stupid question for yall

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is it possible to weld aluminum with out gas? the idea is can you use flux as a substitute for the gas on a mig.
Reply:i guess it depends on what you eat
Reply:Originally Posted by ed maci guess it depends on what you eat
Reply:You can stick weld it without gas with aluminum rods.  I've not seen an aluminum fluxcore wire though.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33You can stick weld it without gas with aluminum rods.  I've not seen an aluminum fluxcore wire though.
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverHA!  Why, run out of argon?
Reply:Try it and get back to us with your success (or failure)
Reply:Sounds strange enough, but yes it actually was done in the past. You must use aluminum WELDING flux though. From What I know it wasn't easy to see the puddle, difficult to control, and only suitable for heavy material. You can also carbon arc weld aluminum the same way. I dont think it ever was very popular though, as arc (stick) welding could handle the heavy work, and torch welding could do just about any thickness. Then Tig ( and gas shielded arc ) came along, and companies started using it to avoid the post weld cleaning step.
Reply:I don't really see anything wrong with experimenting every now and then to see what happens.  Hell, if folks in the past didn't do a little experimenting from time to time we would still be binding things with sinew and catgut.  I'm sure there were some folks that thought Thomas Edison, Alex. Graham Bell, and Ben Franklin were idiots, but look at the advances that have been made since then in those areas as well as the technologies that have come about as a result of these men trying something new or different.If you don't use your head you may as well have been born with two backends.That ain't exactly how Papa used to say it.*Linc'n WeldanPower 200 with a Wis. 2 cyl. w/handcrank*Linc'n AC225 *Linc'n ProMig 180*tiny porta torch...
Reply:thanks makoman i did not know that you must have lots of knowledge in history
Reply:Sounds like good ol' submerged arc welding to me. Never heard of it being done with aluminum. I ran a little bit of it on steel when I was in school. It was an automated set up, but I've seen old pics of manual submerged arc welding. Had to be frustrating since you couldn't really see anything.