Can the aluminum in the cowling be welded?
Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher
Can the aluminum in the cowling be welded?
I am working to finish up the restoration of my 48 and I have a cowling in which two holes have been cut for air intakes in front of each muffler. I was going to put on a doubler and flush rivet a cover over the holes and then bondo the seams. My AI suggested that if The metal was soft I might be able to weld it. So if any one has any experience I would love to hear about it. I have seen the above mentioned mod on a few planes and it is shown in the parts book in the corner of the page. I have also seen the holes covered on a few planes so if any one has any experience with removing this mod I would be interested in hearing from them too. Bill K.
Polished 48 170 Cat 22 JD 620 & Pug
The cowling is made from 2024 series aluminum. It is not recommended to arc or gas weld 2024, although flash, seam or spot welding can be done successfully.
I'd recommend the more common "dollar and dime' type patch, and use body-filler before painting. The alternative is complete re-skinning
if you absolutely are opposed to a patch.
I'd recommend the more common "dollar and dime' type patch, and use body-filler before painting. The alternative is complete re-skinning
if you absolutely are opposed to a patch.'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
Alternative to bondo
I have done this on my plane, how ever instead of bondo which will eventually crack due to vibration, plus it will not stick to primar very well I did the filling with epoxy that had a filler in it. After several layups and filing and sanding it came out looking very good.
welding alloys
A good rule of thumb is if the part is hydroformed, You can tell if it has a compound curve, you can be certain that Cessna Hydro formed it.
Hydro formed parts are typicly made of Weldable alloys. 1100,3003,5052, etc
I can weld 2024..... problem is the welded edges can be broken with a light tap. 
So the Nosebowl you might attempt it, but on the upper don't bother because chances are it's 2024
Thats why welds are so rare on aluminum aircraft most are made primarily of 2024.
Scott
Hydro formed parts are typicly made of Weldable alloys. 1100,3003,5052, etc
I can weld 2024.....
problem is the welded edges can be broken with a light tap. So the Nosebowl you might attempt it, but on the upper don't bother because chances are it's 2024
Thats why welds are so rare on aluminum aircraft most are made primarily of 2024.
Scott
In the early Eighties, I was building aluminum racing boats. To help eliminate distortion, we had one lenghtwise seam that was riveted. We also used an epoxy in the seam that, when in a cured state, was pliable. I wonder if using something like that in the center of a patch might help re-inforce it and prevent cracking. I would imagine that you would not want to go to the edge of the patch because you would create a hard edge that would probably be more prone to work hardening.