How to make electrodes with your own hands. How to cook using electric welding How to make welding electrodes at home
Every welder knows that welding without electrodes is impossible, and without high-quality electrodes, high-quality welding is impossible, so it is necessary to purchase high-quality welding electrodes to perform welding at the highest level. However, situations arise when it is not possible to purchase welding electrodes, but there are many available tools. Is it possible to do without a welding electrode manufacturer? Let's find out about it from this article.
Electrodes are not that difficult to make. For manufacturing it is necessary to select welding wire suitable diameter to create a welding electrode. After selecting the wire, it must be cut into pieces of 350 millimeters and sanded. After this, it is necessary to prepare a coating, which consists of liquid glass(silicate glue) and crushed chalk.
To ensure that the coating is even. It is necessary to immerse the electrode wire vertically into the coating and leave a clean end 30 - 35 millimeters long under the top. After this, the electrode should be slowly removed and hung on a rope to dry. After complete drying and hardening, you receive fully working welding electrodes.
When welding is done at home, a satisfactory result is obtained using the contact aluminum welding method. This type welding is carried out with continuous reflow on electrically conductive machines. It is also possible to carry out seam welding of aluminum, but this requires a machine high power and with special ion choppers. These methods can be difficult to use at home, but some welders still use them.
When welding at home, you should not forget that you must follow safety precautions and strictly follow all requirements. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the insulation of all wires that take part in the welding process and are energized.
When carrying out welding work at home, you need to use gloves or mittens that will protect your hands from burns. You will be insured against electric shock rubber boots. When carrying out welding work, you must wear a special mask to protect your face from sparks, embers and burns. In no case should you store flammable and flammable materials and objects in the room in which you are going to carry out welding work.
If the room has a wooden floor, it should be protected from fire using metal sheet. You should definitely place a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water near the place where you are going to weld. Due to the possible formation of harmful gases or other compounds hazardous to health, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room in which you are welding.
Now you will learn how welding electrodes are made. The components (except aluminum powder) included in the coating are sorted, dried, crushed, ground and sifted through a sieve with a number of holes of at least 1200 holes/cm2. After sifting, ferrosilicon is passivated to create a thin oxide film that protects silicon from exposure to alkali. Passivation is carried out by heating to a temperature of 700 - 800 degrees and holding at this temperature for 2 - 3 hours with periodic stirring. In the absence of a protective oxide film, silicon, interacting with the alkali of liquid glass, releases hydrogen, which causes swelling of the coating and forms gas bubbles in the coating. The interaction of liquid glass alkali with silicon occurs according to the following reaction: Si + 2NaO + H20 Na2Si03 -f H2 or Si -f- 2NaO -> Si02 2H2.
After calcination, ferrosilicon is passivated a second time with water for 3–5 days with periodic stirring. Ferrosilicon, dried after passivation with water, is sieved a second time. Pre-prepared components are weighed in quantities corresponding to the composition of the electrode coating and thoroughly mixed in special mixers or manually. Glass with a density of 1.3 - 1.5 is poured into a well-mixed dry mixture in an amount of 55 - 60% of the weight of the dry mixture. Dry components with liquid glass are thoroughly mixed in a mixer or manually. The prepared creamy mass is passed through a paint grinder or a sieve with 140 - 250 holes/cm2 to obtain complete uniformity of the coating.
The electrode rods are coated by dipping them once or twice into the resulting mass. The thickness of the coating layer on the electrode rod depends on the speed at which the electrode is removed from the coating mass and the consistency of the coating. The sooner the electrode is removed, the thicker the coating layer; if the electrode is removed too slowly, the layer becomes thin.
The coating is applied to one or simultaneously to several electrode rods, the latter are fixed in special frame holders. During the process of coating the electrodes, it is necessary to periodically stir the coating mass to avoid settling of heavier components to the bottom. Electrode rods with coating applied to them are installed in a vertical position in racks or pyramids to dry in air at a temperature of 20 - 30 degrees for 3 - 4 hours. After preliminary drying, the electrodes are calcined in electric oven at a temperature of 250 - 300 degrees for 1.5 - 2 hours. The temperature in the calcination furnace should be raised and cooled gradually to prevent cracking of the coatings. Finished electrodes are accepted based on external inspection, technological testing, and the results of mechanical tests of the deposited metal.
