TIG Rods, Aluminium MIG Wire and Anti-Spatter: The Consumables That Decide Your Weld
Machines get the glory. Consumables get the blame when a weld goes wrong, and often they deserve it. Aluminium is the fussy one. Steel forgives a lot, but aluminium punishes a wrong filler, a damp spool or a dirty joint with a weld that looks fine and cracks later. Anti-spatter is the unglamorous side of the same story, because spatter costs you grinding time you never planned to spend. Aluminium TIG rods TIG gives you the most control on aluminium, and the filler rod is half of that control. The TIG rods – aluminium range covers the common alloys, and picking between them comes down to the job. Two families cover most work. A silicon-based rod such as 4043 flows nicely, wets out well and resists cracking on many castings and general repair jobs. A magnesium-based rod such as 5356 gives more strength and suits marine and structural work, and it matches a lot of 5000-series plate. Filler Character Typical use 4043 Fluid, forgiving, cleaner looking General fabrication, castings, repairs...