I have a friend looking to repair their aluminum canoe. they a looking for me to get some tig work done on this aluminum piece. I was wonder if I could get some help. I have no experience in tig. I can reasonable compensate the person that can assist in the repair.
I’m not sure that a TIG weld in that type of Aluminum would hold. That looks like a stress fracture.
If you do want to weld it, I’d recommend drilling the termination of the crack, and being very careful with your surface preperation. Any level of uncleanness of the material in Aluminum especially old weathered aluminum is going to crack on you.
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Adding to @malcolmputer 's comment. Not all aluminum alloys are considered weldable, and then you need to know the alloy type to get a matching welding rod. This looks like a cover plate so isn’t highly loaded area.
A standard repair on aircraft, as Malcolm has stated, is when a crack is propagating any metal, plastic, or composites, is to drill out the end of the crack. The end of a crack super concentrates the stress forces, it can easily exceed 10,000 psi because it is such a small area. The next thing that is often done is to insert a rivet, typically with a universal head (round button shaped head), drive it so it is tight. This helps stop any spreading forces. If this just a cover, then put the upset side of the rivet on the side that is usually visible into a countersink, then you can mill/shave it flat so when repainted not visible.
While welding can be tricky, you may have better success using an aluminum flux coated brazing rod. This looks like a cover plate so isn’t highly loaded area. Do the rivet and counter-sink after brazing.
While welding can be tricky, you may have success using and Aluminum brazing rod.
Advantage of these they are low temp and can be done with a propane/MAPP or torch. I’ve used these before and I think they’d work great for this type of repair.
Aluminum Brazing/Welding For Beginners
Good luck!
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When do you need it repaired by?
You’ll need Aluminum 4043 or 5052 or 5356 tig wire. 3/32 or 1/16" diameter.
It appears to be either stamped or cast. Cast is a bit tougher to weld, but if the welder is setup properly that can probably be repaired.
If you can’t repair it or the weld makes the problem worse are you ok with that?
Prior to welding it needs to be cleaned with a scotch brite or a steel or stainless wire brush to remove the light corrosion that is on it.