero wrote:... I have tried putting bolts in before, in stainless, they gall (i think its called) and your screwed...

The trick is not to use a stainless bolt in a stainless thread. A yellow Zinc Chromate bolt with never-seize or Maalox on it will release nicely. I rarely have to tap a nut I've welded on this way.

Steve
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I'll have to give that try, thanks for the tip Steve. :)

Pete
Otto Nobedder wrote:
Olivero wrote:... I have tried putting bolts in before, in stainless, they gall (i think its called) and your screwed...

The trick is not to use a stainless bolt in a stainless thread. A yellow Zinc Chromate bolt with never-seize or Maalox on it will release nicely. I rarely have to tap a nut I've welded on this way.

Steve
Pete



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If I was doing that, I wouldn't be putting any bolt in there, definitely not stainless, not a steel with zinc chromate bathed in Malox, Pepto-Bismol or anything else. :lol:

The stainless will gall even in aluminum. The oils and the zinc chromate will burn off.

Just TIG weld it, run a tap through when you are done, it shouldn't even barely have to cut a thing if it's welded properly.
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Otto Nobedder wrote:
Olivero wrote:... I have tried putting bolts in before, in stainless, they gall (i think its called) and your screwed...

The trick is not to use a stainless bolt in a stainless thread. A yellow Zinc Chromate bolt with never-seize or Maalox on it will release nicely. I rarely have to tap a nut I've welded on this way.

Steve
I'll have to give it a shot next time, normally I just run a tap throught it in the end but this sounds pretty easy.
if there's a welder, there's a way
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