I am modifying aluminum die castings. The first batch worked well, the aluminum was of a good quality. These castings were produced 5-10 years ago.
The latest batch is a more recent casting and the aluminum quality is terrible. As soon as I get a melt pool started, impurities float to the top.
I am currently running a puddle with no filler where I need to weld. This is just to float out the impurities. I then brush or sand the impurities off and then run the bead with filler. This technique works poor to fair but is slow.
What other techniques can someone recommend for dealing with poor quality aluminum? I am using a 30 year old transformer machine, so no AC balance controls or other inverter tricks.
The latest batch is a more recent casting and the aluminum quality is terrible. As soon as I get a melt pool started, impurities float to the top.
I am currently running a puddle with no filler where I need to weld. This is just to float out the impurities. I then brush or sand the impurities off and then run the bead with filler. This technique works poor to fair but is slow.
What other techniques can someone recommend for dealing with poor quality aluminum? I am using a 30 year old transformer machine, so no AC balance controls or other inverter tricks.