During an external inspection of the finished electrodes, no defects (cracks, fistulas and broken areas) affecting the quality of welding should be detected on the coating surface. The coating must be applied in an even layer along the entire length of the rod and must adhere sufficiently firmly to it. One end of the electrode should be free of coating for a length of approximately 30 mm; with this end the electrode is clamped into the electrode holder.
The production and sale of welding electrodes is a popular activity in Russia. Electrodes are a consumable material that is in demand in construction during the construction of reinforced concrete structures, as well as in those areas of industry where it is necessary to connect metal surfaces by welding. Relatively small financial investments at the opening stage and quick payback (from 1 to 3 years) are the main advantages of an enterprise whose activity is the production and sale of welding electrodes.
Our business assessment:
Starting investment – from RUB 2,500,000. and above
Market saturation is high.
The difficulty of starting a business is 8/10.
Main stages of production of welding electrodes
An entrepreneur opening a mini plant for the production of welding electrodes needs to rent premises, purchase equipment and consumables. But you can buy machines and raw materials only after you have chosen the method of manufacturing the product: coating or crimping.
Generally, process, in which a thin coating layer is applied to a metal rod, is not complicated and consists of several stages:
- production of a workpiece - a metal rod;
- preparation of coating mixture;
- applying coating to the workpiece;
- drying.
Production of electrodes at home: coating method
Coating is a method that can be used in the production of electrodes at home in small batches. The main device responsible for quality finished products, is a drying cabinet. The cost of a drying cabinet varies from 1,230 rubles. (simple pencil case) up to 22,000 (powerful electric oven).
Materials used for the manufacture of electrodes:
- special wire of a certain diameter;
- chalk with additives;
- potassium or sodium lump.
Special steel wire for making electrodes, required diameter and length, straightened and cut into equal pieces. All operations are carried out using automated equipment.
The surface of the resulting workpieces must be thoroughly cleaned with sandpaper. Removed during processing top layer metal, and the surface of the wire becomes clean and slightly rough, which guarantees high-quality adhesion to the coating.
The coating solution is a homogeneous mass mixed from different components, one of which is liquid glass made from silicate block. It is important to remember that all substances must be in powder form.
Chalk and other additives undergo certain stages of crushing in a roller or crushed stone crusher:
- rough crushing, as a result of which substances are divided into large pieces;
- grinding to obtain a powdery mass (fine grinding);
- sifting using special sieves.
This will create a homogeneous mixture that will lie evenly on the electrode and adhere well to metal surface blanks. Next, the metal rod is dipped into the prepared solution and then subjected to double drying.
Manufacturing of electrodes by crimping method
But coating method, used at home, is not suitable for making electrodes on a scale industrial production. Hardly large companies Those in need of large quantities of welding material will buy “handicraft” products, without a certificate and accompanying documentation, even if they are of good quality.
Therefore, in an enterprise that has plans for further development and expansion, it is preferable to use electrode production technology using the crimping method. Since the product obtained in this way corresponds to the maximum modern requirements and standards for welding materials.
Crimping is the production of welding electrodes using special presses, where they are exposed to high pressure (from 300 to 650 kgf/sq. cm). The process consists of pulling a metal workpiece (electrode wire) through the holes located in the installation cylinder, which is filled with a coating solution.
Finished products are checked for defects and the ends are cleaned. Only after this are the electrodes labeled and packaged. The waste remaining after the operation of the scrap cleaning machine is sent for processing and then put into production of the next batch of products.
To organize a mini workshop, you need a line for the production of medium-power electrodes, including:
- rod feeder;
- GEP – hydraulic electrocoating press;
- stripping installation.
Additional devices:
- MPE – electrode supply mechanism;
- MZT – stripping and transportation mechanism;
- Ballast – automatic straightening and chipper, equipped with a receiving hopper and a wire unwinder;
- BP – briquette press;
- MOB (10) – a mechanism for cleaning raw defective electrodes;
- MS (50) – wet mixer.
The price of equipment for electrodes varies from 6,800,000 to 8,000,000 rubles.
It should be noted that the coating is a necessary component of the electrode, facilitating uniform melting of the metals being welded. And the slag crust formed during the welding process blocks the access of oxygen to the connecting seam, which avoids rapid loss of temperature on the surfaces being welded. The result is a perfectly smooth seam, without bubbles and microcracks.
