can you tig weld polished 6061 Aluminum piping

[XxDarkSidexX]

found a good deal on some used polished 3" piping made from 6061 Aluminum.

Can I tig weld on the polished 6061 Aluminum. For example cutting a peice off to change angles and then tig it back together and re polish afterwards? Thanks in advance.


darkside

 

[Dwayne]

Yes you can.........this might be of some help to ya...TIG Welding Aluminum | Lincoln Electric

 

[Sam Colalillo]

Yes 6061 can be welded.

 

[Jerryl]

I think any material can be welded, even plastics. A lot of it is prep.
One of the the hardest materials to weld is Duplex.

 

[XxDarkSidexX]

Yes you can.........this might be of some help to ya...TIG Welding Aluminum | Lincoln Electric

WOW THANKS! This site helped. I plan on trying to make my own IC pipes, if its a victory; then ill go ahead a do my own exhaust(304 though), wastegate pipe(also 304), and home made 4" intake with a sheetmetal "cold box" instead of a cool air setup, and adjustable front lip(probably sheet metal) maybe to get a 1/10 extra from the aerodynamics. If I get get ahold of a tig that is.

1 more question. Sence I have never worked with this polished aluminum before specifically; After cuting and rewelding with a tig, I can still do normal the sanding n prep for high temp paint to get rid of the polished look? Thanks again!

 

[turbofabricator]

Bead blasting (glass bead) will do what you need for painting it. (plus paint prep.) Welding thin aluminum is probably one of the hardeat things to weld. I have welded inconel, titanium, stainless, mild steel, aluminum (and even wood with my Elmers TIG ) And thin aluminum is the hardest to do and keep it looking nice. Stainless is the easiest to TIG weld, and Titanium is REALLY cool looking and is very easy to do, too. I have welded intercooler pipes made from that polished tubing from China, and it does weld pretty good, no problems.

 

[XxDarkSidexX]

I have welded intercooler pipes made from that polished tubing from China, and it does weld pretty good, no problems.

exactly why i started this thread, i plan to do the same. $50 for 3" kit with all the bends rofl, you can't go wrong!