aluminum welding trying to start

admin

Years ago i tried to weld aluminum with a mig machine.  The problem was the lead was too long and the wire would not feed.  I have a gun now that i can shorten to 3 or 4 feet.  Do you think that will push the alunimum wire?  Or do i still need a spool gun?  Or another type of machine?  I have the gas and gagues.  Any tips on welding aluminum would be greatful.  Oh I am just trying to make some modifications to my aluminum flat boat so its not like this is professional work.  I recall the thickness of my boat to be .125 if I remember correctly.  My mig machine is 220v with 150 amps.
Reply:Mig aluminum is a bit tricky. you might be able to pull it off. From my little experience, Mig aluminum starts cold and finishes hot. More so than steel. 1/8" would work as long as you have enough amps to get it to spray transfer. Try running a teflon liner and keep it as straight as possible. Im guessing you know you need 100% Argon. I played around with 1/8" with my spool gun but forget what amps I was running at. I'm thinking you might be close. Why not just give it a try and see what happens?Hobart Handler 210 with SpoolgunHypertherm PM30 PlasmaHTP 221 Tig WelderHF BandsawHF Auto Dark Helmet
Reply:It can work, but you will always have to make sure the line is completely straight. Even then it will still "birdnest" all of the time. Mig machines that are set up for aluminum are on a push pull system. There are rollers in the gun that are timed to spin with the spool in the machine. They work AWESOME. almost as good as TIG. There are spool guns too. They work Ok if you can get your hands on one. But it is like welding with a gas pump. I hate them. I just TIG aluminum. I wish I had 7 grand to buy an ESAB push pull machine. Welding everything, from the crack of dawn to a broken heart.