Production of graphite electrodes
The production of carbon electrodes is considered more complex, the production of which requires a large amount of energy (current 60-120 kA), complex expensive equipment and time. This causes the high cost of finished products.
Carbon or graphite electrodes are made from the following materials:
- low ash petroleum coke (about 85%);
- electrode strike (about 15%);
- coal tar pitch (as a binder).
The components go through the stages of crushing, calcination, grinding, fractionation, dosing and mixing. Next, the electrode mass is processed in powerful horizontal presses. The resulting green electrodes are dried, fired and graphitized.
Firing is carried out for 12 - 33 days at a temperature of 1525 to 1625 K without access to oxygen. As a result, coal tar pitch turns into coke, providing increased thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of the finished product, as well as improved mechanical characteristics electrodes.
Graphitization lasts more than 100 hours at temperatures from 2700 to 2900 K.
The most expensive part of the project is the acquisition of a production line. Therefore, before buying equipment for the production of welding electrodes, it is necessary to carefully analyze the state of the market in the opening region, calculate the amount of starting investments and choose optimal technology manufacturing.
It is advisable to first find clients, who are usually:
- specialty stores;
- companies engaged in the production of metal structures;
- private workshops.
You can save money by purchasing used equipment. But in this case you need to carefully check the documentation ( technical condition, number of repairs), find out about the reasons for the sale.
Calculation of profits from the production and sale of electrodes
For a novice businessman who does not have the opportunity to purchase a modern production line, it is better to start with small production. But this will also require renting premises for installing equipment (for example, drying cabinet, press and containers for preparing the coating mixture) and purchasing a minimum set of devices. In this case, the costs will be from 2,500,000 rubles. and above. This includes the purchase of equipment, delivery, launch, purchase of raw materials, employee salaries, advertising, packaging, etc.
According to experts, the profitability of such a business is 30%.
The cost of electrodes varies depending on the region and averages 400 rubles. per package (5 kg) or 80 rub. for 1 kg. Cost - about 50 rubles. for 1 kg. By using modern devices You can produce about 500 kg of finished product per day.
From here:
- Revenue per day will be about 25,000 rubles. (500x50),
- per month – 750,000 rub.
Based on profitability, net profit will be about 230,000 rubles. per month (750,000 / 30). The enterprise will fully pay for itself in 10-12 months.
Aluminum electrodes, which are metal rods, coated with a special coating, are very rarely used in large-scale production. With their help, metal is welded at home, in small enterprises or when performing complex tasks. installation work outside the walls production workshop. When using such electrodes, it is possible to get rid of the oxide film on the surface of aluminum, which greatly complicates welding work performed on parts made of this metal.
Swedish Elga electrodes for welding aluminum and its alloys
Features of welding work with aluminum parts
All welding specialists know that welding aluminum is not easy. This is explained by the presence of a refractory oxide film on the surface of parts made of this metal. The most important tasks that must be solved in order for welding to be performed efficiently are thorough cleaning of the surfaces of the workpieces to be joined from contamination and removal of the oxide film from them.
To effectively clean and degrease the surfaces of aluminum parts before you begin welding work, you can use an organic solvent (acetone, RS-1, RS-2, white spirit) or an alkaline bath (leave the workpieces in it for several minutes - do not more than 5). Soaking in an alkaline bath is more in an efficient way cleaning aluminum parts. It is not difficult to prepare a solution for it even at home with your own hands. For this you will need:
- 1 liter of water;
- 50 g sodium carbonate;
- 50 g technical trisodium phosphate;
- 30 g of liquid glass.
An example of cleaning an aluminum part in an alkaline solution
The solution prepared by thoroughly mixing these components must be heated to 65 degrees Celsius. Only after this can aluminum workpieces be placed in it.
After cleaning aluminum parts and degreasing them, another important task must be solved - removing the refractory oxide film. If this is not done, it will be very difficult to cook such workpieces, and the resulting connection will be of low quality and low reliability. To remove the oxide film in industrial and domestic conditions, use metal brushes, files or grinding machines. After execution machining the surfaces of the parts to be joined are treated with a solvent a second time.
