On Sun, 21 May 2006 17:02:26 GMT, lid (brandon26) wrote:

Hi.
I have to investigate how to weld (or join using other methods)
aluminium tubes together. I know that this is very difficult because
of the melting point of the material, but it is possible and has been
done before.
Can anyone provide further information on how to weld aluminium tubes
together or provide the address of a website for reference?
Thanks

It isn't difficult, but it does take some practice to learn. There
are no secret silver bullets on the internet.

You can make things a lot easier by using either a piece of smaller
tube (or rod or rolled-up sheetmetal) on the inside of the joint, or a
sleeve on the outside. You can then aluminum braze it with a torch.
Butt welds in 1/16" aluminum tube can be done with either TIG or O/A
but there is no shortcut around practicing until you get it. Note
that, unlike steel, aluminum welds are never as strong as the parent
metal. If you need the joint to be as strong as the rest of the
assembly then you need significant build with filler. O/A welds do
tend to be more ductile and less brittle than TIG welds.

A videotape about welding aluminum with O/A is available from
http://www.tinmantech.com/html/vid_h..._weld_alum.php

I haven't seen it.