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First of all I wish to thank everyone that has ever offered advise to other posters seeking help on welding aluminum with spoolguns as it has not only helped me but now others who have never been to this forum. Let me explain.Where I work we specialize in SS and carbon steel piping and structural fabrication and aluminum has pretty much been left up to a sub although we do have a couple spoolguns and an AC/DC 300/300 for tig. Yesterday while out in one of our fab shops one of our guys was working on an aluminum hose rack (fire pump suction hose) and I noticed photo 1.I inquired as to his technique and settings and he stated he tried both 'push' and 'pull' methods and was using his "typical mig settings" but still couldn't "get the hang of it". By typical mig settings I knew he meant what he normally uses for what he normally works on - structural carbon. Sharing what I have learned from the professionals here I told him he needed to push only and from my own experience knew he had to crank it up until it 'hissed' and he laid down a few practice welds as we juiced it up a little more between runs and things started to improve in photo 2 & 3.I had to go take care of some other matters and told him to keep practicing and experiment with his settings a little at a time and when I came back 30 minutes later I found photo 4. Needless to say things don't look like photo 1 anymore and I was glad I was able to impart some knowledge to our guys that I was able to gain here. Thanks!MM250X @ 23 voltage30A @ 9 wire speed100% Argon @ 30? (a little high?)Forgot to check wire specifics Attached ImagesMM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Nice job. Sometimes i use a little torch preheat to prevent cold starts. Seems like the 2nd pass runs better than the first because its warming up the alum when its not preheated...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:Originally Posted by aametalmasterNice job. Sometimes i use a little torch preheat to prevent cold starts. Seems like the 2nd pass runs better than the first because its warming up the alum when its not preheated...Bob
Reply:and from my own experience knew he had to crank it up until it 'hissed' and he laid down a few practice welds as we juiced it up a little more between runs and things started to improve in photo 2 & 3.Photo 4 is a great improvment from photo 1,2and 3.When mig welding aluminum,you should hear his "hiss" but also have alittle "cracking" noise also. In pic 4 I can see that he should have had just a tad bit more wire feed,which would have given you the "cracking".Looks good other than that. i dont know much about the 30A spoolguns,however the argon post flow needs to be adjusted just a tad to prevent the black craters at the end of your weld.
Reply:Not to sound like a "KNOW IT ALL" but also increasing the wire feed will result in a cleaner weld, welds that dont need brushing to "shine"
Reply:Originally Posted by busymanand from my own experience knew he had to crank it up until it 'hissed' and he laid down a few practice welds as we juiced it up a little more between runs and things started to improve in photo 2 & 3.Photo 4 is a great improvment from photo 1,2and 3.When mig welding aluminum,you should hear his "hiss" but also have alittle "cracking" noise also. In pic 4 I can see that he should have had just a tad bit more wire feed,which would have given you the "cracking".Looks good other than that. i dont know much about the 30A spoolguns,however the argon post flow needs to be adjusted just a tad to prevent the black craters at the end of your weld.
Reply:Originally Posted by busymanNot to sound like a "KNOW IT ALL" but also increasing the wire feed will result in a cleaner weld, welds that dont need brushing to "shine"
Reply:Duane, it looks like he is off to the races!!He has his settings very close to perfect for that setup in pic4. After he is that close, all there is left is a little practice. And, I keep a Mapp torch with a push button starter on it for preheating aluminum for a quicker start, too. I use it for thick alum and steel when I tig and mig. It makes a big difference.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:I just bought a 30a brand new earlier this month. I didn't really like lincolns spoolgun, and the 30a offered the most versatility over the other Miller guns. I don't regret picking that model. However, the door that covers the drive rolls is pretty chintsy. The way the door/cover is held shut is worse. It pops open when you don't lay the gun down ever so delicately. Can only imagine what it will be like after it laying out in the sun a year from now. I've been meaning to see if I can get a complementary roll of duck tape from them, being they designed it to where I can't put one of my girlfriends hair ties over it. Seems that would be an area you'd want to keep clean from gridings and debris. Also the only serial number is a sticker on the outer side, which is the side you lay it down on. I do give them an A+ the w/ there updates on tip,fuser and nozzle. Who knows, maybe they can get the engineer from Tic Tacs to design another cover. LOL, hey I deserve to mouth off a little. I paid a grand for the thing and another 3 bills for the wc-24 box to adapt to my miller machine. Anyway, going back to the guys thread about the worker doing better w/ the gun than push pull. My guess would be that the push pull rollers aren't adjusted in sync. w/ one another or some kind of other feeding problem. Maybe a new liner and a thorough inspection you'll find little pieces of aluminum in critical areas. I worked at a place where they had a cobramatic, I'd put a pair of tig gloves on and using fingers from both hands to manuever gun. It's alot less clumsy than the spoolgun. If you guys get it feeding right, as long as it's shop welding, he'll get spoiled by it and won't want to use the spoolgun anymore.