The surface of an aluminum part is qualitatively prepared for welding by mechanical cleaning
After completing the above preparatory work, you can begin welding aluminum parts. It is best to do this with an inverter, using special electrodes for welding aluminum. In order to obtain a stable burning arc and a high-quality welding seam, they must be heated in an oven, maintaining a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. The duration of such warming up should be about 2 hours.
To weld aluminum, you need to use a DC power source and connect it to reverse polarity. When using certain electrodes for welding aluminum, it is important to choose the correct strength welding current: its value should be 25–30 A per millimeter of their diameter. 
Warming up aluminum billets with a gas burner
It is necessary to take into account one more subtlety, which allows you to obtain reliable and high-quality welded joints. This subtlety lies in the fact that the site of the future connection is heated using a gas burner. The temperature to which it is necessary to heat the aluminum parts to be joined depends on their thickness. The higher this indicator, the more intensively the aluminum workpieces should be heated.
For quality welded joint Aluminum parts are also affected by their cooling rate: it must be very slow. Such technological methods make it possible to thoroughly melt the metal even when welding at low currents, to avoid warping of the parts being joined and the appearance of crystallization cracks at the point of their connection.
There are a number of mandatory actions that are performed when welding aluminum (they can also be learned from the video).
- Before welding, if parts of significant thickness are to be welded, the joint must be heated using a gas burner.
- The resulting weld should be thoroughly cleaned of slag.
- The cleaned weld seam is sprayed hot water(this will ensure it cools slowly).
- After cooling, the seam is thoroughly cleaned of slag residues with a wire brush. If this requirement is not met, slag residues on the formed joint can lead to the formation and development of corrosion.
Types and methods of using aluminum electrodes
You can cook aluminum using electrodes various types– coal, graphite, tungsten. Their choice is influenced by a number of factors. First of all, this is the welding technology that is planned to be used.
Welding performed using manual arc technology
This technology involves the use of carbon rods as electrodes, as well as metal rods with a special coating that acts as a filler material. This welding is carried out using direct current of reverse polarity. It is especially actively used when connecting aluminum parts of small thickness, when correcting defects found in aluminum castings. For welding using this technology, as a rule, an inverter is used.
Arc welding performed using automatic technology
This technology is effective when joining aluminum parts with a cross-section thickness greater than 4 mm. Aluminum wire is used as electrodes, and the process itself is performed under a layer of flux, which has low electrical conductivity. The basis of this flux is carboxymethylcellulose, mixed with ordinary water. After mixing, the flux is ground through the sieve cells and then heated for 6 hours at high temperature– 300 degrees Celsius.
Welding in shielding gases (argon or its mixture with helium)
This type of welding, for which aluminum wire is used, is used to connect aluminum parts that are small in thickness. To ignite and maintain a stable welding arc when using this technology, tungsten electrodes are required. Such welding can be performed in both manual and automatic modes, for which a submerged or pulsed arc is used. The welding arc created using a tungsten electrode is highly stable, which makes it possible to obtain high-quality and reliable connections.
Plasma welding
This type of welding is characterized by high speed and is carried out using tungsten electrodes and aluminum filler wire. Plasma welding requires an AC power source. The diameter of the tungsten electrodes used in this case is in the range of 0.8–1.5 mm. The shielding gas for such welding is argon (pure or mixed with helium).
A short review of expensive electrodes for welding aluminum and its alloys from the manufacturer Weldcap.
Popular types of electrodes for aluminum welding
Among the wide variety of electrodes that are used for welding parts made of aluminum, there are a number of brands that are most popular.
OK alkaline salt electrodes
The most popular models are 96.10, 96.20, 96.50. It is recommended to use such electrodes for welding technical aluminum, as well as products made from alloys of this metal with manganese and magnesium. Electrodes of these brands are highly hygroscopic, so they should be stored in rooms with a minimum level of humidity.
Welding electrodes OK
Electrodes brand OZANA
Common modifications of these electrodes for aluminum are OZANA-1 and OZANA-2. The former are used if it is necessary to weld or surfacing parts made of A0-A3 alloys, the latter - for alloys AL4, AL9, AL11, etc.
OZA electrodes
Welding wire is used for their manufacture. aluminum grades SvA 1,3,5,10. Electrodes of this brand are used for welding parts that are made of pure aluminum or made of alloys of this metal with silicon.
