OK, I know you CAN do it with a spool gun, but should you? I would like to try to expand my welding range and was wondering if it would be worth it vs. TIG'ing or other means of welding aluminum Thanks.
TIG is first choice. MIG Aluminum needs a different shielding gas,and a new liner. MIG Aluminum is OK for production jobs.
i have an interesting situation where my ESAB is AC only, so I can't tig aluminum, but it can be setup for mig too, and has settings for aluminum.. so if I did that I would probably buy a spoolgun and only use it for aluminum.. sorry to hijack, but I've been wondering for a while if this was a good idea or not (mig welding aluminum that is)
I haven't seen a "hobby" welder that can weld aluminum with proper penetration. I'm a certified weldor and repair passenger rail cars. My work is either stainless or aluminum. While I prefer TIG, Mig welding is the fastest method for welding aluminum. It really depends on the welder. If you can TIG, I would stick with that.
Mike: Thanks. What type of numbers would you been looking at to make a welder not a hobby type. I sure I got a hobbist type with a Miller 180.
Unless I am mistaken AC is the proper setting for aluminum anyway. Spoolguns have the wire right at the gun rather than mounting the spool in the welder cabinet. Pushing thin aluminum wire is more difficult than pushing steel wire.
Some things can only be mig'd dirty castings,for instance.but with proper technique it will be just as strong but it looks like ass. pre heat any thing over 3/8" and practice alot.Good luck and then just use a tig
A spool gun is a small handheld wire feeder.The problem with MIG welding aluminum is it tends to kink when going through the liner, therefore you get a spool gun where the length the wire has to travel is only a few inches vs. feet.Do a yahoo images search, you'll see one
I wanted to try to weld aluminum with my MIG. Decided I could just change the wire and roll with it. No new liner, same gas (Argon/CO2 mix) and running it through the entire length of the gun like any other wire. I went to the welding supply and they were good guys, understood what I was trying to do, but assured me I would not have good luck. Who would have guessed they knew what they were talking about? Somewhere buried in an archived version of the HAMB I posted my results. I still have the two litle melted chunks of tubing I was trying to stick together.
The 180 is a good welder for home, even a small shop. The problem you might have depending on what your welding, is the spool gun for your welder can only handle 130-135 amps, which is not alot for welding aluminum. What are you planning to weld?
I work for an architecural signage company and do almost everything in aluminum and mig it all. The big thing is you need a spool gun because like Rodknocker said it will kink (there is suppose to also be a push/pull setup but I don't know much about it). They use 100% argon for gas according to one of the welders also. Tig would surely be capable of making a prettier weld but if you are a good welder you can make a nice looking and strong weld very easily. We use Miller Regency 250 and Miller-Matic 350 welders also.
apparently I meant dc only.. I'm going to look into getting a spoolgun http://www.esabna.com/webcatalog/showdetl.cfm?&DID=8&Product_ID=1679&CID=9
We use Mig on production items with a spool gun and straight argon gas.....push the gun for less black "smoke" in the finished item. And we use Tig for smaller stuff and items that are to appear nicer. Skot
We used to use .043 wire with straight argon. The liner has to be good, not wore out. If you have no exp. welding aluminum, you are going to get an education. If you were going to work on thin materials, less than .125, you may not be successful. We used 4043 alloy for general purpose on most alloys.
Welding aluminum with a mig sucks. Using a spool gun is only slightly better, unless you do it often and a lot. For that once in a month time, you almost need to relearn it all over again, each time. I recomend if your going to attempt aluminum you have on hand several tips for your welder, your going to need them. I use .030 wire through my spool gun and you need to feed the wire pretty fast. Usually looks like crap until I make a few welds and remember how to do it. Aluminum needs to be super clean and does not like to burn through the black gas residue. Have a good stainless brush that you use only for aluminum and do a practice piece before you attempt something that has to stick together. Gene
MIG on aluminum is going to be harder and more brittle than TIG. just the nature of the process. TIG is always best.
I worked at a semi truck trailer production plant building custom run, liquid and bulk hopper trailers. All of the aluminum was mig welded. They pass you fully loaded on the road everyday.
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