California Motorbikes Minarelli Modification Log.

[Jayraye39]

you cannot weld aluminum with flux core wire. Aluminum requires being welded with aluminum wire from a gun fed aluminum machine. whatever you tacked on your case is going to fall off. Anyhow I have a titian flux machine from harbor frieght. It welds really well for the things you do around the house and perfect for bikes and frames. It was $200. If you happened to buy the black chicago electric flux welder. then you wont be able to weld anything that is structural. The problem with the chicago electric welder is that it welds with an A/C current. When all welders convert A/C in order to weld with D/C. if you bought the black one return it and get the Titainum 125 flux

 

[ImpulseRocket]

Aluminum MIG welding also requires inverted polarity, which is known as STAW, or Spray Transfer Arc Welding. Basically the wire is melted and sprayed/dropped into the melted base material through the arc, which also melts the base material. You can, in theory, use a standard mig gun for aluminum, but spool guns are a smarter idea since aluminum welding wire is soft and jams up easily in the sleeve of a regular mig gun. You also definitely want shield gas. There are a couple of reasons FCAW aluminum wire doesn't really exist.

 

[Wyvern]

We have a spool mig at work, aluminum is a totally different animal to weld, I only have maybe an hour behind the gun of one, the part I welded proved to be strong, but it looked absolutely horrible.

 

[ImpulseRocket]

We have a spool mig at work, aluminum is a totally different animal to weld, I only have maybe an hour behind the gun of one, the part I welded proved to be strong, but it looked absolutely horrible.

I have more hours welding aluminum with a spool gun than any other type of welding style and material. It's tricky to get right because of how conductive aluminum is. Preheating greatly helps in reducing the amount of adjustment you need to make while running a bead, and really helps with weld penetration and its consistency. Going from cold you have to quickly adjust how fast your are moving the gun across the base material or risk blowing through the weld. Even with the best technique, it's pretty impossible to get that "stacked dime" look with Mig welding aluminum, but it's excellent for strong fast welds, especially with 1/8" (3mm) and thicker aluminum. TIG welding thick aluminum is a more tedious and very hot affair.

 

[Wyvern]

Anyone know if these Italian mills pull any better than a Phantom?

I have an Avenger that I'm putting into a fat-tire Phatmoto, but kicking around the idea of trying one of these.

It would need pretty decent low end grunt, I'm also putting a centrifugal clutch in it (assuming it's the same bottom end as a 80cc)

 

[Nickt919]

Anyone know if these Italian mills pull any better than a Phantom?

I have an Avenger that I'm putting into a fat-tire Phatmoto, but kicking around the idea of trying one of these.

It would need pretty decent low end grunt, I'm also putting a centrifugal clutch in it (assuming it's the same bottom end as a 80cc)

Minarelli top ends probably have less torque. The one I run doesn’t turn until 7k or so when the pipe hits. Then it pulls pretty good.