Brands of aluminum electrodes and their features
Electrodes brand UANA
They are used for welding workpieces made of wrought and cast aluminum alloys.
EHF electrodes
These are tungsten electrodes; welding with their use is performed in a protective argon environment. Products of this brand are not able to provide high-quality ignition of the welding arc, so they are not very popular among professionals.
In the video below you can see a brief overview Turkish electrodes for aluminum Kobatek.
How to make aluminum electrodes with your own hands
All brands of electrodes that are used for welding aluminum parts are not cheap, so many home craftsmen have a natural question: is it possible to make them with their own hands. There are many videos on the Internet that clearly demonstrate the process of making homemade aluminum electrodes. In addition, to make your own electrodes suitable for welding aluminum, you can use the following instructions.
- Aluminum wire, the diameter of which is 3–4 mm, is cut into pieces 25–30 cm long.
- To prepare the electrode coating, you need to grind ordinary chalk and mix the resulting powder with silicate glue - liquid glass. The mixture of these components must be brought to a homogeneous mass and coated with it on rods of aluminum wire.
- A coating of silicate glue and crushed chalk is applied to the surface of the aluminum rod in a layer 1.5–2 mm thick, then the resulting electrode is dried until its surface completely hardens.
met-all.org
How to weld aluminum with electrodes at home
Every welder knows that welding without electrodes is impossible, and without high-quality electrodes, high-quality welding is impossible, so it is necessary to purchase high-quality welding electrodes in order to weld at the highest level. However, situations arise when it is not possible to purchase welding electrodes, but there are many available tools. Is it possible to do without a welding electrode manufacturer? Let's find out about it from this article.
Electrodes are not that difficult to make. For manufacturing, it is necessary to select a welding wire of a suitable diameter to create a welding electrode. After selecting the wire, it must be cut into pieces of 350 millimeters and sanded. After this, it is necessary to prepare a coating, which consists of liquid glass (silicate glue) and crushed chalk.
To ensure that the coating is even. It is necessary to immerse the electrode wire vertically into the coating and leave a clean end 30 - 35 millimeters long under the top. After this, the electrode should be slowly removed and hung on a rope to dry. After complete drying and hardening, you receive fully working welding electrodes.
When welding is done at home, a satisfactory result is obtained when using the contact aluminum welding method. This type of welding is carried out with continuous reflow on electrically conductive machines. It is also possible to carry out seam welding of aluminum, but this requires a high-power machine with special ion interrupters. These methods can be difficult to use at home, but some welders still use them.
When welding at home, you should not forget that you must follow safety precautions and strictly follow all requirements. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the insulation of all wires that take part in the welding process and are energized.
When carrying out welding work at home, you need to use gloves or mittens that will protect your hands from burns. Rubber boots will protect you from electric shock. When carrying out welding work, you must wear a special mask to protect your face from sparks, embers and burns. In no case should you store flammable and flammable materials and objects in the room in which you are going to carry out welding work.
If the room has a wooden floor, it should be protected from fire using a metal sheet. You should definitely place a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water near the place where you are going to weld. Due to the possible formation of harmful gases or other compounds hazardous to health, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room in which you are welding.
3g-svarka.ru
Electrodes for aluminum welding
Every welder knows well how difficult it is to deal with aluminum during the work process. Welding aluminum with an electrode is a rather complicated procedure due to the fact that the metal itself is highly susceptible negative influence external factors. Although aluminum electrodes are designed to improve this situation, since they contain various additives that facilitate welding and create additional protection, they are not able to cope with all the difficulties that need to be solved by pre-treatment.
Electrodes for aluminum welding
Welding is also carried out with aluminum wire, which is suitable for gas or argon gas. arc welding aluminum Using electrodes is one of the most difficult, but at the same time the most available ways, which have low cost. Main feature, which electrodes for welding aluminum have with their own hands, is their relative low temperature melting. Thanks to this, they melt at a faster rate. To create a high-quality weld, experience is required, since surfacing has to be carried out much faster and skills are required.
DIY electrodes for welding aluminum
Scope of data consumables is very wide, since metal and its alloys are often found in industry and in the creation of household products. After all, when high properties strength it has lightness. When using electrodes for welding aluminum with an inverter at home, you can encounter a number of problems. But still, with the choice of high-quality surfacing materials and proper preparation, this is feasible. It is worth noting that none protective coating or the gas will not be able to cope with the oxide film. During surfacing, the arc should be kept as low as possible to the base metal, which will give a better quality weld.
