How to tack aluminum " l l into L."

Joining two 1/8" x 1/2" aluminum together to form an L shape isn't easy. I clip an 80-Amp arch welder to each piece and slowly bring the pieces together using a mechanical press. They bond well but not strong enough. This is a quick way to join steel (unsure if it's harming the welder) but aluminum is difficult. What is the correct way to join two pieces of aluminum in flash?

I'm trying to make sawhorse patterns out of aluminum sticks. Unlike steel, aluminum can't simply be bent into Zs, Ls, Vs, Ns, or Ss.

Thanks

Reply to
Tibur Waltson
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Not sure if this will work, but you might try some of the good general principles for working with alumninum:

1) wire brush very clean with stainless brushes 2) Use some shielding gas (argon).

Maybe you could build a set of jigs, and tack them together with a TIG or MIG.

Rich

Reply to
Rich Jones

I used to work in a few factories, and all we ever did was using either manual or hydraulic presses to make whatever shape we wanted with aluminum. We used to use mostly a hydraulic brake press to do shapes, but sometimes just hydraulic overhead presses.

Reply to
Tom Martinello

one technique i saw once was a guy had take 2 pieces of angle iron and had 3-4 slots cut out of the corner on each one and what he did was he would clamp 2 pieces of alluminum in between the 2 pieces of angle iron with the butted against each other and clamped both ends and since the slot were cut open he had easy acces to spot weld the pieces together and when he is done he undoes the clamp and gat a nice L shaped alluminum and he also explained to me when you make the slots about 3 inches long and leave about 1 inch in beween the slots to keep the angle iron from warping and also depending on the aluminum depends on the size of angle iron needed and with this set up you can shift the piece back and forth to weld the majority and when done make sure the slots are closer to one side then the other on both pieces that way you can just flip them around and finish your welding and make sur the 2 pieces are oppisite of each other too that way you can be welding on the seam on the inside of the L you will be welding what you cant at at the moenet that you are getting on the seam on the outside of L It's like if you have 6 points of welding you are getting the 1-3-5 positions on the inside and the outside you are getting the 2-4-6 positions then when that is complete you switch the angle iron around the weld the 2-4-6 positions on the inside and the 1-3-5 positions on the outside the the whole L is complete when you pull of your angle iron good luck

Reply to
badaztek

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