XMT 304: Aluminum, Stainless, MIG, etc

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I just bought, rather unexpectedly, an XMT 304 (I was buying some gas cylinders and the guy mentioned he had it: we settled on $500). No cables or nothing. We plugged it in and the panel lighted up, but I didn't get to test it, though it's in nice shape. It's the CC/CV model.I notice Miller says it's good for Aluminum, but I don't exactly see how -- I think it's a straight DC machine? I've been expecting to learn TIG, and I think to TIG aluminum it's really nice to have 1) AC 2) adjustable frequency.Also: what  accessories/components should I get for it? If you want to list them in order of priority and expected cost, that would be cool. Here's my stab:Leads: $150Pedal: $150-250TIG Torch: $2-400Wire Feeder: $200-1000Torch Cooler: $2-400I don't think there's any reason to get an HF unit or anything, since it has Lift-Arc, but maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. I can't really afford the stuff above, so I'll be looking for REALLY CHEAP used deals (let me know if you have anything I need!), but if I can at least understand what makes sense, that might help.In my ideal world, I'd like to be able to do steel, stainless, & aluminum, definitely TIG, probably MIG, and sort of taken-for-granted stick.Thanks for any help, and thanks for all the info everyone shares here.
Reply:An older spoolmatic 3 will hook right to it.You can put aluminum or steel wire and any wire for that matter on a spool gun and weldThat would probably be your cheapest route
Reply:Where are you located?Currently in Appleton wi, there is a miller tig contractor kit new for $350
Reply:Thanks for the replies.I'm in the DC area.Spoolmatic: So I'm a wee bit confused: for some reason one can wire-feed aluminum w/DC? Or am I still missing something? For some reason I'm under the impression that one really wants AC for aluminum, preferably with adjustable frequency. I'm not trying to argue, I can just tell there's something I don't understand here.Also: as for a Spoolmatic 3 just "hooking right up to it", do I also need the WC-24 controller for the S3, or is that only for the newer (currently produced) S30A & 15A? Or am I still missing some basic concept?Thanks so much for everyone's help.
Reply:As usual, I realize I have more questions than I could have imagined.I understand the Miller 14 pin connector has lots of different outputs available, such that I might make other spoolguns work... And that some spoolguns (like the spoolmatic) have gas solenoids in them, vs. the spoolmates, for example, that use the hook-up box to control gas and, I suppose, the gun itself (I don't know, for example, whether the speed control is on the box or the gun). Do any of the guns offer pre/post purge adjustable time delays?Again, forgive questions forged of deep ignorance. Someday my ignorance will be shallower.
Reply:You are thinking two different processes. Mig is DC both on steel or alum. Tig is DC for steel, Stainless and several other metals. AC tig is usually the preferred method of doing alum. There are some limited uses for DC tig with heavy sections of alum, but it requires 100% helium and has limited applications with the thicknesses of alum that most typically want to weld.Each process has good and weak points for welding alum. AC Tig is great for thin or detailed work. Mig with a spoolgun is better for thicker stuff and longer straight runs because the bulky spoolgun is difficult to maneuver fast enough to  get around complicated shapes many times.It all really depends what you need to do..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:Originally Posted by keithwinsThanks for the replies.I'm in the DC area.Spoolmatic: So I'm a wee bit confused: for some reason one can wire-feed aluminum w/DC? Or am I still missing something? For some reason I'm under the impression that one really wants AC for aluminum, preferably with adjustable frequency. I'm not trying to argue, I can just tell there's something I don't understand here.Also: as for a Spoolmatic 3 just "hooking right up to it", do I also need the WC-24 controller for the S3, or is that only for the newer (currently produced) S30A & 15A? Or am I still missing some basic concept?Thanks so much for everyone's help.
Reply:I'm filling in the gaps in my understanding. It seems like something like a X-Treme 8vs or 12vs would also work, right? Too expensive probably...
Reply:Thanks Brand X & DSW, I get the TIG/MIG AC/DC distinction now.In addition to needing the rest of the parts, I'm just now running real power out to my shop (very long story), so it'll be a while before I get to fire this thing up.
Reply:I see, from the Miller weld calculator and videos I've watched, the difference between the spray arc transfer versus short circuit transfer techniques, roughly. Am I correct in understanding that the difference has to do with settings & techniques -- the equipment is the same? I thought I'd seen something about how spray arc takes some kind of special equipment, but that doesn't make sense to me now...
Reply:Buy an air cooled  tig torch with a gas valve for tig welding ferrous metals (steel and stainless).Buy a set of stick leads.For mig, you can go 2 ways. You can get an external feeder like a 22A with gun. Or you can go with a voltage sensing feeder like a suitcase unit. Spool gun will be required to mig weld aluminum.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Dual Shield flux core wire is run generally in spray transfer. MIG aluminum generally too.This is just very, very basic information. Get your machine set up with a wire feeder & you can then experiment with different settings, etc for the desired arc characteristics. There are lots of different styles of feeders available without spend lots of money. The suitcase styles are really only needed where portability is an issue. As far as a shop feeder goes, any 50, 60, 22A, etc unit will work.If you need some info on specific wire feeders, PM me, I'll try to answer your questions best I can. Been working on many styles of MIller wire feeders for a long time.
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeBuy an air cooled  tig torch with a gas valve for tig welding ferrous metals (steel and stainless).Buy a set of stick leads.For mig, you can go 2 ways. You can get an external feeder like a 22A with gun. Or you can go with a voltage sensing feeder like a suitcase unit. Spool gun will be required to mig weld aluminum.
