flyrotary@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

Yes, Lynn suggested wet towels or even submerging it in water.

Another thing not very feasible with a commercial welder, but probably good with your buddy, is short weld times. Weld a bit and let it cool down. Repeat.

I don't know at what temps the brazing (?) that holds the rad together start melting, but the idea would be to not let the non-welded parts heat up to that.

I used a commercial welder for my rads and he managed to damage some fins which I had to fix with JB-weld. Unless the welder specializes in very thin alum welding there is a substantial learning curve. Coming from welding 1/8" alum to welding thin rads is a whole new ball game, I think. Maybe let him practice on soda cans first if new to this?

Finn

On 8/15/2023 6:31 PM, Doug Lomheim rv9flyer13b@gmail.com wrote:

I am now at the point where I’m ready to take my Griffin radiator over to a TIG welding buddy to add some NPT “bungs” and close up some of the original holes left when I removed the 1.5 inch hose fittings. I remember reading a decade ago that when one welds on an existing radiator it’s a good idea to put wet towels on it, to dissipate heat, etc.

Is that a required practice, and are there any other techniques / procedures we need employ to maximize the chances for a good outcome?

thanks.

Doug