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16th Dec 2018, 12:56 PM #1Philomath in training
- Join Date
- Oct 2011
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- Norwood-ish, Adelaide
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- 59
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- 6,561
Tips for welding in a narrow space (gap)
I volunteered to try to repair an aluminium step pulley (A series) that had part of the flange cracked off
P1040374.JPG
I did it by smoothing out the break, cutting a bit of sheet to suit, welding up and then machining the profile back. It sort of worked - the first go was a bit ropy (below) so tried again and was a little more successful
P1040379.JPG
I suspect that the alloy was a casting alloy so the higher silicon would not help, but I did have trouble getting a good bead in between the flanges. I tried switching to a gas lens, and that helped cover the longer than usual stick out that I had to use, but would be interested to know from members who have done this sort of thing before if there was a better/ more reliable/ easier way of doing this.
Plan B was to machine the whole flange off and weld a new one on, but I suspect that although the welding would be easier, the wedging action of the belt would cause problems down the track.
Thanks, Michael
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16th Dec 2018, 01:21 PM #2Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- melbourne australia
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- 3,228
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16th Dec 2018, 06:45 PM #3
I have heard of people heating the tungsten and putting a slight bend in it to aim the arc better but have never tried it myself.
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16th Dec 2018, 11:49 PM #4Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- May 2011
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- Murray Bridge S Aust.
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- 71
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- 5,959
If it were me, I'd fill it completely by TIG welding the break out. The excess can be machined out, and you'll have a smooth finish. Kryn
To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
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17th Dec 2018, 07:01 AM #5Philomath in training
- Join Date
- Oct 2011
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- Norwood-ish, Adelaide
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- 59
- Posts
- 6,561
I was a bit concerned about how much heat would be needed to do that. The large missing piece was 5mm thick and 20mm wide - a lot of molten metal in a small space. Would probably distort the flange.
Michael
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