Aluminum Mig wire?

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I am watching power block and they say you can use ER5356 Aluminum wire for your Mig to do aluminum. Is this all you need or do you need the U shape rollers also? They say you need the U rollers for the 4345 ( i think I have that number correct) since the wire is so soft but they say nothing about the 5356.
Reply:Running alum wire thru a standard mig gun is like pushing a rope up hill. Usually it's recomended you use a teflon liner as well, but don't expect good results even after all the mods. Usually this is frustrating at best. If you want to do alum mig, you really need a spoolgun or push/pull system. Note alum needs more heat than steel. Usually to do 1/8" alum you will need to max out a 180amp 220v mig. Small 110v migs don't have enough power to do anything but 14-16ga alum usually..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:4043 is the most common general use aluminum wire for both mig and tig welding.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWRunning alum wire thru a standard mig gun is like pushing a rope up hill. Usually it's recomended you use a teflon liner as well, but don't expect good results even after all the mods. Usually this is frustrating at best. If you want to do alum mig, you really need a spoolgun or push/pull system. Note alum needs more heat than steel. Usually to do 1/8" alum you will need to max out a 180amp 220v mig. Small 110v migs don't have enough power to do anything but 14-16ga alum usually.
Reply:Push/pull systems are used on larger 250 amp class migs to do alum mig in a production environment. It uses two drive systems, one in the machine and one in the gun to move the wire.You will need a cyl of 100% argon to do alum mig in addition to the wire. I believe Lincoln had a kit that included the teflon liner for the gun as well as the drive rollers to do alum, but I can't find the number right now for it. Try it if you want, but if you search you'll find any number here who have tried it and found it doesn't work well.As far as alum mig with a 110v machine, some have had success with it, but the sweet spot is very small. From many "success" stories, I wouldn't use the word "good" with them. Most are cold welds that I have seen. You'll need to set the machine at max and the wire speed at almost max and then you will be possibly able to do 14-16ga with a 140 amp machine. Alum mig really needs more amps than you can get with a small machine..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:Would preheating the metal help since I have a 110v machine?
Reply:Originally Posted by GambleWould preheating the metal help since I have a 110v machine?
Reply:Some, but you have to be careful with heat and alum. It's easy to ruin the properties of many alum alloys if you put in too much heat. You might be able to go up to 1/8"  for short welds if you are lucky, but you won't turn the machine into a 220v mig. Preheating is an advanced technique and you sort of need to understand exactly whats happening to make it work. It's a bit more complex than just making the piece hot and going at it as normal. Most even with preheat, still end up with cold welds since they don't understand whats going on.110v migs simply are not designed to do alum mig. You simply need more input power to get the wire to spray than is available on 110v. Even 180 amp class 220v migs are marginal at best. You need to get up in the 200+ amp class to have a decent functional alum mig machine for most work..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