Aluminum welding rod

[Bradrock]

What welding rod is best for TIG welding the fuel tanks?

[aerolite]

If your going to use 5052 then 5183 rod is best, 4043 works well also. Here is one of the best charts around:

http://www.alcotec.com/us/en/support/upload/Alcotec-Filler-Selection-Chart.pdf

Have you tig welded aluminum before?

[Bradrock]

Thank you. No I haven't, and I'm not about to start on the tanks either! Just getting a shopping list together. I have much learning ahead of me before I tackle the tanks...

[aerolite]

Tig welding aluminum is one of the trickier types of welding to do, and to do it right, especially on thinner material, takes a fair bit of practice. You need to become proficient at tig welding steel first and then move on to aluminum. Once mastered though, being able to weld aluminum is great fun and nothing beats seeing that nice bead laid out!

[alaskabearhawk]

I would try ER 5356. It has higher strength than ER 4043 and is a good, all-around rod for different alloys. Here's another chart that you can use:

http://www.hobartbrothers.com/downloads/Aluminum_Filler_Recommendation.pdf

I have found TIG welding aluminum using a quality inverter machine such as the Miller Dynasty 200DX very easy. Other machines that may do as well are the Hobart EZ-TIG 165i or Lincoln Invertec V205, but I'm not familiar with these machines.

If you have limited experience welding, I would start with O/A welding and really practice. It's relatively inexpensive to get set up and you will need an O/A setup for heating in the future. You can also weld aluminum using O/A. It is very doable, but takes practice. Kent White has a wealth of info on this at www.tinmantech.com.

The reason I recommend starting with O/A is, when done well, it gives you a great feel and appreciation for heat and puddle control. Those are essential for any kind of welding and it will make TIG welding much easier. You can certainly learn to TIG without picking up an O/A torch, but getting the basics down using basic O/A skills and lots of practice will make you a better TIG welder much quicker. I have found it really gives me a feel for the problems I may encounter just looking at a complex cluster or different material thicknesses and I can plan my welding sequences. YMMV.