Electrodes for welding aluminum with an inverter
Some electrode models contain additional additives that make them more appropriate in a particular case. In many ways, they relate to working with alloys, since the composition of the aluminum electrode rod should be as similar as possible to what they will have to weld. Thus, we can conditionally divide electrodes for technically pure metal and for its alloys. Almost all brands require preheating before use, not to mention drying and calcination, since a sharp temperature change will lead to to a large extent splashing. All these varieties are used only with direct current of reverse polarity, since with alternating current the cutting quality of the connection decreases.
Physico-chemical composition
The composition of aluminum electrodes for arc welding varies greatly depending on various brands. They are still based on pure aluminum, the mass of which is overwhelming, but the main properties are determined by various additives that can be used for welding alloys and so on. For example, grade OZA 1 is intended for working with pure metal and it consists of almost 99% of it. The remaining 1% are additives, which include 0.5% silicon, 0.25% titanium, 0.2% iron and other impurities. If the materials are intended for welding aluminum-silicon alloys, then they may contain about 12% silicon, and the rest is aluminum.
Electrodes for aluminum welding grade OZA 1
Specifications
The mechanical properties of aluminum welding electrodes are one of the main parameters by which materials are selected for a particular procedure. The strength of the resulting weld, the ductility of the deposited metal and other important parameters become decisive. They largely depend on the composition, but in general, aluminum predominates in brands, so they get their main properties from this metal. Using OZA 1 as an example, we can consider the main characteristics that are present in such surfacing materials.
Brands of electrodes for aluminum welding
OZA-1 - used for welding metal in its pure form. In such electrodes there is a minimal percentage of impurities. When welding, it may be necessary additional use aluminum fluxes.
Welding electrodes OZA-1
OZA 2 – these welding materials More suitable for welding aluminum and silicon alloys. Neither are used for surfacing metal, welding defects in foundries and other industries where this alloy is found. This also requires additional use of flux.
Welding electrodes OZA-2
OK96.10 – the coating here is of the alkali-salt type. This is best suited for industrial metal that has no impurities. They are sensitive to a decrease in current strength, since at low settings there will be too frequent sticking of materials. The melting rate here is approximately three times higher than that of other metals.
Welding electrodes OK96.10
OK96.20 – there is also an alkali-salt coating, which improves the quality of rolled metal joining. These electrodes are designed for welding alloys with magnesium and manganese. The rod itself contains manganese additives. Due to the high hygroscopicity of the coating, these materials must be heated at a temperature of 220 degrees Celsius.
Welding electrodes OK96.20
Designation and marking
OZA 1 electrodes are defined as surfacing materials with a basic coating, intended for welding technical aluminum and containing 1% impurities.
Choice
Electrodes for welding duralumin and other alloys are selected to match the base metal. It is advisable that the content additional elements in both cases it was the same. The presence of a small amount of elements that improve welding properties is allowed, approximately in hundredths of a percent. Often, brands indicate which types of metal and alloy they are intended for, so the choice will not be difficult even for beginners. Next, you should pay attention to the thickness of the electrode, as it should not be too large. Due to the low melting point, there is always a risk of burning through the base metal. The discrepancy between the thicknesses should be a maximum of 1 mm.
“Important! You should not use electrodes that have been dried more than twice, as this may deteriorate the quality of welding.”
Basic modes and nuances of application
In this case, the technology of the process and preparation turns out to be no less important than the choice the right brand. Therefore, you need to know the features of how to weld aluminum with an electrode. First of all, you need to do preparatory stage. There is a very high sensitivity to surface cleanliness here. Moreover, this applies not only to physical, but also to chemical parameters. Before welding, you need to clean the surface with a brush and also treat it with a solvent to remove the oxide film. There is no other way to remove it, since its melting point is three and a half times higher than the melting point of aluminum.
When everything is prepared, you can start welding. The main feature that is worth considering is the melting rate of the electrode. It is several times higher than when welding steel. Here you just need to gain experience. If a welder encounters this process for the first time, then you should not immediately take on thin sheets of metal, but rather practice on thicker varieties, where there is less risk of scorching the base metal.
