Anybody know of a good online site for teaching TIG welding aluminum? Videos would be good.

I think its more practice than a tape or DVD can do for ya! Basically the same as light Ga.steel with lower temp,argon and experience nothin beats experience so practice.And you also need a weld machine thats top quality,as temp settings wire speed,a cheep 4 setting welder makes lots a welding seem hard cause no temp control.

One word comes to mind when TIG'ing aluminum. CLEAN the surfaces/even sandblast if possible.

here is what a welder told me when i was learning to wire feed. practice, practice,practice. you have to just start welding to get anygood. i still am no good but, a ugly weld is a strong weld

I don't know of an online site. If you are going to TIG aluminum you need pure tungstons and not mixed, round the tips (as compared to pointed for steel and SS), and go HOT AND FAST.

This of course is after you've cleaned all the oxides off the surface. Stainless steel wire brush works great. Don't use a regular steel one or it will embed oxides back into the metal. When you think you have it clean enough, you're only half clean. Do it again and again and again.

The biggest mis-conception about welding aluminum is you have to lower the heat. This couldn't be farther from the truth. You have to raise the heat to penetrate through the existing oxide layer. Aluminum melts at a much lower temp than the surface oxides. This is why once you get a puddle you need to go fast.

When I weld aluminum I do not follow through the entire bead. I stop about 2 inches from the end, and come back to my weld from the opposite direction. This eliminates blow out.

The only way you can get good at TIG welding aluminum, or any metal for that matter, is time on the tool.

Good luck.

Boiler after reading your post and the toungston for transfer I'm not TIG welding I'm MIG wire & gas,no rods no flux

I kind of assumed that.

MIG is a good looking weld. I prefer to TIG just cuz I'm better at it.

Either way, make it clean and practice is the only way to get good.

who makes quality tig welders or what are the better brands? can anyone recomend a model for a beginer.

Contact a Miller rep. Right now they are the top dog.

Lincoln makes nice units also.

check out HTP welders at usaweld.com I have one of there plasma cutters and love it they also have videos to help you learn to weld.Make shure your metal is cleen .or welding alum can be very tough.ben welding alum for 12 years now dayley at work.

Check out the Lincoln Precision TIG 225. I have a 185 Precision tig and it is the cat's meow as far as a tig welder is concerned. Very nice cleaning action. Has pulsing capabilities and it is very easy to use.

I teach welding at a community college and we have one of these machines in our shop. It is the most used and most requested machine in the entire shop.

I will try to give you some more advice but right now I have to get back to work...

hey kwiggy: if you still need any advice at all on tig welding aluminum as far as seting up the machine for different processes or how to dress your tungsten etc.. send me an e-mail (in my profile). i have my welding diploma and our instructors made certain we knew how to setup and run our tig machines like pros, anybody can flip a switch on a wire feed and weld but it takes a little more skill to pull off the gtaw process (tig), i also have my text book still which is very very precise, i could photocopy the tig chapters if you would like.

Thanks bearbait, I may take you up on that offer. I bought a tig welder last fall, but I haven't had time to get my garage set up yet for welding (table, cart, electricity, etc..). When I do, I am going to practice, practice, practice... , but I may contact you first as I don't need to battle the little things I don't know about. Thanks again.

my email is in my profile and i will copy those chapters on monday (my text book is at work) and i could find away to get them to you and answer any questions you have and give some pointers. once you get good you will be searching for things to weld cause there is no better feeling than looking at a nice long perfect bead you just layed