Savvy Bumper Welds

YonderNorthwest

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Dropped off my savvy front bumper and fairlead mount to be anodized yesterday. Associate informed me that the welds would likely come out charcoal gray rather than black if the filler was 4043 rather than 5356. Anybody happen to know what Savvy has been using for their filler?

Thanks
 
When I had my Savvy gas tank skid plate anodized the welds were a charcoal grey afterwards. I knew it was a possibility going in but I wasn’t concerned,,,
 
When I had my Savvy gas tank skid plate anodized the welds were a charcoal grey afterwards. I knew it was a possibility going in but I wasn’t concerned,,,

Thanks for the reply. Most of the bumper welds are on the backside or underside of the bumper and not a concern. Unfortunately there are welds on the outer edges of the front of the bumper that get ground down before the bumper ships. I'm curious as to how those will turn out post anodizing. Do you have any pictures of your skid plate and anodized welds?
 
Thanks for the reply. Most of the bumper welds are on the backside or underside of the bumper and not a concern. Unfortunately there are welds on the outer edges of the front of the bumper that get ground down before the bumper ships. I'm curious as to how those will turn out post anodizing. Do you have any pictures of your skid plate and anodized welds?

If you are concerned about the welds matching, why not go with a powder coat?
 
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Do you have any pictures of your skid plate and anodized welds?

I never took any pictures but I can probably get one soon’ish. The Jeep is stored for the Winter…

Also, my parts were clear anodized. The same thing happened to all the aluminum welds from the parts I bought from Savvy and UCF…
 
Only thing I could find on their website was that they use 6061 for skid plates & rocker guards. I'd assume they use the same for everything else but I could be wrong. The most common filler for this is typically 4043 so that's the most likely candidate
 
Only thing I could find on their website was that they use 6061 for skid plates & rocker guards. I'd assume they use the same for everything else but I could be wrong. The most common filler for this is typically 4043 so that's the most likely candidate

The front bumper is 6061 in the T6 temper but there is a small flange on the underside that needs a tight bend so it is 5053. The welds will not match the main material if it is anodized. I would find a custom powder coater and have that done with light sand blast and then into the spray booth immediately before the oxides can form again.
 
4043 will indeed turn black. Here's a pic of a set of rails we did for NIH (yes, we do work for the devil) where we had a welder pick up some 4043 by mistake. Seven total spots across 400 lnft of rail wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. EDIT: You can see where he did his initial tack with 5356 (spot in the middle).

Edit 2: If you ever need to check the filler metal, spray it with a little oven cleaner (kind with lye), and the 4043 will also color up.

IMG_0590001.jpg
 
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The front bumper is 6061 in the T6 temper but there is a small flange on the underside that needs a tight bend so it is 5053. The welds will not match the main material if it is anodized. I would find a custom powder coater and have that done with light sand blast and then into the spray booth immediately before the oxides can form again.

If I remember correctly, the only welds visible after installation are the two at the front corners/edges that Savvy grinds down before shipping. My thought is that if the mismatched color bothers me, I can buy or fab up some armor to cover those two spots. Do you happen to know what filler Savvy is using for their welds? My understanding is that the bumper is of your design.

Thanks
 
If I remember correctly, the only welds visible after installation are the two at the front corners/edges that Savvy grinds down before shipping. My thought is that if the mismatched color bothers me, I can buy or fab up some armor to cover those two spots. Do you happen to know what filler Savvy is using for their welds? My understanding is that the bumper is of your design.

Thanks

I designed the bumper, I did not specify weldment other than do it so it doesn't fall apart before the customer gets it.
 
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