Manufacturers
This type of surfacing material is produced by many companies, but they all adhere to specified standards, especially when it comes to one brand:
- Kobatek;
- ESAB;
- Castolin;
- Lincoln Electric.
svarkaipayka.ru
Welding aluminum at home with an inverter
Welding aluminum is not an easy process. This metal is classified as difficult to weld. Specialists with experience in working with steel blanks should acquire certain skills before joining parts made of winged metal. Professional aluminum welding. 
Difficulties encountered when working on aluminum alloys
IMPORTANT! When welding, the metal can catch fire. It is unacceptable to extinguish it with water. It is necessary to have a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher in the work area.
Preparing the surface for work
Removing oxides by usual cleaning will not help. The film immediately re-forms in air. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Pre-cleaning is carried out using any detergent and a stiff brush. Preferably gasoline;
- Rinse with clean cold water;
- The surface is degreased with organic solvents: acetone, white spirit, or construction compounds"RS-1", "RS-2";
- At small size parts can be immersed for several minutes in an alkaline bath, at a solution temperature above 60°C;
- Then the surface is cleaned (actually sanded) with a wire brush. Using sandpaper or abrasive wheel not allowed, since particles of the working layer will remain on the metal;
- The sanded surface is immediately washed with solvent, which should dry on its own. IMPORTANT! It is unacceptable to wipe the surface with a rag or touch it with your fingers;
- After preparation, welding work begins immediately.
Recipe for preparing an alkaline solution for immersing an aluminum workpiece: For a liter of water (preferably distilled), take two tablespoons of soda ash, two tablespoons of technical tri-sodium phosphate and one spoon of liquid glass. Mix the components thoroughly and immerse the workpiece in the solution.
Aluminum electrode welding
Rods for welding winged metal can be either consumable or non-consumable. The first option is made of aluminum wire. Coated piece electrodes differ in the composition of their additives. Electrodes for aluminum welding
- "OK" brand. Designed for joining aluminum alloys with magnesium or manganese. Alkali-salt coating is very hygroscopic, so the electrodes must be stored in airtight packaging. Open immediately before use;
- Popular series “OZANA-1” and “OZANA-2”. In the first case, aluminum grades A0, A1, A2 and A3 are welded. They work well in surfacing mode, the layer of which is formed from a rod. The second option is intended for blanks AL-4, AL-9, AL-11. Electrodes of this series can be used to weld even vertical seams, despite the fluidity of the metal;
- The OZA brand is made of SVA wire with a diameter of 1 to 10 mm. Gives excellent results when welding pure aluminum of any thickness; only the diameter of the electrode is selected. The only rods that can qualitatively connect silicon containing alloys;
- "UANA." These electrodes are used to cook massive products, usually castings. If the workpiece is prone to temperature deformation, this is your choice;
- “EVCH”, “VL” series, as well as imported analogues WL-20, WC-20. Tungsten non-consumable rods;
Tungsten electrodes for TIG welding of aluminum. 
They operate in a neutral gas environment, such as a helium-argon mixture. It is not easy to ignite the arc during such welding, so a switchable oscillator is used to start.
- Filler rod. It is used for welding with a tungsten non-consumable electrode. A weld is formed from it.
Welding aluminum using a filler rod 
Recipe for making electrodes for aluminum
The most popular welding at home is repairing cracked aluminum engine parts. For this work, expensive electrodes of the UANA series are used. You can make similar consumables yourself.
We cut aluminum wire (diameter 3-4 mm) into pieces of 25 cm. Prepare the coating: mix crushed chalk in silicate glue until a paste forms. We cover the rods with a layer of 2 mm and let them dry. It is recommended to prepare more consumables - they burn out very quickly.
Working as an inverter
All these electrodes are used using conventional welding inverter. With good surface preparation (see instructions above), work can be done in normal air. The electrode coating acts as a generator of inert gas.
IMPORTANT! When using piece electrodes on aluminum, caustic fumes are released. Welding must be done in a well-ventilated area. Welding aluminum in production.
The seam is not perfect, but quite reliable.
If it is not possible to supply an argon mixture to the welding zone, special flux powders are used, which you can prepare yourself or buy at a building materials store; their price is low.
