Success in using teflon liner for alum MIG?

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I am old school and cheap also. Need to do small amount of alum and have composite rollers, and argon in shop. My question is, is  a teflon liner acceptable (worth buying/using) for occasional use in conventional spool in welder hookup with a 10' hose? I have acquired a reasonable  level of skill in 35+ years of ruining metal., both ferrous and non. (Read too cheap to buy spoolgun if alum 5256 filler will push thru teflon liner.) Any experience out there using this type system?Lincoln Crackerbox-stickMiller RoughneckSmall OXY/ACT PortableLarge OXY/ACT PortableCentury 160 Amp Mig
Reply:Hey scopx,Yes, a teflon liner is what you want to use. One of my shop MIG welders is set up for aluminum only, .035/5356, w/teflon liner, although the MIG cable is only 6' long, so that really helps minimizing feed issues. Also, you want to use a light pressure on your wire roller tension adjustment that allows easy feeding yet will allow the rollers to slide a bit if you experience burnback. This will reduce/eliminate birdnesting. I also religiously cut the wire prior to each start to eliminate/reduce bad starts or burnback & try to keep your MIG cable as straight as possible or reduce your cable bends to a large radius so no kinking will interfere with the wire feeding thru the liner.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Note also that there are alloy differences (naturally  ) between 4043 and 5356.Besides the usual 150F service temp limit for 5356 which 4043 does not have, and the 5356 being generally a better choice if the part will be anodized (as 4043 turns black when anodized), there is an appreciable electrical conductivity difference between 4043 and 5356.  At a baseline conductivity of 100% for copper, 4043 has a conductivity of 42% and 5356 has a conductivity of 29%.  This means that for the same welding current and voltage, the WFS of 4043 is about 17% LESS than for the WFS of 5356.  Depending on your machine's capabilities, that may or may not come into play.  Example:  0.045 wire5356 150amps=325ipm 175amps=385ipm 200amps=440ipm4043 150amps=270ipm 175amps=315ipm 200amps=360ipmSo, if your machine has a top WFS of 400ipm, you can't get 200amps out of it with 0.045 5356, but you could (possibly, depending on other machine characteristics like voltage levels and overall amperage capacity)  get 200amps out of 0.045 4043 wire.So, even though 5356 is stiffer and feeds better than comparable diameter 4043, that doesn't mean that 5356 is 'better'.YMMV.    The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Those who are too cheap with their equipment experience results that are in line with their investment...MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Thanks all for input. I am kinda like the "done more with less" quote in someones signature here.I do have 5356 .030 filler and hope to using on some 5000 series base metal.(Hope to pick up some drops and practice. I think the old Century  160 has the beans as it has done some stuff that was  not recommended in the manual. Also, have never been able to get the unit warm. I always gave out first. Manual states max .030 on the 10' hose. I needed to weld up high, so installed 15' hose using .035 which it carried ok. It did not like additional length and would  surge for few seconds. This was, of course, on red iron. My application is a one time use to install lifting strakes on pontoon boat and base metal according to builder is either .090 or .10. Thanks Yorkiepap and Moonrise.Lincoln Crackerbox-stickMiller RoughneckSmall OXY/ACT PortableLarge OXY/ACT PortableCentury 160 Amp Mig
Reply:That same surge will kill any attempt to use alum wire. Alum will immediately burn back to the tip if the wire hesitates for an instant, and then birds nest if the feed roller is too tight. Often this is caused by the friction in the long whip, or with bends. Use the shortest whip you can, keep it almost perfectly straight, stock up on tips, and bring lots of Valium to deal with the frustrations..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:put a splint on your whip to keep it nice and straight. stick of 3/8 round bar or thicker and a handfull of zip ties and you are about as set as you can be. Feel free to substitute duct tape for the zip ties!
Reply:Originally Posted by i4sillypwrput a splint on your whip to keep it nice and straight. stick of 3/8 round bar or thicker and a handfull of zip ties and you are about as set as you can be. Feel free to substitute duct tape for the zip ties!
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33I can see that being a real convenient and easy to use method for reaching the torch under and around the boat.  LOLIf this is a customer job, I would just rent an XMT and a Spoolmatic, or a tig welder, and charge the machine rental to the customer as part of the cost of doing the job.
Reply:Originally Posted by i4sillypwr. If it's a small one time job that he doesnt wish to do again in the future why invest in expensive equipment? Adding the rental cost to the job will either kill his profit or make his bid higher than others who already have the equipment(provided this is not a personal project) and everyone would be better off if the customer took the project elsewhere.
Reply:is there a source someone can recommend for buying, and or, installing a teflon liner in the lincoln weldpak 100 hose?thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI hate to say it, but if you don't have experience with a process, ****** rigging it and learning on a customers boat just looks like trouble all the way around. It's one thing if you want to play with your own stuff, or if you know what you are doing and have to make something work in an emergency.As you said "everyone would be better off if the customer took the project elsewhere." If you don't want to pay to play, pass on the job and let those equipped, or willing to invest the money to do it right, have the work.I frequently look at jobs that I don't have the tools or equipment to do. I look at what it will cost for me to either buy or rent the proper tools. Then I either bill that into the costs or figure that I won't make money on the job, but end up with a new tool, OR pass on the job completely and tell them, sorry I just don't have the equipment at this time to do that. Most good customers will accept your honesty and appreciate it. In some cases I've had customers ask how much extra it would cost for me to get the tools to do the job. I give top quality service and don't pad the bill or BS them. Even customers that have had to go and have someone else do the work, continue to come back to me for other work. Those that just want the cheapest price possible I can do without. They are the ones who will b!tch about poor quality or the looks even at the cheapest price. They are nothing but a big headache. Someone else is welcome to those customers, I don't need or want them.
Reply:Woah! This is a one time deal on a personally owned  pontoon boat. I have expertise on various metals similar with my experience with sex. Have had a lot in the past, been a while, but give me little time, and I'll figure it out.However, if I were a going welding concern with nice shiny truck will all amenities, I certainly would purchase a high dollar tig unit and write it off as part of the business. However am I am 67 years of age, an not considering entering job market, will try to use existing equipment. Thanks for all the comments.Also there have lots of folks that have viewed my query for alum drops, but no one knows (or will advise of)a source in the Houston, San Ant, Austin triangle..Lincoln Crackerbox-stickMiller RoughneckSmall OXY/ACT PortableLarge OXY/ACT PortableCentury 160 Amp Mig
Reply:ScopxI remember seeing your post about aluminum drop but cant recall if I responded. Find a company in your area that is manufacturing an aluminum product. I spent years with an aluminum boat manufacturer in Washington and we had plenty of drop to give to someone that wanted a little. Dont know of any aluminum boat builders in Texas but I am sure you would be able to find out.
Reply:Originally Posted by rick210tis there a source someone can recommend for buying, and or, installing a teflon liner in the lincoln weldpak 100 hose?thanks
Reply:I bought a used MM175 a couple of years ago to weld on an aluminum boat. I found a plastic liner that I could modify for it that I never used. I just put in a new liner for steel and it fed just fine as long as I kept it clean. I say just do it.
Reply:scopx,If the 5356 feeds through the steel liner, I can't see how a teflon liner would make any difference.  My little 110 volt Century with a 9' lead and steel liner works just fine for steel and aluminum.  Just practice a bunch on scrap before attempting anything seriously.