Search found 13 matches

by greasemunkey
Fri Jan 07, 2022 3:16 pm
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

Just wanted to update everyone. I ran my repaired pulley for about 6 hours now and so far so good. Planed several thousand bdft of lumber with it. Not gonna lie, I was pleasantly surprised it held together. Still plan to stay out of the plane of rotation as much as possible! Thanks to all who shared...
by greasemunkey
Tue Dec 07, 2021 7:38 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

How much preheat would you suggest? It was at 400 as measured with my IR gun. Not melting the cast was the goal but as I added heat and played around trying to get the AlBr to wet in, some got melted. I definitely worked my way up in amperage from not enough to too much and nothing seemed to work. M...
by greasemunkey
Sun Dec 05, 2021 7:44 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

Coldman wrote: Sat Dec 04, 2021 5:11 pm The very first photos showed some of the run off balls. It would be interesting to break a couple of them off and see if they're magnetic. You might have some weird alloy going on than hinders the repair.
I was intrigued by this so I knocked off a couple BBs and they are quite magnetic.
by greasemunkey
Sun Dec 05, 2021 7:37 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

Lots of pulleys are a cross between sintered and cast. Often very low grade with lots of impurities. That’s why there cheap to replace there designed to be a disposable wear part. If you know of a cheap source I'd love to hear it. I'm finding prices of around $800. Maybe I'm cheap! Been haunting eb...
by greasemunkey
Sat Dec 04, 2021 10:24 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

Well today I finally got a chance to try the AlBr filler. Got to admit my tail is between my legs. After grinding it doesn't look quite so bad, but before grinding it was hideous. Couldn't get the filler to wet in. It wanted to bead up something fierce. I was on AC, advanced square wave, with 10% cl...
by greasemunkey
Thu Nov 18, 2021 2:55 pm
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

I poured over Harris' site and found lots of info but nothing on strength. Did find a couple other high silver products on the interwebs that claim 85-120 ksi, so that seems pretty comparable. Got some aluminum bronze headed my way; local shop didn't stock it. When that comes in I'll give it a go an...
by greasemunkey
Tue Nov 16, 2021 7:59 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

Might have to bump up to high silver brazing. 45% or higher. How do think silver would compare to aluminum bronze for strength? This 20" wheel will turn at around 7000ft/min rim speed. You can bet I will be a good distance away and out of the plane of rotation when I spin it up the first time!
by greasemunkey
Tue Nov 16, 2021 7:51 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

Yeah, brazing without melting the cast is the safe bet, that being said, I've welded a little bit of cast successfully myself, and my advice is to clean the HELL out of it, soak it in simple green overnight, then soak it in citric acid and scrub it down to bright shiny metal, then repeat both proce...
by greasemunkey
Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:44 pm
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Re: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

I guess that's where I'm going wrong is I shouldn't be melting the cast at all.
by greasemunkey
Mon Nov 15, 2021 11:03 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: advice in need
Replies: 32
Views: 4990

Re: advice in need

Cut a piece of plate in a triangle shape and make a web between the tubes?
by greasemunkey
Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:20 am
Forum: Tig Welding - Tig Welding Aluminum - Tig Welding Techniques - Aluminum Tig Welding
Topic: Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?
Replies: 26
Views: 8618

Unweldable cast? Bad settings? Wrong process?

Morning Folks I am trying to repair an old flat belt pulley but it's giving me fits. Had reasonable success repairing cast on several other occasions. I have tried TIG (DC and then AC) as well as oxy/acetylene to try to work this stuff but the cast just beads up and rolls off like water off a freshl...
by greasemunkey
Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:06 am
Forum: Member Introductions
Topic: Happy to be part of the group
Replies: 1
Views: 1143

Happy to be part of the group

Hi All, I've been welding since the mid 90's when my dad turned me loose with his MIG. He did some car restorations and we lived out in the sticks on an old farm so we fixed or built all sorts of stuff. I did a one semester welding class in tech college that focused mostly on gas welding and SMAW as...