The most common inverter used for aluminum welding is used. The arc is ignited with reverse polarity; in the absence of an oscillator, a starting current of 200-250 amperes is supplied, which must be adjusted during the process.
For this you will need an assistant. Move the electrode away from you at a speed of no more than 40 mm per second. Upon completion of aluminum welding, the rod should be smoothly removed from the seam. If you do this abruptly, a crater will form.
Still, it is better to find a way to supply an argon mixture to the welding zone. Buying a cylinder and filling it with argon is not that expensive. But the quality of the seam will be perfect.
This video tells in detail about welding aluminum in an argon environment with a TR 220 inverter. It also explains how to properly set up the machine and what to pay attention to when welding work.
Aluminum welding - lessons for a novice welder
Welding aluminum at home with an inverter Link to main publication
The principle of current transmission in such electrodes is simple. One of the ends is uncoated for 3 cm so that it can be grasped by a holder for contact with the current circuit. The second end is slightly cleared of the coating to create contact with the object when the arc is struck.
During melting, complex processes occur in the arc. As a result of the redox reaction in a gaseous environment, at the interface between slag, metal and arc, alloying, deoxidation and oxidation occur, which create a seam.
Classification of electrodes for welding
Welding electrodes are classified according to the following criteria:
- rod coating thickness;
- rod material;
- the type of slag that is formed during melting;
- type of coating;
- purpose for welding special steels;
- metal weld properties;
- polarity and type of current used for operation;
- permissible spatial positions of surfacing or welding.
Electrodes for manual arc welding must ensure stable combustion and easy ignition of the welding arc. In addition, it is desirable that the electrode coating melts correctly, and that the slag covers the seam evenly and is easily cleaned off after finishing work. When working in weld metal, pores and cracks should be avoided.
Before choosing electrodes for DC welding, you need to familiarize yourself with their classes:
- UONI 13/45 – has a basic coating and is used for low-alloy and carbon steels. It can be used to process thick metals, pressure vessels, and eliminate casting defects.
- UONI 13/55 - has the same purpose as UONI 13/45, and you can weld not only pressure vessels, but also building metal structures.
- OZS-12 – used for working with structures made of low-carbon steel. Work can take place in any position except vertical.
- OZS-4 – makes it possible to work on an oxidized surface, suitable for low-alloy and carbon steels.
- MP-3S - suitable for the same steels as the previous type, in addition, it creates a neat seam, which makes the entire work process easier.
Typology of coatings for welding electrodes
To do right choice electrodes for welding, you need to take into account all the subtleties of the coating, the type of metal and the type of seam. Based on the type of coating, we can distinguish some types of welding electrodes, for which we will indicate a few words about the composition and application.
Materials with sour coating contain oxides of iron, silicon, manganese and in some cases titanium. The weld metal has an increased tendency to form hot cracks. Can these electrodes be used for welding? alternating current and permanent.
Options with base coating consist of magnesium and calcium carbonates, fluorspar CaF 2. They become indispensable for welding hardening steels, which are prone to cold cracks as a result of exposure to hydrogen passing into the heat-affected zone of the metal.
These low oxidation coatings help move alloying elements from the electrode into the weld. In addition, they are used for welding high-alloy steels. The metal deposited in this way is resistant to hot cracks. It can join rigid structures and be used for thick welds when surfacing in several layers.
But they also have disadvantages: low constancy of arc burning, a tendency for pores to appear when the arc increases in the seams during welding, if there is rust or scale on the metal surface.
Materials with cellulose coating They are based on cellulose. The metal deposited by them includes increased amount hydrogen. They allow welding from top to bottom, while with other electrodes a poor-quality path is obtained with this algorithm.
Electrodes with rutile coating include rutile, which consists of titanium dioxide TiO 2, as well as carbonates and aluminosilicates. Before work, they need to be dried at 200 degrees for 1 hour, and only after 24 hours can you work with them. They can cook steel on the surface of which there is rust and scale, pores will not form. They are more resistant to hot cracking than acid-coated electrodes.
Their advantages can be considered: easy ignition, high fatigue resistance of welding joints, low tendency to the appearance of pores during ignition and rapid arc extension. These electrodes can be used to weld low-alloy and low-carbon steels; You cannot cook structures that operate at elevated temperatures.
