Re: Aluminum metal working

mapp gas or oxy lpg, for bigger items, charcoal, barbecue style hehehe

Re: Aluminum metal working

mapp gas or oxy lpg, for bigger items, charcoal, barbecue style hehehe

LOL ....

I ordered the spool gun and 4043 wires. I'll see if this will work well for small alum DIY repairs / fabs. If not then I'll use it for stainless steel. Just for making it easier for me to swap wires and guns when mig welding. 🙂

Butch how about chemicals used for cleaning aluminum prior to welding? Any suggestions? tks

I also have this dilemma. I am undecided if to buy aluminum cutting blades for the wood miter saw or the dry cut saw. The dry cut saw has better clamping but is 12" . If I buy this blade then I can't use it on the table saw.

Here are the blades I'm currently looking at :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008WQ39/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008WQ38/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008WQ37/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I think Freud does not make a 6 1/2" non ferrous cutting blade

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006F70H/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Would blades for ferrous metals work well with aluminum if these are waxed prior to use? Maybe I can just use my existing blades.

Re: Aluminum metal working

for cleaning aluminum extrusions like tubes rods pipes sheets i use pure acetone or acrylic thinner, for items that have already been exposed to oil or dirt, i dip it in a phosporic acid bath or turco pwede na rin, just don't leave it in for too long or it will develop a patina thats difficult to remove, a mild lye or sodium hydroxide solution or liquid sosa ok rin for rusty or corroded parts. For cutting aluminum i use a 14' chop saw and a carbide tipped blade around 120, the more teeth the better, i just bring down the rpm's using a transformer, i also use wood cutting carbide tipped blades for aluminum, i just spray wd40 on the blade prior to cutting...hth

btw i actually do most of my profile cutting not on the chop saw but on the jig saw equipt with a cobalt steel blade and my air saw with bi metal blades......for large sheets i use a plasma cutter...

Re: Aluminum metal working

Butch ... thank you very much for your inputs. We never had an aluminum expert in this forum before till you came. 🙂

Are you talking about this type of air saw?

http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Rand-429-Heavy-Reciprocating/dp/B00004XOT3/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1330062145&sr=1-9

Which TPI blade count will be best?

Re: Aluminum metal working

i have one of those also, they come in high and low speed models or strokes per minute, i prefer the slower spm model for metal use, i have a kawasaki air saw which looks like the ir heavy duty model and i usually use 14 to 18 tpi blades, high spm saws are good for plastics n woods but will overheat the blades on metals....actually since i use a 1/2 inch blade on my bandsaws, i just reuse the bandsaw blades for the air saw, just have to cut it to length and reshape them to fit the airsaw....

Re: Aluminum metal working

I think I could use an air saw and my compressor cfm will support it. Are blades locally available?

How about this one below?

http://www.amazon.com/MK-Morse-RBA424T05-Reciprocating-4-Inch/dp/B0049SQ5R6/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1330078157&sr=1-1

Thinking to buy this one but does not come with blades. This model was made in Taiwan before IR moved to China. I believe the one sold in amazon is China.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ingersoll-Rand-Air-Reciprocating-Saw-Model-429-/180826913122?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr&hash=item2a1a1fb962

The IR 429G has some rubber padding and is good to use in colder counties. However I don't think we need the padded one here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AhIQ2TckJI

Re: Aluminum metal working

the one on my left most pic is my low speed saw, blades i make from ordinary bi metal hacksaw blades which i cut in half or 4" length, and shape with a cut off disc to get the width i need, for tight turns usually half the with of the blade is removed, nowadays i use bandsaw blades since i buy them in bulk for our bandsaws....

Re: Aluminum metal working

This air saw ...

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-PTX5-Pneumatic-Reciprocating-Saw/dp/B00005R1I8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I have a porter cable cut off tool and it's very good quality. Same design as this air saw.

You are right about the speed. The IR 429 is 10K spm and this PC is only 4K .

Is the blade guard adjustable to be able to set depth of cut?

Maybe I can go for an IR429 and an air speed controller. I could have a high speed saw and a low speed saw in one. Just don't know if it would affect torque.

Re: Aluminum metal working

hi Jay, there's already a built in air speed controller on most saws but your right it does reduce torque as well, to keep the blade cool we spray water or wd 40 during cutting so as not to overheat the blades, once it chages color it will become dull, the blade guard is fixed but i make my own blade guard shorter to make the tool more maneuverable, depth of cut depends on how long you make your blades, i sometimes put on a full hacksaw blade to be able to reach tight spaces, its actually one of the most used tool in the shop next to the air cut off tools.....btw speed can be controlled by feathering the throttle lever like most airtools are....hth

Re: Aluminum metal working

Bros, will a 2.5HP compressor be enough to power these air powered tools or it has to be at least 3.0HP and above ?, coz I'm also interested in purchasing some air powered tools in the near future plus maybe a larger compressor if it will require. Thanks in advance !!!!!!

Re: Aluminum metal working

Bros, will a 2.5HP compressor be enough to power these air powered tools or it has to be at least 3.0HP and above ?, coz I'm also interested in purchasing some air powered tools in the near future plus maybe a larger compressor if it will require. Thanks in advance !!!!!!

tapos ako tinatawag ninyong mangkukulam :saiyan: hehehe

Re: Aluminum metal working

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 😀 :p :D, Actually dalawa kayo ni JayL na mang aakit( mang kukulam ), si bro moji kulam na kulam ni JayL, PATI AKO NAPAPAGAYA NA RIN !!!!! LOL 😀

Re: Aluminum metal working

airsaws don't require much cfm, a small compressor would be able to catch up to the requirements of a saw, grinders are the ones that require high volumes of high pressure air. actually there's an electric version that i got from hmr surplus before, although not as fast as an air version, but its good enough for small jobs.

yup marami talaga mangkukulam dito. used to be a vitim once, pero in the end, once marami nang handheld tools, darating din yun time na bigger equipments na ang target ko ngayon, like a full size mill and lathe, so i can make my own tools na rin hehehe....

Re: Aluminum metal working

Air tools .... the more you use it the cooler it gets.

If one plans to "reasonably" run air tools then it is advisable that he/she get the biggest affordable compressor.

For air die grinders less than 3 HP need not apply. For air angle grinders go 5 HP above.

Re: Aluminum metal working

@Butch

Bro I'm in the market for a mid sized Argon Tank plus contents. I just want to ask you if there are any issues between argon gas suppliers such as quality, purity or whatever.

I'd like to think that all these suppliers do supply the same quality level but I thought it best to first ask someone more experienced like you for feedback.

Thanks a lot in advance.