lalatheman
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2002
- Location
- Western ,Oh ,usa
What about this. . . fact or fiction ?
Dave
Dave
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Welding Household aluminum foil ?
- Thread starter lalatheman
- Start date
- Replies 10
- Views 11,083
Mike.CO
Aluminum
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2004
- Location
- Franktown Colorado
I have not seen this but believed my buddy when he said a local guy could weld pop cans back together. That's the thinest I've heard of.
Mike
Mike
snowman
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2004
- Location
- Southeast Michigan
When I was in college, I welded pop cans together all the time. We'd then put them out on the front porch in a nice little pyramid...
The welding really wasn't all that hard. In fact, the hardest thing was getting a good ground.
It's great fun to watch the bums come up and try to steel your welded can's to turn in for the deposit.
-Jacob
The welding really wasn't all that hard. In fact, the hardest thing was getting a good ground.
It's great fun to watch the bums come up and try to steel your welded can's to turn in for the deposit.
-Jacob
JV
Plastic
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2003
- Location
- Bonn, Germany
I've seen extremely thin stainless steel foil welded by micro plasma welding. No idea if that works with aluminum too.
Not trying to out do anyone here, but, some years ago, a good friend of mine (welding supply salesman for many years) swears that when the square wave TIG came out, they could take the foil out of a pack of cigarettes and weld it together. Never saw or talked to anyone who did it. Maybe fact - maybe fiction. Don't know. Anything is possible I suppose. Of course, in my early days, a "good" welder supposedly could weld a Prince Albert can together---with an acetylene torch. Don't know -- I never did. Don't think I ever owned a tip that small !!! (lol) Just my .02.
John M.
John M.
I just gave it a try with my TA185. It didn't do so well. I folded a piece over itself and tried fusing it. I tried with and without the pulser. Kept blowing holes thru it, the edges are all welded together though. The machine only goes down to 5amps. I think the HF is what is causing the most problems though. I tried lift arc and that didn't work too good either.
I measured the aluminium foil and its only .001"
I measured the aluminium foil and its only .001"
My TIG goes down to 2 amps and as soon as it's running I want to try some real thin stuff.
An experienced welder told me that this machine is supposed to be capable of it, now the operator is another matter...
I've also wondered if it would be possible.
The smallest tungsten my torch will hold is .020.
An experienced welder told me that this machine is supposed to be capable of it, now the operator is another matter...
I've also wondered if it would be possible.
The smallest tungsten my torch will hold is .020.
lalatheman
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2002
- Location
- Western ,Oh ,usa
Hoffman,
2 Amp is about the lowest I've heard of so far.
I would supose the starting point would be
putting two peices together and welding the edges of them both together at once probably sticking an eighth inch or so up out of a bench vise,
(there is a name for that procedure is it called lapped ? )
That would increase the effective thickness to aprox .002 . . . .
Will be really interesting . . . .
Dave
2 Amp is about the lowest I've heard of so far.
I would supose the starting point would be
putting two peices together and welding the edges of them both together at once probably sticking an eighth inch or so up out of a bench vise,
(there is a name for that procedure is it called lapped ? )
That would increase the effective thickness to aprox .002 . . . .
Will be really interesting . . . .
Dave
JV
Plastic
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2003
- Location
- Bonn, Germany
Plasma welding current can be as low as .05 amps or so.
lalatheman
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2002
- Location
- Western ,Oh ,usa
I just ask the 2nd shift maintennce mechanic where I work about it, he says he has seen it done.
A few years back when he was at the GM Harrison radiator plant in Dayton, A toolroom welder by the name of Kelly Dourghty could do it. Says Kelly used a fne pointed electrode and would just flash it on and off using high freq. , letting it cool after each hit. Doesn't remember the welder model but says it was a big'un and GM always bought top of the line.
Dave
A few years back when he was at the GM Harrison radiator plant in Dayton, A toolroom welder by the name of Kelly Dourghty could do it. Says Kelly used a fne pointed electrode and would just flash it on and off using high freq. , letting it cool after each hit. Doesn't remember the welder model but says it was a big'un and GM always bought top of the line.
Dave
Cyclotronguy
Stainless
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2005
- Location
- Northern California
Using a plasma hand held torch (Linde) in a crude fixture I used to weld capsules for sample irradiation with pure Al windows of .00025" thick x 0.050" dia on the capsule. It was successful about 80% of the time.
I would assume that the same could be done with TIG, provided the operator had a lot more talent than myself and a machine of better than average heat control.... or an automated cycle.
SS and Be windows of 0.002" thickness was an average day. Having a fine enough electrode and a machine that regulates low currents well seems to be the real key.
Cyclotronguy
I would assume that the same could be done with TIG, provided the operator had a lot more talent than myself and a machine of better than average heat control.... or an automated cycle.
SS and Be windows of 0.002" thickness was an average day. Having a fine enough electrode and a machine that regulates low currents well seems to be the real key.
Cyclotronguy
