4077 TIG Rod

[Uglydog]

I picked up a cast aluminum TIG job.
I made no promises that it would be successful. But, I told him I'd give it a shot.
Other TIGers told him it was to small a job to mess with.
But, this is a machine tool restoration. Thus, I couldn't turn him down.

I'm looking for some 4077 aluminum TIG rod.
The LWS and online suppliers I've talked with said they could special order 10pound quantities for me.
Wonder if anyone hear as a couple pounds they've been stubbing their toes on and would like to sell.

Or perhaps someone knows of a LWS that has a couple pounds they'd like to finally move.
I don't really want to own, or pay for 10 pounds!

Please advise.
Thank you,
Daryl
MN

 

[Tony Wells]

That's quite a bit of filler rod for something you don't need often. I'll talk to my guys locally. I don't believe I have any.

 

[jamie76x]

I weld cast alum very often. Very often. The filler wire is far less important than cleaning and preheating. Im my opinion (25 years if welding) the fillers that are recomended for cast are a shot in the dark since the mixes of content vary from piece to piece.
Clean it, Heat it, Clean it again, heat it again, clean it again, heat it again etc etc. Every time you heat it, More crap will come out of the casting.
Before I cut my "V" into the work piece I will run a few test puddles with different filler wires to find the best one IF I an not familiar with the brand/recipie of casting. When i get Harley cases/heads in to weld, I know by the years what is the best filler. When I get in Auto racing heads and blocks the manufactures will usually tell you the alloy and even the filler wire, as they are made to be repairable.
More times than notthe better quality castings weld welll with a 5000 series filler and the cheaper stuff seams to fall into a 3000 series.

 

[Uglydog]

This is the arm off a French made engraver. It's ground and polished. As you suggest I thought I'd play with puddles/rod selection before I V notch. Go really slow and attempt to keep the heat low. She's broken right at the knuckle. I've never used 4077 before. Rumor from "Welding Tips & Tricks" is that it has a high silicon content and therefore works better to combat porosity.

I weld cast alum very often. Very often. The filler wire is far less important than cleaning and preheating. Im my opinion (25 years if welding) the fillers that are recomended for cast are a shot in the dark since the mixes of content vary from piece to piece.
Clean it, Heat it, Clean it again, heat it again, clean it again, heat it again etc etc. Every time you heat it, More crap will come out of the casting.
Before I cut my "V" into the work piece I will run a few test puddles with different filler wires to find the best one IF I an not familiar with the brand/recipie of casting. When i get Harley cases/heads in to weld, I know by the years what is the best filler. When I get in Auto racing heads and blocks the manufactures will usually tell you the alloy and even the filler wire, as they are made to be repairable.
More times than notthe better quality castings weld welll with a 5000 series filler and the cheaper stuff seams to fall into a 3000 series.

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That's quite a bit of filler rod for something you don't need often. I'll talk to my guys locally. I don't believe I have any.

Thank you Tony.

 

[Tony Wells]

Daryl, I talked to my go-to guys, now owned by Matheson (was a local outfit for nearly 60 years), and no good for them. They said they sold a lot of 4043 for cast aluminum. Did not stock 4077. I have a friend who is a world class tig man yet to consult. Ex Navy welder, all the certs there are, I suppose, including deep nuclear. He's good, that I know. When I get in trouble, he's the answer. I need to talk to him anyway, because as it happens, I have a casting I need to repair. Kind of in the boat with you here. I'll let you know what he says. I can take it to the bank when he gives me welding advice. I have never in 25 years been steered wrong by him.

 

[Ray C]

The lawn mower / tractor repair place sends me cast aluminum parts for welding all the time -and for the most part, I don't accept the jobs unless I can totally reproduce the part in some other metal. Just as someone mentioned earlier, there are so many kinds of cast aluminum, that welding some random piece is a crap-shoot.

Couldn't tell you how many alternators and starters they've sent me with a cracked bolt hole ear... They know the score -and they know why. It either A) doesn't last long or B) ruins the rest of the part C) succeeds only 50% of the time. For the starter and alternator jobs, I do it with no guarantee it will hold or not get ruined in the process of attempting to weld it.


Ray

 

[sniggler]

Like most of the others welders here I try to avoid cast aluminum welding and I always say going in that i can't guarantee it hoping it with scare them off. The clean preheat bevel advise is spot on. I will add this you said low slow heat and my experience is that you need to get it hot and wet try to alloy a good amount of filler with the cast. I also, when I can, run a bead on either side of the crack which alloys the casting and then the money pass is easier and less scary. I also try to figure out why the part failed and what the part will be asked to do.

I would like to see a picture of the piece.

 

[Dave Smith]

This is the arm off a French made engraver.



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Daryl--what brand is the French engraver of your friends?? send a picture of the broken arm needed(you do know that I have a couple of French engravers with good arms) Dave

 

[jamie76x]

I never turn cast aluminum jobs away and have never had a problem. When done properly the repaired area is stronger than it used to be. Its all in the battle plan and there are a few tricks that I will never tell..... One trick that I will share are never glass bead any aluminum that needs to be repaired. I tell my customers " Do not clean it before bringing it in. I will do it my way"
My motto is "I weld the things that other shops can't" I guess thats why I say that.

 

[Uglydog]

This is the arm off a French made engraver.



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Daryl--what brand is the French engraver of your friends?? send a picture of the broken arm needed(you do know that I have a couple of French engravers with good arms) Dave

Yes, I figured I'd give you a little more time and then ask if you had made progress. I sat on it over a year before we made contact. This is a completely different animal. Unfortunately, parts would not be interchangeable.

Daryl
MN