Need help!!! New welder

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I just bought a craftsman mig welder and it says that I can weld aluminum.  Here is the link http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-m...p-00920569000P.  I have called sears till I am blue in the face and read owners manual and am getting nowhere real fast. As you will see from the web site it says you can weld aluminum.  I immediately thought I need a spool gun but I can't find one for this model.  I deeply appreciate any help. Thank you for your time
Reply:Any mig that has drive rolls for aluminum available for it can weld aluminum using teflon gun liners...   you need 100% argon gas too not a steel mix gas.   The problem is that aluminum is soft metal and will easily birdsnest and jam up in the drive, gun or liner.   Also it will burn back and clog up the tips.  Need to keep liner/cable as straight as possible too.  It is not optimum way to weld aluminum and it will try your patience for sure..There is no cheap way to weld aluminum is what it comes down to.   Spool gun is the way to go for doing aluminum...  You could run something like the GoWeld using your mig as a power source..  the link did not work but u need a lot of current to weld aluminum.  A 250amp and up machine is generally the standardLast edited by soutthpaw; 09-19-2012 at 08:44 PM.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Can you weld alum with it? In theory, yes. In reality not really. IF ( big if) you max out the machine on both wire feed and voltage, AND keep the gun perfectly straight so it can feed with minimal resistance and are using a teflon liner, feeding .030 5356 wire, you might be able to weld 18 ga alum running 100% argon. Note that all the stars will have to be in perfect alignment for this to work, and trying to weld thin alum with what is generally a hot process will be very difficult if not impossible. So while technically it can weld alum, you just won't have any luck doing so probably. that machine really lacks the output to do any really useable alum thickness.If you want to have any chance at mig alum you will need at least a 180 amp, 230v mig and a spoolgun. Maxed out the 180 amp class mig will do 1/8" alum. You would be better off with a 2000 amp class mig as it will give you a bit of adjustment at the top end when trying to do 1/8" so you can fine tune things..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Thanks to both of you