Welding Brimabrite

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paddy700d

paddy700d

Active Member
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As the title says anyone got any good advice about welding brimabrite? I won't be doing it myself as I have at least 6 Alu coded welders at my work but I'm trying to find out all the info before hand. Can you weld normal Alu sheet of a similar gauge or does it have to be brimabrite? What's the best process for welding Mig or Tig? (I'm thinking Tig as its easier to control and I'm not sure the work Mig plants would go low enough)

Cheers,
Paddy
 
What do you need to weld?
If possible get a donor panel to supply the sheet needed, also when Im doing ally sheet I dont know the properties of I ll cut strips to use as the filler rod
 
There was a TIG chap trying to weld the stuff on a 110 tub in "A 4x4 Is Born", and he had real problems - reckoned it was contaminated.
 
birmabrite is a mix of aluminium and magneseum and i wouldnt attempt to weld it if i were you unless yer use a spot welder and leather it good n proppa as exessive heat can set magneseum on fire ( remember the pretty blue flame off the metal in chemistry )

just be bleddy carefull :D:D
 
:) ""as exessive heat can set magneseum on fire ""

way back in 1971 when Rolls Royce aero went tits up, my old govner sought engineering work where he could.
I ended up profile turning magnesium wheels from castings for team Lotus racing. they looked like an hour glass with a very small middle like a waist.
was told to HURRY UP and dont fap about clearing all that mag sawarf from the swarf trays...............................................................

WHOOSH it all went one day... :)
filled the shop floor in seconds with acrid white smoke..
it self ignited through friction of the cutting tool..

firemen came and put wet sand on the glowing embers...

WHOOSH and crackle it then went again... lol...


november 5th has never quite matched that day.. lol..
 
I have welded it with oxy acetylene, and as Pressbrake said I cut strips from an old panel for filler rod. So should be ok with a TIG.
I used an alu flux but still the main problem was getting it clean enough.
 
Birmabrite is quite easy to weld , it even used to have a section in the series workshop manual on how to do it and annealing process. Caution the "ali" used in land rovers may have changed over the years , it has certainly got thinner HTSH
 
johnny curt 1 said:
birmabrite is a mix of aluminium and magneseum and i wouldnt attempt to weld it if i were you unless yer use a spot welder and leather it good n proppa as exessive heat can set magneseum on fire ( remember the pretty blue flame off the metal in chemistry )

just be bleddy carefull :D:D
Click to expand...

It is very easy with tig and correct filler rod use a stainless steel brush to clean the metal, as any other type of brush will contaminate it. Make sure you use argon gas any other will burn the hell out of it making it unweldable.
this statement is untrue: (exessive heat can set magneseum on fire) not with this alloy only 1% or 7% magnesium

Birmabright is a trade name of the former Birmetals Co. (Birmabright works in Clapgate Lane, Quinton, Birmingham, UK) for various types of lightweight sheet metal in an alloy of aluminium and magnesium. The constituents are 7% magnesium, sometimes 1% manganese, and the remainder aluminium.[1] The BB2 is one example, of which equivalent specifications are British standard NS4, American 5251 and ISO designation AlMg2.

Have welded thousands of feet of 5251 with tig and mig And if you don't believe me then do a search
 
Last edited:
I thought the correct procedure was to preheat the metal before welding. And the way to check that the temp was right was to brush it with engine oil and when it stopped smoking and turned bluey/purple it was upto heat???
 
redhand said:
I thought the correct procedure was to preheat the metal before welding. And the way to check that the temp was right was to brush it with engine oil and when it stopped smoking and turned bluey/purple it was upto heat???
Click to expand...

naah mate yer got yer wires crossed a little there

youve described how to anneal bermabrite ( soften the metal ) so yer can work it more easily and neatly such as when shortening a 109 rear tub to fit an 88" series ;)
 
easye1 said:
:eek:

yer never too old lad.....


I is old, but I just take more time :D

must admit to never welding ally/alloys tho`
strictly metal me, if a magnet sticks, so does my welds...

take it from me mig welding aluminium ( yes i did say mig not tig ) is fekkin fast paced and damn tricky to do ;)















mostly.....:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
take it from me mig welding aluminium ( yes i did say mig not tig ) is fekkin fast paced and damn tricky to do ;)
 
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