MIG welding alum

GrnRanger

GrnRanger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Location
Raleigh
i have my eye on a millermatic 185 to buy in the near future. from what i've read it looks to be a good, reliable machine. and i think it will serve my welding needs for now. heres my question: is it absolutely necessary to use a spoolgun to weld alum? my searches on the net seem to indicate few ppl weld alum without one. i want this machine to be very versatile as it will most likely be the only one i will own (until plans change again) for a long time.

does anyone ever use a MIG for alum without using a spool gun? is it possible to crank down on the tensioner and get decent results? correct me if i'm wrong, but isnt the purpose of the spoolgun to reduce the drag on the alum wire?
 
I've mig'd some Aluminum with my Hobart 175, and I had to lay it down really thick. It welded it together, but TIG works much better in all aspects. With that said, it can be made to work, just have to have the right gas, super clean surfaces, and impurity free wire.
 
just talked to they guy at national welders the other week about doing this with a miller mig. he said that we needed to change out the metal spiral core that the steel wire uses with a plastic tube so the alum wire doesnt get knicked and hang up and use 100% argon gas.
 
100% argon gas, steel liner will work just be sure it is larger than wire diameter. Use tip at least 1 size bigger. Keep cable as straight as possible while welding. No tension on drive roll at all, very little if any on wire spool itself. Use weight alone of idler roller. This will keep wire from birdnesting if there is a problem. Wire might burn back to tip, pop off & keep getting it. 4043 wire is stiffer than the 5000 series stuff. Use the largest diameter wire you can getaway with.
This is what I do with a Lincoln wirematic 255 & .035 4043 al wire.
 
Back
Top