WeldingWeb - Welding Community for pros and enthusiasts banner

Cleaning material before TIG welding

1 reading
6.7K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  bentwings  
#1 ·
I bought a lathe and a mill lately and I've been wondering how to clean the items I'm welding. The items are already clean and shiny from just being machined, but they have cutting oil on them. I've read about acetone and isopropyl alcohol and how they're used to clean the area you are going to weld. What should I watch out for? Can I weld right after I wiped the material with acetone or isopropyl alcohol? Which one is better? I read that they evaporate almost insantly, so I don't have to worry about fumes from the residue since they don't leave any.
 
#2 ·
If it's oily, there isn't much better than acetone. And yes, you can weld pretty much after wiping.
 
#6 ·
Ever tried brake parts cleaner in aerosol where u cant get acetone? I use it to clean mineral spirits off greasy marine aluminum. I first clean with MS then brake cleaner. It seems to get into small cracks to remove oil and grime residue. Then, grind clean to get shiny aluminum before welding.
 
#9 ·
#12 ·
I normally use a degreaser like Simple Green Extreme ( The aircraft version) and then a final wipe down with acetone. But I just ordered some Aluminum and stainless cleaner Dynaflux 781 we will see how good that stuff works for metal prep I think its just diluted phosphoric acid though.
My actual hope is to find a chemical that can remove the etching from aluminum tig. that would be rad. I already have an electric solution for stainless passivation and cleaning.
 
#14 · (Edited)
actetone or lacquer thinner in a HVLP gun and shoot it in there. it will flash off almost immediately. adjust the gun fan down tight and turn up the pressure to 50-60lbs . acetone would be the best choice and if you can't get your hands on some, id use lacquer thinner.
i would not use auto related anything that claims to degrease from the wlamart or auto parts store. there no telling whats really in there and you will be vaporizing anything left behind by those cleaners. i would not not chance it. but thats just me.
BTW - walmart sells acetone and lacquer thinner in gallon cans and is cheaper than lowes and homeless death spot.
 
#16 ·
Acetone and lacquer thinner have very low flash points and can auto ignite if stored improperly.