Reply:Someone here altered a suitcase to power a spoolgun. Basically they used a VS or RC feeder ( I forget which right now) to turn on and off the weld current to a standard spoolgun. The feeder however had the feed drive switched out, so only the spoolgun was feeding wire. The rig simply let them move farther away from the power source vs using very long cables on the spoolgun.There are push pull systems that have a separate "box" for the "push" and then the "spoolgun" for the "pull" part of the  feeder. Millers XR control boxes would be an example of a "suitcase" type push pull box..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:well, I went to a used equip place today, and found a Bernard water cooler with Weldtec torch, decent shape EXCEPT for a crack in the supply cable to the torch that caused it to leak. I wonder if it might be due/exacerbated by a clogged torch, I've heard that is not uncommon. Anyway, I picked it up for $100, seemed too good to pass up even though (once again) it's really way more than I need. The TIG supply is built for a screw-down lug, so I'll have to figure out how to modify it for the DINSE connector on the XMT. It's filled with like-new looking anti-freeze...
Reply:Forgot to mention: they also had a Lincoln LN7 wire feed that I might be able to get cheap, I need to figure how easily it could be made compatible. I think I notice that Lincoln uses a 14-pin connector like Miller: are they cross-compatible?
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749You can make a connector the easy way for your machine by connecting a short piece of welding lead to a brass power block (it is a rectangular piece of brass with a tab on it with a hole thru it, has tewo threaded ends.), then to the XMT via a 50MM Dinse connector.
Reply:Are the parts on TIG torches compatible cross-brand? That is, does an ESAB 18 use the same collets, lens', etc as a Weldcraft 18? I notice that the parts are often only listed as fitting an "18", which is what makes me think yes...
Reply:Originally Posted by keithwinsAre the parts on TIG torches compatible cross-brand? That is, does an ESAB 18 use the same collets, lens', etc as a Weldcraft 18? I notice that the parts are often only listed as fitting an "18", which is what makes me think yes...
Reply:Also: seems like a pedal would be a really good idea, it looks like it wants the RFCS 14, but not the RJ45 version. I haven't seen them for much less than $200 with shipping. Any leads?Last edited by keithwins; 12-13-2012 at 01:09 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749www.ssccontrols.com.They make the best aftermarket pedal money can buy.I have two of them.
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749I would love to sell you a wire feeder, but I know you want to get one for the least amount possible. If you do some shopping around, it shouldn't be difficult.
Reply:And another set of questions (I realize I can just ask questions endlessly, it tires some people out... stop when you're done! But thanks for any help!):First: I don't exactly understand either 1) Pulsed MIG mode on this machine, or 2) V-Sense Feeder mode... I think of Pulsed TIG when I hear Pulsed MIG, but I'm not sure it's the same thing, especially since there's no adjustment for pulse frequency/duration.V-Sense Feeder I imagine is a setting for a voltage sensing MIG wire feeder, which really I have no idea what that means: is the purpose of that to help maintain a uniform arc by the XMT, adjusting for variations in arc length and such?Also: I know that Miller makes an HF Arc Starter: I assume that one would never use such a thing on a machine like the XMT, since it already has both scratch and Lift-arc start modes. Is that right? I'm just filling in the (many) gaps...Believe it or not, I do hours of reading before I pester people with questions, which isn't to say I might not have missed the obvious. Only that I'm trying not to waste your time...And no, I don't imagine any amount of questions, answers, or research is going to make me a good welder. It's just a bit of foundation. And thanks again, this is a great site.
Reply:[QUOTE=7A749;1946771Welding on steel with a spool gun kind of sucks. Not to mention, you'll have to switch out liners or the steel wire will destroy the Teflon one in the gun, being they are most often used for aluminum.Do a search on Millers site for explanations about Constant Current & Constant Voltage output.Your XMT simply has a number of different functions, hence the knob under the panel. It can be used as a standard MIG machine with remote output, MIG with no remote (VS), pulse (need a separate pulser unit) etc, al.I suggest you download the OM from MIller & read it thru. It explains in detail the different process the machine performs. I'll shoot you a PM with some details of what I have available & cost.[/QUOTE]Hello and thanks again: priceless info.I've downloaded the manual from Miller, and could quote it back verbatim I've read it so many times. There's precisely one page on the functions, and it doesn't explain any of them. Doesn't say anything about needing another unit for the pulse functions (is that like the Optima 300?), nor say what they are (I realize their manual isn't an instructional document, but it really is thin). I also searched Miller's site, but maybe missed something there. If the manual had as many pages on the functions as it had safety warnings, I'd be a walking dictionary on this stuff. Apparently you all are taking your lives in your hands every time you look sideways at a welder (well, actually, you are: I shouldn't make too much fun of safety warnings).So... my efforts to minimize expense but cover as many processes/materials as possible are stymied at the wire-feed end of things: spool guns are good for Al but sucky for steel (why, exactly, if you don't mind?), and wirefeeders aren't a good bet for Al. Not really a big deal, maybe I'll let go of Al for now... I think I'll probably just hold off on the wirefeed end of things altogether. The project I have coming up is probably best done in stainless anyway. Don't forget to shoot me that message!
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749In addition to that, VS feeders can be run from CC or CV machines & aren't limited to a 75' MAX remote cord length. Remote feeders tend to stop working very well due to voltage drop on leads longer than that.