I need to weld aluminum square tubing

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I need to spot weld 3/4 x3/4 16guage (1/16") aluminum square tubing. For "all practical purposes", I am making square frames to hang on the wall & bear no load. After I form the square, I need a spot/tack weld weld on 2 sides of each corner. Nothing fancy beacause it will be covered with fabric when finished.I'm looking for the quickest, cheapest way to do this & I've been told that I can do this with a low (or variable) voltage/amp MIG welder that has adjustable wire feed, and that I can also do it without gas. Can someone help me out with some answers? If I can use a MIG, I need to know what volt & amp range I need to stay in. I need to buy the right equipment the first time around. I tried using Alumiweld rods & they work really well except I could only do one side of the tube at a time. When I went to do the other side of the tube...the previous weld melted because of the temp needed to make the bond. -Thanks-
Reply:I use those Crown Alloys Royal Kirkrods with a torch and they work pretty well. With a mig you need Argon gas so thats out. Got a buddy with a welder?...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:I'd do all the fitting and then take them to somebody that has a Tig or spoolgun all set up to go.  If somebody brought me a couple frames and said here, tack these together.  It might cost them a $20 bill.  I'd prolly do half a dozen of them for that cost.  But that's just me....My name's not Jim....
Reply:Ballpark figures:  You can get a cheap 110 volt MIG machine with gas-hookup for under $400.  For aluminum, you will need to use gas.  Remember, you need the "true" MIG (with the gas-connection) not the REALLY cheap versions that are just wire-feeders and have no gas-ability.  And the "adjustable wire feed" is standard on all MIG machines- generally you'll have just two settings on the front of the machine:  Amperage and Wire Speed.A small tank of Argon (something around 40 cubic feet if you arent doing too much) will probably be about $100 filled.  For aluminum, most people prefer to buy a spoolgun as well, since aluminum wire is soft and pushing it through the 6 feet of welding cable will frustrate you with frequent jams.  Spoolguns are generally pretty costly though (I haven't seen a name brand one for under about $150).  Again, these are ballpark numbers- you can probably pay far less if you look around a bit.   If all you're going to do with it is 1/16", a 110 volt MIG machine will have enough power and do you nicely.  As for the machine settings (amperage, wire speed and gas flow) many machines will have a chart on the door (or in the manual) that will guide you on the setup.   In terms of cost- I don't know your budget but I always take the opportunity to speak out against the cheap Chinese crap that has flooded the North American welder-market.  You can find some very inexpensive machines but with welders, you generally get what you pay for.   Unless your budget forces you to buy one of these cheapos, find yourself a decent price on either a Lincoln, Hobart or Miller.  You'll be happier in the long run.Lincoln AC225 & MigPak 140, Lincoln Magnum SpoolGun, Miller Spectrum 375-X Plasma, Syncrowave 200 TIG, Millermatic 252 MIG, Miller Digital Elite, General 7x12" horiz/vert bandsaw, 3' box/pan brake, 20 ton press, milling machine, 12x28 lathe, etc.
Reply:Why Aluminum if they are going to be covered in fabric?Wood would be my choice since then I could staple the Fabric to the back side- but I don't know the projectEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:If you don't easy access to the necessary equipment, you might also consider an adhesive.  Something like this should work:http://cgi.ebay.com/Box-of-12-Loctit...item439a66de15Electronics Engineer (embedded controls)Miller 200DX w/ Coolmate 3Thermal Dynamics 82 plasma cutterGrizzly G0678 8x30 millPM1440BV 14x40 latheHF 6x12 surface grinder
Reply:If I didn't have an ALUM welder, I would use the ALUM rod with a propane torch, It,s fast, cheap and fairly strong. I've used it to fix radiators with no problems.You can get some from HFand try it. Darrell
Reply:Originally Posted by jetco7I'm looking for the quickest, cheapest way to do this & I've been told that I can do this with a low (or variable) voltage/amp MIG welder that has adjustable wire feed, and that I can also do it without gas. Can someone help me out with some answers? If I can use a MIG, I need to know what volt & amp range I need to stay in. I need to buy the right equipment the first time around. I tried using Alumiweld rods & they work really well except I could only do one side of the tube at a time. When I went to do the other side of the tube...the previous weld melted because of the temp needed to make the bond. -Thanks-
Reply:I missed the statement about the easiest and cheapest way and instead focused on the questions themselves which were about MIG...   If you want easy and cheap for joining a couple of pieces of light aluminum that won't bear weight, a MIG welder, gas, tank, spoolgun, etc is not even close.      If easy and cheap are the prime criteria, adhesives or brazing are the answer.Lincoln AC225 & MigPak 140, Lincoln Magnum SpoolGun, Miller Spectrum 375-X Plasma, Syncrowave 200 TIG, Millermatic 252 MIG, Miller Digital Elite, General 7x12" horiz/vert bandsaw, 3' box/pan brake, 20 ton press, milling machine, 12x28 lathe, etc.