Welding Birmabright

[Tote]

Well after 10 months at tech playing with TIG welders I am up to having a go at some landrover panels. I chopped some bits off my donor car and got some 5356 1.6mm filler rods and had a play tonight. I'm really happy with the results and have not experienced any cracking as the welds cool or other nasties. The piece below is a fillet weld over a piece with some holes in it just to see how it would go.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/toteau/Series%201/IMG_3870.jpg


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/toteau/Series%201/IMG_3871.jpg

Next step is to clean up the front guards and have a go at welding a filler piece in where the headlights have been mounted:o

Regards,
Tote

[Casper]

Looking good, next is to use some sheet metal sheers to cut thin strips and use them as filler rods.

I've done this with copper but not with Birmabright ally and it worked out great.

Looks as though you didn't get any deformation either so you have done very well.

It all just takes practice with all types of welding, I'm no expert but I love to give it a go myself and just wish I had the time, money and jobs to practice on.

Cheers Casper

[Tote]

From my research on the net birmabrite was 5251 or NS4. Data sheet link here (http://www.smithmetal.com/downloads/5251.pdf)

BOC Recommend 5356 filler rods for anything up to 5% magnesium so the rods I've got should be close, hence no mucking around with strips of metal as filler.

Regards,
Tote

[Bigbjorn]

I have never tig welded aluminium but in days gone by did a lot of gas welding of al. sheet. We were taught to use, where possible, a piece of the parent metal as filler rod. Guillo some excess off in the appropriate dimension for the job.

[series1buff]

I have a DVD of a guy in the Uk who makes new body parts ...he demonstrates how to weld thin aluminium using an oxy set ..he says its the best way . He uses a flux and a strip of the original material as the filler. He makes a new aluminium motorbike petrol tank from scratch.. beautiful work . Step by step process . He welds the two halves together .. craftsman he is . MIKE

[Tote]

Some more welding tonight, after welding up a 15mm cut in the door I have ground off most of the extra metal. Still need to finish it off by hand. I didnt want to get too excited with the flap disc.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/toteau/Series%201/IMG_3874.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/toteau/Series%201/IMG_3872.jpg

And the back

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/toteau/Series%201/IMG_3873.jpg


The door distorted slightly when I was welding it but once it cooled down was nice and straight.


Regards,
Tote

[newhue]

good on you Tote. You said 10 months to learn that, or is that 10 weeks.

[Tote]

I am doing the TAFE TIG course, just too lazy to do the theory bit. The first half of the course is teaching you technique with TIG on mild steel. I've only started playing with Land Rover bits for the last couple of weeks.

Regards,
Tote