Scrap metal for welding?

Maker Talk
1

hi all,

I’m looking to build a metal (aluminum) frame and want to weld it together (so also looking for welding classes coming up!). is there a place you all typically go to for scrap aluminum piping, especially square beam type stuff?

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I would go to Westbrook to buy off cuts.

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If you ask really nicely sometimes they give them away free. Especially if you tell places you are learning to weld. Helps if you’re a girl too, but can’t hurt to try :wink:

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we also have scrap in the welding area folks often use for practice, but I rarely see aluminum in that pile.

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5

We have finally re-established our scrap aluminum and scrap steel storage locations. Our aluminum scrap collection is pretty paltry at the moment though, and we rarely have aluminum pipe in any event.

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Is there a particular reason you need the frame to be aluminum? Typically aluminum in the hobby shop is TIG welded, which is a bit more challenging to learn than MIG. Scrap steel is cheap and easy to find, and is perfect for MIG welding. Of course, if it does need to be aluminum, then ignore that.

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So, what I’m building is a frame for a pontoon boat. I suspect steel could be problematic for that for a few reasons :wink: I considered using lumber, but I think even pressure-treated 2x4s (for example) will just have the treatment leach out. I don’t want to have to worry about screw holes getting soggy and then having my motor mounts sag out the back of my transom.

Welcoming other construction ideas, though.

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Perhaps you could try brazing, if TIG welding is difficult? Not sure if it would be strong enough, but from cursory googling it seems possible.

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This 100% sounds like a project for Tig welding. I dont believe brazing would strong enough. Tig welding aluminum has a pretty large learning curve. I say this as a warning to allow lots of time for the project.

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One thing to consider: if you don’t need the pipes to be watertight, you might be able to connect them with bolts and such. Given the apparent difficulty of welding aluminum, that might be viable.

(This is me in “If all you have is a hammer…” mode. I’ve never gotten around to learning to weld but I’m great at machining, so I look for machining solutions first.)

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11

Epoxy painted steel would hold up just fine for your application. You can try craigslist free etc for scraps.

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12

Good to know, I’ve never tried either so it was a very uneducated suggestion haha

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Yep…Indeed

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thanks Eric – can you say a little more about this? would I not have to worry about weight? is there a particular kind of epoxy or steel to look for?