Found some face book gold...

[datadavid]

I'm pretty sure that frame was TIG welded. It has all of the signs of a decent TIG weld. A lot of kids these day are used to seeing super pro all I do is weld type welds and anything less just doesn't cut it.

Ehh... you are wrong.
Have you ever tried welding alu?
There are no signs of decent welding anywhere here.. if it was decent it would not be ground away. Nice and decent tig welds you dont grind away..
Because? They look nice.
This guy surely turned this frame to shit with his welding, probably weakening the structure even more.

And you dont have to be a super pro to weld stuff, but if you attempt to do something like this then, yes, you do actually need to be an experienced professional who knows what the fuck you are doing, or somebody will end up getting hurt.

But I'm gonna leave it at that. Trying to explain things to people who cant or don't want to understand just kind of makes me tired and depressed.

 

[kowalski]

I have tried welding TIG weld weld aluminum. It suck ass. Just blows through with out warning. I went to school years ago for body repair/custom fabrication. You don't sound like you much experience in TIG welding either. Just a good theroy foundation. Right now all anyone can say is that in theroy this might not work because of this of this other theroy.
If that was a MIG weld the bead would be waaaay more uniform, but with a TIG it probably won't be since you're control heat with your foot and wire speed with you hand.

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

I have tried welding TIG weld weld aluminum. It suck ass. Just blows through with out warning. I went to school years ago for body repair/custom fabrication. You don't sound like you much experience in TIG welding either. Just a good theroy foundation. Right now all anyone can say is that in theroy this might not work because of this of this other theroy.
If that was a MIG weld the bead would be waaaay more uniform, but with a TIG it probably won't be since you're control heat with your foot and wire speed with you hand.

Wrong again... I used to weld for a living, repaired shit like this working at Kawasaki Lincoln NE, welded exhaust at Walker, fuck I welded 3 foot long no stop fillets on lawn decks until mu arm was sunburn under my leathers, Hung from red iron freezing my ass off root cover root cover root cover soooo yeah GMAW (mig) alum when started "cold" looks like a turd log laying in the grass until the weld process heats the metal "anealing" then the weld pool penetrates and flows flatter, GTAW (tig) the anealing can be somewhat done with the torch by swirling the arc for a few seconds, the reason people see the weld "drop out" is because most dont know when the pool is molten and wait too long to dab... This guy is a shade tree welder, maybe the best at his other skills, but not this one. someone said "track bike" well sure... right up until that frame stresses and you take out 5 other riders, the AMA sees that weld and says... Sorry Sir but you are no longer welcome here.

I tried to be all nicey nicey, because I'm not book smart and people will ask about all kinds of theory and physics about welding... my answer to that is, I don't fucking know, hand me a torch and I will see if I can show you... my rant ends here, but this weld is Fail.

 

[datadavid]

I have tried welding TIG weld weld aluminum. It suck ass. Just blows through with out warning. I went to school years ago for body repair/custom fabrication. You don't sound like you much experience in TIG welding either. Just a good theroy foundation. Right now all anyone can say is that in theroy this might not work because of this of this other theroy.
If that was a MIG weld the bead would be waaaay more uniform, but with a TIG it probably won't be since you're control heat with your foot and wire speed with you hand.

And I've been welding since i was 12 years old, last seven years a certified tig and mma welder, been welding at a nuclear plant since last year..
So i would say i have both theory and practice. And that weld looks like shit.
I would fire anyone welding like that immediately.

 

[kowalski]

You guys do have me beat in welding experience. I never did go on to body work or regular welding after that school. I'be been a diesel tech for about 7 years and I only have to MIG something ever once and a while.
My TIG aluminum welds did look like that guys though. I never came close to being much good at it. I could throw down an ugly weld that seemed to hold. That said you guys are most likely right about this guys frame repair and the very least much more right than me.

 

[datadavid]

All good, i just get a bit agitated since this all boils down to possibly saving a few lives.
If we can persuade only one guy on here from attempting to do this on his bike without the necessary knowledge, then its worth throwing around some harsh criticism about weld quality. Which is pretty much what welders do! That and drink a lot of coffee and try to avoid work