MIGing Aluminum, shorter gun? HH187?

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1.  I know you are supposed to use a spool gun for welding aluminum because the wire gets caught in the gun liner but I was thinking you could modify a regular gun to have a shorter feed, I know it wouldn't be optimal for usability because of how short the feed would be, 3-5ft I figure, but it'd work for work bench stuff.  I don't know how hard it would be to shorten the length of the gun but it doesn't seem like it'd be that hard.I have a Hobart 187.  The Spool gun attachments for my welder are extremely expensive compared to others in my power range.  I've seen conversion kits to use Miller spool gun attachments which are a lot cheaper but those conversion kits are still 150-200 bucks themselves.2.  Where in the heck do you find extra parts for the HH187?  I've been looking online like crazy for the past hour or so and I can't find anything for it as far as extra parts are concerned.  I've been looking for U-Rollers, nylon linings, etc. and can't find anything of the sort.  I think the combination of a shorter gun, u-roller, and nylon lining it should be a lot easier to push the softer aluminum through the gun.  I'd like to give it a try if I can find these components but have no clue where to go.Hobart Handler 1871998 VW Jetta TDI - 1997 VW Jetta Project Carhttp://calebhammel.com
Reply:you may get lucky, but consider this....even spoolguns have feed problems from time to time and they only have to push the wire 4 inches.My name's not Jim....
Reply:With  that short of a gun it will be almost imposible to keep the gun straight and do any sort of welding. That means tighter turns for the alum wire and a greater chance it will bind in the gun. At least with a long gun you can keep the lead as straight as posible.Even if I had a spare gun, I doubt I would think about it. Remember after you butcher the gun and it doesn't work, you'll have nothing of value except posibly a few small parts. Any money you spent will be just tossed in the trash. AND you will still need to go spend the money to get the correct parts..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:I have had no issue using the regular gun on my Hobart Handler 140.  It pushes the aluminum out with no trouble, no tangles, no birdnests, etc.I did nothing other than swap[ing out my ER70S-6 for some 5356 Aluminum wire.  Then, I swapped in a bottle argon, and I was good to go!  I think my HH140 has about a 10 foot lead on the mig gun.
Reply:Worked on an aluminum deck project this summer where they took 4 stick/tig welders who had virtually no ali experience and turned us loose in the test booth.  We were using .045 with 6 ft. whips on LN-25's.  Vertical and horizontal, we all failed miserably.  Lots of stubbing and ruined tips.  Got to practice a little and learned what gun positions worked and no problem.  Half an acre of lap joints on 3/16" plate and vertical stiffeners up to 3/4" thick.  Had our feeders on carts that we just kept moving along to the ideal position.  Guess anything is possible
Reply:By the time you get done ruining your mig gun trying to shorten it to feed the aluminum, you would be better off to just spend the 200 bucks for the spool gun that is made to use with your machine.   Welding costs money, learn to spend it on the right equipment and you will be able to accomplish your projects sucessfully.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:If the spool gun for my HH187 was only 200 bucks I would have bought it a long time ago.Hobart Handler 1871998 VW Jetta TDI - 1997 VW Jetta Project Carhttp://calebhammel.com
Reply:I picked up a new Ready Welder for $200 this spring. Found it on Craig's List. http://www.readywelder.com/catalog/p...products_id=82That's the model I found, haven't had a chance to use it yet but I have an upcoming project I plan to use it on.HH 187Miller Bluestar1EAHP AlphaTig 200X