TA 181i Spool Gun

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Anyone purchase the Tweco SG160TA-12 spool gun http://tinyurl.com/dyqlzgg for the TA 181i? I've got some work to do that requires welding 1 1/2" x 1/4 aluminum flat bar in various configurations, mostly corner joint and lap with a few filletts thrown in for variety. I was trying to find reviews but no luck.I was tiggin them but it's slow so I'm looking for something a bit faster.I was even condsidering getting a teflon liner for the sake of $15 and seeing if I can push .045 5356 wire thru the Tweco 180 whip to save me having to buy a gun....Mike
Reply:Thanks for the reply, I'll post back when I get the liner and post how it works.......Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749I'm not a fan of "Tweco" spool guns. The larger one (made by CK Systematics) is a piece of junk. I've had a couple of them come thru here. I'm assuming that one isn't much different.IMHO of course
Reply:Finally got the liner in, .045 Teflon, 3/64 5356 wire, 25 cfm argon, .035 'U' groove roll  (never thought to get the settings). It worked great, I never had a lot of scrap at home so I didn't get a chance to really fine tune it but the little bit I did seemed to work great. I'm quite diligent when using a wire feed, even steel, to keep the whip straight but I intentionally set up some sharp bends in the whip to see if I'd get any burn back but not once.The first and second pic are the first bead on 1/4" and 3/8" flatbar so the piece wasn't warmed up so they appear to be a bit cold which I think could be rectified by adjustments.The second and third are the opposite side of the same pieces, second bead, reason they look a lot hotter.The bit  of 'modern art' in the background is from setting it up......Mike Attached ImagesLast edited by mrmikey; 05-05-2013 at 02:18 PM.
Reply:That looks pretty dam good. Glad you had success and thanks for sharing.So what is the rought cost difference between going this route and the $pool gun?
Reply:Liner $20 http://tinyurl.com/calfn77 , spoolgun best price around here CAN $300......Mike
Reply:Excellent work man!That TA181i is amazing.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.