TIG welding Cast Aluminum motorcycle case?

[CGCINC]

I welded my intake on my Toyota truck so I could build it up to accept a larger carb without the use of adapters. I also filled in some exhaust EGR valve pockets on the inside of the exhaust ports to aid in the port job that was to follow. Six years and counting without issues to either mod. I'm a hobby welder so I just treated it as any other aluminum weld, but I recommend following proper repair practices. I just wanted to share my experince with cast Al, and that it can be done without and issue, just make sure everything is super clean.

So you didn't do anything special? Did you use a 4043 filler rod?
Thanks for telling your experience....

[Rodsmachineshop]

I use 4043 for almost everything seams to work best when welding case,s intake manifolds and cylinder heads think its the best for dirty aluminum the pulse controls on tig help a lot when welding dirty aluminum since gets hot get imperaties to surface then give aluminum to cool and not melt away . Another little trick i do is when welding boat props back together take a piece stainless steel sheet metal and clamp to broken prop blade opposite side of welding first works as a heat sink and stops the aluminum from fall through when welding till all filled in, another good thing to have if welding aluminum a lot is a oven . I have a head and block oven at my machine shop it go to 800 degrees on thick stuff i heat to 250 or hotter before welding like heads . the oven cleans the aluminum also while cooking . before i got the machine shop oven i used my big propane bbq lol

[Rodsmachineshop]

hey just bought a Power I-MIG 205 how do you like your 200 i mig

[CGCINC]

hey just bought a Power I-MIG 205 how do you like your 200 i mig

I like it alot! Works really good but I need to get my helmet situation fixed so I can see to weld with the Mig. I'm still learning how to adjust it but I'm glad I bought it.

[Rodsmachineshop]

i just bought the i-mig 205

[Rodsmachineshop]

i almost have my face in the weld to see it lol good thing i bought lots of lens shields lol

[Ram48]

i almost have my face in the weld to see it lol good thing i bought lots of lens shields lol

I had the 200 and sold it for the 205 I liked both machines abut like the 205 a bit better for what I do.
Im a novice welder that mostly works with 16 ga to 1/4 inch. for auto and tool fab. I had a tough time seeing the weld puddle with both welders, I bought a used Speed-glas 9002x to replace the HF (blue) helmet I used, that made some difference but still not seeing what I saw on welding videos. Having 63 year old eyes just dont work well for welding I guess. I then bought a cheater lens for the speedglas and it made all the difference in the world. I was in the LWS and they had generic cheater lens on special, I bought one and even though the HF helmet is not really designed to accept the lens it was easy to lift the retainer spring and fit the cheater lens in it, I now use the HF for mig and the speedglas for tig.
I could not believe what a difference the lenses made for me.

[CGCINC]

I had the 200 and sold it for the 205 I liked both machines abut like the 205 a bit better for what I do.
Im a novice welder that mostly works with 16 ga to 1/4 inch. for auto and tool fab. I had a tough time seeing the weld puddle with both welders, I bought a used Speed-glas 9002x to replace the HF (blue) helmet I used, that made some difference but still not seeing what I saw on welding videos. Having 63 year old eyes just dont work well for welding I guess. I then bought a cheater lens for the speedglas and it made all the difference in the world. I was in the LWS and they had generic cheater lens on special, I bought one and even though the HF helmet is not really designed to accept the lens it was easy to lift the retainer spring and fit the cheater lens in it, I now use the HF for mig and the speedglas for tig.
I could not believe what a difference the lenses made for me.

I'm gonna have to stick my cheater lens in my HF helmet and see if that helps I guess because I have the hardest time seeing with the MIG. Plus, my last set of glasses I got, the Dr. wanted me to try Tri-focals, for close up, computer viewing and far away. I HATE THEM!!! I've got all kinds of things going on to screw my vision up..lol

SO, baking cast metal bakes the oils and impurities out of it? Which helps keep them from coming into your puddle as your welding I guess...

[Rodsmachineshop]

tri focals suck i tried them , gave me a headache . try going to the drug store and getting a cheap pair of reading glass,s thats what i use

[JBnID]

Cheaters under the hood works for some, but not for me. I have to have the magnification in the helmet and THEN will augment that with cheaters some times, but the reflections bug me.
I've used a bright work light or window for years to give me perspective. With nothing but the puddle to stare at I can't look forward to the end! It's much easier on the eyes, too. You can dial the hood tint up and still see what you're doing.

FWIW-- My very first indication of a cataract was trouble seeing the puddle while TIG welding.

[Rodsmachineshop]

thats what i weld a lot of 1/4 and under mostly 1/8 and 3/16 . my Lincoln mig 175 just dont put enough out and is getting a little tired starts out welding good then sorta loose power after about a couple of minutes of welding have to run it maxed out all the time