Welding aluminum

admin

Can you weld aluminum with a wire welder? If so, what kind of setup would it need to have?
Reply:How about a Mig welder?
Reply:You mean a wire feed welder IE mig right? Yes it's possible.You really want a spool gun. I have seen and heard of it being done without but I have also heard it really doesn't work very good generally.I also understand it's tough to do thinner material like 1/16 or less. Mig with a spoolgun is ok for thicker material and large quantities that need to get done quick. This thread was two below yours. Some good info in there.  Amazing what a little searching/browsing can do http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=36903Lincoln precision TIG 275Millermatic 140 MIG
Reply:Short answer, Yes.Generally you need a 220v mig with a spoolgun running 100% argon gas, to get decent results. Some of the small 110v migs say you can do alum, but the wire doesn't feed well thru the long gun and you pretty much have to set it at maximum to do any welding, so you don't have any room for adjustments and if you are lucky you can do 1/8" at best.Long answer: Maybe... What do you want to weld out of alum? Thin alum is usually best welded with AC Tig rather than wire feed mig. There's a lot of times when Tig would be the prefered method to do alum over mig.Regardlees the process, alum requires more heat than the same sized steel. Alum disipates heat faster because it's such a good heat sink. Also regardless of tig or mig you use 100% argon to do alum. There's been a ton of posts on this. Sit back and do some reading and you'll probably get all the info you want..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:Sure. Best way to do it is to have a spool gun attachment. Something like this: http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...poolmatic_30a/Be aware though that it's pretty difficult, dare I say impossible, to weld stuff thinner than 1/8" with a spool gun without spending big money on a pulsing unit. They are kind of wild, you have to move pretty fast with them, hard to do precision work. Definitely they way to go though on larger aluminum jobs though because they put down a lot of weld in a hurry.I was on a job where we tried to run aluminum wire through a Miller 110v welder, it really didn't work at all. We just wanted decent tacks for field fit-up, and it wasn't happening. The aluminum wire is to soft to feed through the long whip. Spool guns have a very straight shot from the spool to the contact tip.Last edited by racinjason44; 12-31-2009 at 10:20 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by racinjason44I was on a job where we tried to run aluminum wire through a Miller 110v welder, it really didn't work at all. We just wanted decent tacks for field fit-up, and it wasn't happening. The aluminum wire is to soft to feed through the long whip.
Reply:I have a aluminum jon boat. it's what I would be welding on. There are some spots that need to be fixed. I'm really new to welding. Is gas required? If so, what's the approximate price for it.
Reply:Originally Posted by yoshimitsuspeedI have heard of people having success with this. One I heard of the shop used a stint to make the whole whip rigid and straight with just a little flex at the end. Can't imagine it's fun though.
Reply:Originally Posted by beauporterI have a aluminum jon boat. it's what I would be welding on. There are some spots that need to be fixed. I'm really new to welding. Is gas required? If so, what's the approximate price for it.
Reply:Originally Posted by beauporterI have a aluminum jon boat. it's what I would be welding on. There are some spots that need to be fixed. I'm really new to welding. Is gas required? If so, what's the approximate price for it.
Reply:Aluminum jon boats are not conducive to MIG welding.  They are just too thin, even for well trained professionals.  That is really a job reserved for AC capable TIG.  What sort of issue is it with your boat?  I have been fixing smaller aluminum boats for years for a little side cash, and while some jobs are better to be TIG welded, I have yet to find an issue that couldn't be fixed by other methods, without being slipshod work, either.  The boat is built with rivets (likely), and it almost always can be fixed with them too.Who is John Galt?