Im not sure on Mig or Stick, Id guess MIG as long as its really MIG and not flux core, and has good adjustablity..

I welded some Beer ( errr COKE) cans together at work using a TIG, stuck them into a water tank to see if I had any voids, and MAN did they bubble! ( lots of VOIDS CRACKS HOLES!!)


that stuff smeels like Beaver piss too, and puts a funky white dust over everything

awsome idea for a trailer though!!, now ive really got a project idea!!!




OzarkJeep
NW Arkansas, need a CJ rear seat

 

what does beaver piss smell like??? LOL

Kevin
New England 4x4 Club
http://206.190.221.134/cj7.htm
79 Jeep CJ7

 

Can you use any stick welder to weld aluminum? Or does it take a different kind of welder?

87 wrangler - 258

 

You can weld alum with a mig if you have the right tools. You should have a migit gun and you need a different gas for shielding.
Alum also takes more power to weld with. Tou can use a regular mig gun with a teflon shield but it doesn't work as well. This is where
a tig unit is better.

 

I wont describe the Beaver Piss odor, just pray you never know!....

Ive only welded AL with TIG, so I dont really know about MIG welding AL, but ill tell you I turned the current WAY down ( Like 40 amps) for the beer cans, it wants to burn away even more than thin stainless. I really think youd have to be pretty practiced with a MIG to weld AL well...



OzarkJeep
NW Arkansas, need a CJ rear seat

 

You really need to know what alloy of aluminum you have before a decision on welding can be made. Your welding shop can tell you what process will work best with the aluminum you are planning on using. I have welded aluminum with: oxy-acetylene, mig, tig and stick, IMHO choosing the correct alloy is more important than the process you use, mig is the fastest and the most aggravating due to wire feed problems, if you already know how to gas or tig weld these are my favorites because they give the best appearing welds, tig has a slight advantage given the cleaning action of the high frequency. Stick welding is also perfectly acceptable given the correct aluminum alloy and the correct rod, but it takes a little more than beginner skills. Overall my best advice is get the correct alloy, remove all grease and oil!!, use only stainless steel wire brushes, don't contaminate the weld area with abrasive, use a chemical aluminum cleaner, make cuts with a bandsaw, vee welds with a die grinder using carbide burrs, think clean clean clean and be patient.
good luck, jjc

 

There were a couple of site I found last year when I was trying to decide which welder to buy.
The first site is a good reference for all of the processes.
The next two are by a couple of aluminum boat builders, not exactly Jeep stuff but I found it interesting.

http://www.twi.co.uk/bestprac/jobknol/jobknol.html

http://www.frontiernet.net/~adriaan/welder.htm
This site has an interesting email by Bruce Cope, one of the pro boat builder here on the Island.
I've been out in his boats and they're nothing like the riveted stuff.

http://malvm1.mala.bc.ca/~bigras/o7/o7.htx
Another Islander, have a look at some of his log pages
("Construction Log and Photos")
and you'll see a lot of pictures of his welding.
(not recommended if you have a slow link)

 

with a stick welder,doesnt it have to be one that has direct (dc) current?

 

Sorry, I have to correct myself.
As I understand it they use DC (electrode positive) for the Mig and stick, and AC for the TIG. The AC is used because it cleans the oxides off when the polarity reverses.
They also make a squarewave welder which allows you to adjust the duty cycle to balance the cleaning action.
http://www.millerwelds.com/education/tech_articles/tig_alum.html