The rear window/frame on my pickup trucks shell is about 15 or so
years old and is getting tired. The aluminum hinge/frame was starting
a crack along the hinge assembly, and is composed of a chunk of L
aluminum, about 1/16" thick.

Not having any aluminum of the proper type on hand, Ive been pondering
this for a couple weeks, and have been waiting for the entire
window/hatch to fall off on the freeway....cringe.

So today..in an insane moment of bravado and balls..I decided to TIG
weld up the 12" long crack, and also reinforce other weak areas.

So I drug the ground, tig torch, foot pedal and stainless steel brush
over to the now backed intotheweldingarea pickem up truck..and thought
about how to proceed. The crack was only acessable with the hatch
open, and then from underneith. This meant I had to overhead weld the
dreaded aluminum thin stuff...GACK!!!!! OMGODthisisgonna be a
bitch..and it was.

I fired up the Airco Squarewave 300, rounded a 3/32 2% lanthanated
electrode (per Ernie) on a chunk of stainless steel, Electrode
positive, then switched to AC, scrubbed the snot out of the aluminum
with a SS wire brush..then pondered the first problem...foot pedal.

The only way I could reach the crack, was sitting tailor fashion on
the tailgate, facing the front of the truck and working overhead. No
way to push the pedal..so I put it under my left thigh, and could push
by moving my leg a bit. This of course lead to serious leg
cramps..zapping myself with the HV at least once..sigh.

The frame was insulated from truck ground by the fiberglass of the
shell, so I didnt have to worry about zapping the computer etc..which
was a small blessing.

I started the arc..and started heating the aluminum..and found the
current wasnt high enough, so I set it up for max 125 amps, with start
current of 30%..made the best guess at the balance, backround and
pulse, then assumed the position again..and again got a
cramp..resulting in a flinch..sticking the electrode to the
frame...sigh.. resharpening..I tried it again..

Pressing down with my leg..I could see the aluminum start to melt..and
I fed in a little aluminum filler..which balled up, and fell onto my
crotch. I could smell jeans burning...as I instantly fell off the
tailgate in a desperate struggle to protect the family jewels. Now Im
upside down, wrapped in ground cable, tig hose, the foot pedal teeters
on the tailgate..then falls on my crotch. What the hot dingleberry
didnt scorch..the pedal crushed.

Sigh...

Getting out my leather apron (hindsight is 2020)..I reassumed the
position again..but a bit more gingerly...I fired up the arc
again..this time waiting for the base metal to start to go all
silvery, then gently dabbed the filler into the silver puddle...

SOB...it melted into the puddle..and stayed there...**** me
running..its working!!! Im welding Im welding! Buawahahahhaha!

Paying close attention..I managed to run at least 10" of the 12" with
a clean, neat bead. Not stack of dimes..but still nice (for me). Then
I got a leg cramp, stuck the electrode into the puddle..filled the
entire cup of the torch with melted aluminum and fell off the tailgate
again as the cup exploded, raining hot **** all over me..including
under my mask, down my neck. But my crotch was protected!!!!

Sigh.....

Brush off the singed chest hair, installed a new cup, regrind of the
electrode, reposition, scrub vigorously with the brush again, fire up
the arc, and finish the weld in a pretty matter of fact
fashion..forgetting of course to creep up on the end of the
material..and melting the last 1/4" completly, down into the cup of my
torch again..which fortunately didnt explode this time.

Well Ill be damned..I actually overhead welded aluminum. Mostly. Had
some icicles hanging, there at the end of the weld..which I took care
of with a 4 flute 1/4" endmill in an air die grinder..worked really
slick.

If Id been smart..and had a helper, I should have taken the 30 minutes
to pull the shell off the truck, and turned it over..but hey..Ive been
called a lot of things..but never smart..and there wasnt a helper
handy.

Now I can reeeeely understand the utility value of one of those torch
mounted controls and why spool guns are so popular. I have a mig..but
not the proper liner etc etc though I do have several spools of
aluminum mig wire (which I was using for filler.)

But Im totally tickled..Ive gone from Daubers Helper, to Daubers
Apprentice 1.

Maybe an old dog can learn new tricks.

This just opened up a whole new can of worms for me..now that I can
melt aluminum together. Sorta. Kinda. A little. Somewhat......


Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner