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Hi members,I recently acquired an old school "kidney" shaped spoolgun with an L-tec label on it. I believe its a Spoolmatic 1 connected to L-tec power source. After almost 40 years in the metal trades, I just recently began wire welding aluminum with a spoolgun. Up until now (couple of months) I was welding on lighter gauge (1/8") sheet and shapes. Before the acquisition of the L-tec MIG welder and spoolgun, I was using an Readywelder adapted to a Hobart Beta-mig power source. I have since sold the Hobart and am using the L-tec. The Readywelder I am using on my field rig hooked up to a Trailblazer 25NT.The issue: I am about to start modifying a heavy aluminum trailer that is constructed of 3/16" and 1/4" shapes. I want to use the spoolgun as I normally would have used my TIG welder but is seems too slow for this project. With my TIG machine ( a Hobart 250HF) I had the experience welding on an aluminum car hauler's deck that I could barely put a tack in place as it maxed out its 250 amps with the heat being sucked away from the puddle as fast as I could apply it.I see the factory welds on the trailer while not pretty are well fused and I was wondering what type of machine is used for building this thing and can I weld on it with my L-tec 225? Is the trick to have a torch nearby to preheat the metal prior to starting to weld it? Is it doable at all? Do I need a bigger machine to do this job? The project consist of welding the inside of the stake pockets (he hauls heavy items that need to be tied down and doesn't trust a single pass on the outside of the pockets), add a top rail to the tongue to serve as a rack to carry things on when space is limited and add a battery box.I am running .030 wire. Is this OK for this thickness material?Thanks for any replies, suggestions, advice. I am off to the welding supply to refill my argon bottle and will check for any replies when I get back and begin work on this thing.Thanks,Tony
Reply:For years I had a Linde VI-206 Mig welder. I had a Cobramatic too. Here are some aluminum Mig welds I made with it. Attached ImagesDont pay any attention to meIm just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:I would use a minimum of .035 preferably .047.
Reply:How about pre-heat? When I did a test bead on some 1/4" aluminum plate, it balled up until the plate got hot and then fused in. Even with the larger wire should use to torch to heat it prior to running a pass or not necessary? Those beads laid down nice on that plate. Did you heat it prior to welding it out?Thanks,TonyPS: I'm off again to the welding supply to get some .035 wire. I don't have tips for the larger wire so I have to work with the .035.
Reply:Originally Posted by therreraDid you heat it prior to welding it out?
Reply:Maybe your welding unit isn't really putting out 250 amps. My MM252 with the 30A spool gun would weld that with absolutely no problem... and no preheat. Also, with the spool gun on aluminum, you would be welding at least as fast as you would have been moving if you were doing mild steel.Miller Syncrowave 350Millermatic 252/ 30A spoolgunMiller Bobcat 225g w/ 3545 spoolgunLincoln PowerArc4000Lincoln 175 Mig Lincoln 135 Mig Everlast 250EX TigCentury ac/dc 230 amp stickVictor O/AHypertherm 1000 plasma
Reply:X2 plus .030 should be great.
Reply:Heres what I used as tie downs on my Aluma Trailer, 41105 Weld on Tie Loop http://www.alumaklm.com/parts-and-ac...tie-downs.html They were placed at an angle on the top of the tubes and have held up great.Last edited by Grandslam99; 12-13-2014 at 11:14 AM.Everlast PowerPro 256, Everlast W300 Cooler, Everlast Cart 250Millermatic 211, Spoolgun 100, Miller HD CartJackson W60 Truesight Digital Auto Darkening, Victor 315 Torch sitting on a Harper 830-86 cart
Reply:I needed to know these things. I actually ran my first beads with the larger wire (.035) and I was able to run decent beads. Now my problem is setting it so that I get a decent bead every time. I was able to get a spray like deposit but I had to oscillate the hell out of it, and fast. Maybe I need to learn how to use this new (to me) welder and the settings. It has three control settings. The heat range, the heat setting and the wire speed. I didn't bother to read the manual to see how they're used, I just started trying.I am going to practice some more with it so I know how to set it and start welding without hesitation.Thanks for the feed back,Tony
Reply:I would like to use the spool gun to run a bead on the inside of the stake pockets as I am having difficulty getting the right angle with my TIG torch. Can I run the spoolgun downhill without a problem? On another post when I was experimenting with the REadywelder, someone replied to me that even downhill the gun needs to push the puddle to get adequate gas coverage. Will this work alright? It seems somewhat "unnatural" to run it that way so I'm asking again. What would the correct procedure be for running downhill with the spool gun? My tendency would be to run it like a downhill rod, pushing up as I go down. Is this right?I looked at those tie downs suggested by Grandslam99. Thanks and I'll mention these to my client.As always I appreciate all your feedback,Tony
Reply:Down hill welding should be a last resort, its for wussies when it comes to aluminium welding. I have had my best results turning the gun upside down and pushing the puddle down, and doing a couple passes because it tends to be too concave with a single pass.Up hill welding is best, you spray it in, maybe a little less wire than flat. Do quick little whips all the way up. I really don't think its necessary to weld the inside of the steak pocket, its going to make a mess, and will look better if you do not attempt it at all. Plus you might leave a lump in there and will never get a steak in there cause of it.Welding aluminum everything is exaggerated, the speed, the manipulation, the heat. That wire speed is something to play with, you will find the sweet spot with the volts and then either adjust it up or down depending on the joint and position.BTW the pool, gun I used there in the pics welds really dirty, I found spatter in the diffuser, but haven't tried it on clean material yet.Last edited by Doug247; 12-15-2014 at 03:10 AM.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:Hi Doug247,thanks for the advice and nice runs. I think you're right about welding the inside of the pockets. Maybe I'll put a wider bead on the outside to put more weld metal on them instead. I will need to practice more with this spool gun.Thanks,Tony
Reply:Instead of posting a fresh thread I thought I'd ask a question in this one before closing it out. My client wants to weld the inside of the stake pockets in order to reinforce them. He plans to use them to tie loads down to. He does not intend to use them to put stakes in.This being the case, I was looking for the best way to accomplish this. If it were steel, I could use either stick electrode or a mig gun. However because its aluminum I think my choices are either the spool gun or using TIG.Can a spool gun be used in this application? In order to get it inside it means holding a steep upwards angle. Would the spool gun run a bead uphill in such a steep angle? Anyone done it? Attached is a shot of the pocket showing how I would attempt to run a vertical bead with my TIG welder.Thanks,Tony
Reply:Perhaps you should be used .047.Welder Reviews | Best Buying Guides for 2015 |
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发表于 2021-8-31 22:09:09