diy

Can anyone help ( either side of the Pond ) I have a number of small projects that require aluminium welding and do not justify me spending hundreds of pounds buying a expensive welding mig arc or tig machines or inverters.

Trawling the Web I stumbled across this web site Muggie Weld its in the USA and sounds as if it would be the answer to all my problems in one go All I need is my blow torch and away I go heat it up add a bit of flux and a bit of filler rod and its done (sounds a bit like soldering to me)

So is it all sales pitch and a good product or is it some gimmick there are other companies that do similar products but I fell hook line and sinker for Muggie Welds informative web site so could anyone who has any info on this product enlighten me and answer the following questions

Is it available in the UK Is it any good Is it as easy to use as they show you in there videos will it weld all grades of aluminium Is it strong (this not critical to me but if its as strong as the piece in the demo video that is repeatedly hit with a hammer that will do for me)

Phil U.K.

Reply to
phil
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Sorry that should be Muggy weld

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Reply to
phil

It is basically the same old zinc "wonder rod" sold by all the fleamarket hucksters. It actually alloys with the aluminum, forming an intermetallic zinc-aluminum layer. It is pretty much a pain in the ass to use, but it does work. There are *much* cheaper sources of it than the site you mention.

Gary

Reply to
Gary Coffman

Get an Oxy acetylene outfit. With practice and care, you make strong welds in Al.

I learned to weld aluminum with O/A. I got some 4043 bare rod and some aluminum flux from my welding supplier and went to the dump and picked up some discarded folding aluminum garden furniture. These are usually tossed because the corners failed. I cut out and welded in some gussets in the bottom corners. The welds were pretty ugly at first but "practice makes perfect". The ones I *really* screwed up, I simply returned to the "supplier" but the good ones are better (stronger, more stable) than new. We have a dozen or so folding chairs that I repaired over 20 years ago. Nowadays, I do the welding with TIG.

It's not very good.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Edwards

Pond ) I have a number of small

welding and do not justify me spending

expensive welding mig arc or tig machines or

practice and care, you make strong

I've read that gas welding aluminium is hard on the eyes... the flux burns too bright or something. The book I read pointed to a website (info on which I don't have available at the moment) and both said you need these "special" lenses in your goggles. It continued by saying something to the effect that old-timers used cobalt-blue lenses to cut the glare but these didn't block certain UV... yada yada yada... go blind ...yada yada yada. The bottom line was their "special" lenses cost about $200 bucks.

Now, I'm generally skeptical when only one place sells must-have safety equipment but, hey, I kind of like seeing. I've been reluctant to buy the flux and rod to try this out... and I'm certainly not paying $200 for a hunk of tinted glass -- well, I paid near that for an auto-darkening lens in my arcwelding helmet... but that different ;)

Is this "special lens" true or a load of... ?

David...

Reply to
FixerDave

I've heard good things about this product. You have to prepare the joint with a special brush (supplied), heat up the area with a propane blowlamp and then rub the joint with the filler rod. Apparently it works fine but it's slow. I will find out more about it over the next couple of days and may even offer it for sale on my site at

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Stan

Reply to
Stan Simmons

The Tinman's lenses are nice, but there are much cheaper alternatives which are safe.

Gary

Reply to
Gary Coffman

\

I use blue glasses, which have UV rated lenses. No problems and $10 at the local welding emporium Geoff

Reply to
Geoff M

The problem is that an ordinary green lens for O/A welding does not sufficiently attenuate the Sodium yellow spectral line. This results in making it very dificult to see the puddle and control the weld.

Very little short wave UV is produced by an O/A flame and is readily blocked by any glass except the special stuff used in green houses. I've always used the cobalt blue lens for O/A welding Al. I'm nearly 70 and don't have any eye problems I wasn't born with.

used hay, IMO.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Edwards

I'm nearly 70

Thanks Ted. On my next trip to the welding store, I'll pick up the essentials and give this a whirl.

David...

Reply to
FixerDave

Stan

Still not sure if this product is any good some say it is......... some say not so good and still not sure if its available in the UK have you been to the website

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they have videos to download not sure if you can tell if its any good from them I'm just a beginner that has aluminium projects to weld on a budget Take a look there website let me know what you think

Phil

Reply to
mr bean

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