Materials
Preparing aluminium for welding
Quick answer
Prepare aluminium by cleaning stainless brush the oxide layer off right before welding — it reforms within hours. On this material, cleanliness decides weld quality more than machine settings do.
The prep routine
- stainless brush the oxide layer off right before welding — it reforms within hours
- Clamp or tack so the joint can't walk as heat goes in
- Check fit-up: gaps eat filler and heat control
- For multi-pass, brush and inspect between passes