Bob,
First - Do you know how to weld (any type)right now? If you do not, go
find a community college or local technical school and get some
instruction. They may ever have an advanced class that will get you
closer.

Second - You should reseach which alloys you will work. There are a
number of choices and some limit the effective welding process that can
be used. I have not worked in this field in years, so I do not choose
to suggest without knowing the actual application and doing some study
on my own.

Third - There are are multiple processes for welding aluminum available.
All are different and some are very different. Some alloys are best
welded with TIG (expensive) others can be handled with SMA (looks like
welding rod and the easiest is MIG (has a gun that lays weld).

Most of your practice should be laying beads on flat stock so don't buy
new metal. After you learn to weld and pick up some good used gear, go
find a scrap metal dealer that get flat stock from some where and make a
deal to buy some from him with the understanding that you can sell it
back to him as larger pieces for not much less than you bought it for.

Build yourseld some forms and holders to let you weld uphill down hand
and overhead and try to assemble soem structures that are really
difficult and hard to manage and you may be close to boat building.

Keep up posted.
Best of luck,

Matt Colie
(welded in big steel ships for a while and little stuff for ever)



Bob La Londe wrote:
I am seriously interested in learning to weld aluminum. In the interest of
future projects I fugured I would buy some scrap aluminum froma local metal
worker to practice on. So...which alloys should I get. These are for
freshwater projects, but a small bay boat or small skiff for bay fishing may
be in the works for the future so sal****er applications are not totally out
of the question.