Spot Welding Alu
Turbo Mini Forums

This has crossed my mind resecently, so I've done a bit of reading and come to the conclusion that my standard automotive type spot welder is not up to the job and I will just wreck my work piece.

http://www.robot-welding.com/spot_welding.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5315873_spotweld-aluminum.html
http://aluminium.matter.org.uk/content/htm...geid=2144416849

I was just wondering if anybody had any real world experience to back up or contradict the things I've turned up.

EDIT:Spelling

Edited by apbellamy on 17th Feb, 2010.

Without reading any of those links I can tell you from experience it is unlikely to work.

My spot welder is very similar to yours and I tried it a few years ago on some of my S3 LandRover panels.

Even with the copper tips machined down to a very small diameter (to increase local current) it would not put enough heat into the aluminium, it just dissipated away far too fast. The copper just ended up sticking to the aluminium.
It's obviously possible with industrial equipment though as quite a few of the early landRover panels are spot welded from multiple pieces of ally which is what I was trying to replicate.

If you try it, it would be interesting to know if you have any more success than I did.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I put a piece of steel either side of my 2 pieces of alu, then do it. Try it on some scrap

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Thanks, I just need some alu to practice on then. Another local supplier to find....

The reason I ask is that I'm going to get alu door skins, but noted Rod's point about the strengthening bit on the inner lip not being there - I guess the panel manufacturers where too tight to buy the right spot welders to do this.

My idea is to pull apart an old steel skin and then copy the stiffening bit in Alu. My only problem was how to attach it to the skin with out the expense/hassle of getting someone to Tig it for me.

I wonder if I have anything in alu knocking round the hosue that wifey won't miss..

Edited by apbellamy on 17th Feb, 2010.

There is a sheet of Alu in my garage you can have.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

As its only spotwelded along the top edge thats covered by the chrome trim, why not just countersink both pieces, use a countersunk pop rivet, knock the little ball out of the pop rivet then peen the tail side into the other countersink - if you can understand that

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Or even a modern epoxy adhesive that's formulated for aluminium ???

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

There's probably more chances for me to wreck my skins doing it that way. I'm trying to loose my ham fisted ways, but it's slow progress.

I'd also like to try and make a few other bits and pieces for the car in alu as well. No point adding extra unnecisary weight.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Interesting.

Thinking about glueing, in particular door skins. The glue is helped along by the clamping force of having the lip folded over. I don't think I could easily replicate that clamp on the top edge of the skin.

As Paul said, countersunk rivets. If you are using ally against steel..seal it first to stop it reacting. Theres some good products about, especially in the marine industry.

I've just hacked an old door apart that was destined for the scrap pile. The re-enforcing bit is just a bit of flat steel with a few holes and a couple of slight bends in it. Shouldn't be any bother to reproduce.

The slightly intersting bit was that the lower lip had a couple of spots of glue holding it in place. This had created a moisture trap and the inevitable rot. Obviously this is much less of an issue with Alu