Reply:Originally Posted by RojodiabloDuane, it looks like he is off to the races!!He has his settings very close to perfect for that setup in pic4. After he is that close, all there is left is a little practice. And, I keep a Mapp torch with a push button starter on it for preheating aluminum for a quicker start, too. I use it for thick alum and steel when I tig and mig. It makes a big difference.
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55Funny you should put it that way because that's probably where he'll be tomorrow. He has a couple drag cars he plays around with.He was still pretty excited when I wa out in the shop this afternoon. He had told me the other day he's been trying on and off for 9 years to weld aluminum with a spoolgun and no one could show him (and a few other guys there) how to use it. So they'd just weld away and grind to make it look good if they had to. Make no mistake about it these guys are awesome with carbon and stainless and we even have one (had two) that is certified to do copper-nickel and one that did ASME vessels. They just never did much aluminum and no one knew it needed to be approached completely different from what they're used to. I'm just glad I was able to take what little I knew, add to it what I've learned (am learning) here and pass it on to them.You mean like the small torches for soldering water pipes? How much preheat? Warm to the touch or so heavy you can't pick it up?Thanks again.
Reply:Originally Posted by 123weldI just bought a 30a brand new earlier this month. I didn't really like lincolns spoolgun, and the 30a offered the most versatility over the other Miller guns. I don't regret picking that model. However, the door that covers the drive rolls is pretty chintsy. The way the door/cover is held shut is worse. It pops open when you don't lay the gun down ever so delicately. Can only imagine what it will be like after it laying out in the sun a year from now. I've been meaning to see if I can get a complementary roll of duck tape from them, being they designed it to where I can't put one of my girlfriends hair ties over it. Seems that would be an area you'd want to keep clean from gridings and debris. Also the only serial number is a sticker on the outer side, which is the side you lay it down on. I do give them an A+ the w/ there updates on tip,fuser and nozzle. Who knows, maybe they can get the engineer from Tic Tacs to design another cover. LOL, hey I deserve to mouth off a little. I paid a grand for the thing and another 3 bills for the wc-24 box to adapt to my miller machine. Anyway, going back to the guys thread about the worker doing better w/ the gun than push pull. My guess would be that the push pull rollers aren't adjusted in sync. w/ one another or some kind of other feeding problem. Maybe a new liner and a thorough inspection you'll find little pieces of aluminum in critical areas. I worked at a place where they had a cobramatic, I'd put a pair of tig gloves on and using fingers from both hands to manuever gun. It's alot less clumsy than the spoolgun. If you guys get it feeding right, as long as it's shop welding, he'll get spoiled by it and won't want to use the spoolgun anymore.
Reply:Originally Posted by RojodiabloYes, the same torch as for sweating pipe. I like the on/off automatic torch- get it going, add heat for maybe 5-15 seconds over a 6" section of joint. It will heat up a few hundred degrees very quickly. I usually use the spit test, if its' hot enough to hiss when you spit on it, you'll get an instant hot start and great penetration. Also, the weld will lay down very well right from the start, no humped up bead at the beginning. When it comes to aluminum, I don't try to pick up ANYTHING without spitting on it. For some reason, it never gets red hot, just....HOT!!!!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55Down here is SE Texas you won't have to spit on it - just lift your hood and lean over it. You'll probably have to heat it up again because of the deluge!
Reply:[IMG][/IMG] Originally Posted by 123weldI just bought a 30a brand new earlier this month. I didn't really like lincolns spoolgun, and the 30a offered the most versatility over the other Miller guns. I don't regret picking that model. However, the door that covers the drive rolls is pretty chintsy. The way the door/cover is held shut is worse. It pops open when you don't lay the gun down ever so delicately. Can only imagine what it will be like after it laying out in the sun a year from now. I've been meaning to see if I can get a complementary roll of duck tape from them, being they designed it to where I can't put one of my girlfriends hair ties over it. Seems that would be an area you'd want to keep clean from gridings and debris. Also the only serial number is a sticker on the outer side, which is the side you lay it down on. I do give them an A+ the w/ there updates on tip,fuser and nozzle. Who knows, maybe they can get the engineer from Tic Tacs to design another cover. LOL, hey I deserve to mouth off a little. I paid a grand for the thing and another 3 bills for the wc-24 box to adapt to my miller machine. Anyway, going back to the guys thread about the worker doing better w/ the gun than push pull. My guess would be that the push pull rollers aren't adjusted in sync. w/ one another or some kind of other feeding problem. Maybe a new liner and a thorough inspection you'll find little pieces of aluminum in critical areas. I worked at a place where they had a cobramatic, I'd put a pair of tig gloves on and using fingers from both hands to manuever gun. It's alot less clumsy than the spoolgun. If you guys get it feeding right, as long as it's shop welding, he'll get spoiled by it and won't want to use the spoolgun anymore.
Reply:That may be what we had years ago at a place I used to work. They had mostly Airco units.Like everything else, nothing is made the way it used to be. My MM200 is early '80s vintage and still going strong (I haven't had it that long though) and the Spoolmatic 3 would be almost the same age and doing well too. Something tells me these 30As won't make it as long as yours or mine.Nice weld! Kindly post a file of that skill so I can down-load it.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base! |
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:17:33