Tig welding tip- tired of cleaning aluminum with a wire brush?

by Casey
(Heart of Dixie)

I weld alot of trashy aluminum, when I say trashy I mean literally.

I repair aluminum garbage trailers!! Yuckey is a word that usually comes to mind for those primadonna's that sit at a table with their tennis shoes on and weld all-day. My arms would be mush from trying to brush off somebodys eggs and bacon out of a crack 4ft long that I needed to repair. I tried aluminum grinding discs for awhile but aluminum seems to weld better when the surface is smooth-polished instead of a corse finish that a grinding disk leaves you with. My tip for cleaning aluminum is using a 4 1/2 flap disk for those dirty jobs that require a little extra cleaning. Try 60 grit it will cut a little and polish. I keep a flap disk on one grinder with ALUMINUM ONLY!!! written all over it. IMPORTANT!! KEEP ALUMINUM Separate FROM STEEL when you've got a bunch of goofy goobers working for you. Love your job or find another because you'll never be good at it. GOD BLESS!