Folks, The recent storm blew over my patio lamp and one of the (aluminum I think) fixtures broke in two spots. Can I please get someone to help me to weld it back together?
I am happy to pay / barter for your time!
See attached photos…
Thanks, Steve K
It looks like cast al. You would need ER4043 or ER4047 tig fill rod.
Joe, thanks, but to be clear - I am looking for someone to do the welding as I have not done my training (yet!)…
Thank you, Steve
Steve Kupec, Owner - Living on the Edge Woodwork
LivingOnTheEdgeWoodwork@gmail.com
For what it’s worth, Joe was likely saying that this isn’t going to be easily welded back together. I’ve been welding for decades and still can’t weld cast.
You’re likely to get someone to try to fix it, but you’re going to back in this same spot 6mo from now - unless you find someone with list of cast welding experience.
I did a quick google search and didn’t find anyone local who specializes in cast iron/aluminum.
@Andres79 do you do cast? Or know someone who does?
I thought that @SavHarvey Savanna does aluminum not certain about cast iron, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Would brazing be a viable option for cast iron? I know this is how cast iron hand planes are repaired when they are broken.
I can weld aluminum. We would just need to match the filler rod to the base for the best weld.
Is it cast iron or cast aluminum?
Metal is TBD, but we suspect it is cast aluminum.
Evan Weinberger is going to take a “crack” at welding the crack for me…
I truly appreciate everyone’s input and help!
Thanks! Steve
Steve Kupec, Owner
Living on the Edge Woodwork
LivingOnTheEdgeWoodwork@gmail.com
I welded a couple small pieces not too long ago that I’m pretty sure was cast aluminum with the aluminum fill rods we have there just got it super clean and it worked fine, was just a few small welds though. I tried a Tig repair on cast iron once and it was pretty challenging I never got it to stop cracking after getting welded but preheat and postheat are supposed to help with that
Post how it turns out I’m curious!
Nice Work!!
Evan, Woohoo! Thanks for the diligence in getting this back together!
so I also need some help welding aluminum but it’s not cast like this. I took our steel welding class last year and at least could make sure stuff bonded well, but everything I’ve heard about welding aluminum is that it’s a very different beast from steel, and all the places I’ve searched for around here who are welders for hire all say they don’t do aluminum.
Basically what I want to do is fix a square tube from the one point pictured here to its corresponding one on the other side of this roof. I cut off some bent metal on the front but the result was that the roof wasn’t anywhere near stable enough anymore. So I want to fix that and also add a vertical piece in the middle up to the top of the roof. (Also taking suggestions as to how to reduce weight in the roof overall because with the panels up there this sucker is HEAVY.)
Obviously I can’t really take this into the space but I can meet someone at the spot where the boat is. (About 10 min away.)
Hi JD,
We did recently start offering an aluminum specific TIG class, there are a few dates on the schedule—you’re right though that it is a little trickier than steel. I’m happy to take a look at your project sometime, feel free to send me a message!
