Miller multi Matic 255 spool gun

admin

Hi All,I have a miller multimatic 255 and just got a job to fabricate an aluminum railing made out of mostly 1/4 & 1/8” material, previously I would just tig this but with this new machine I think a spool gun would be a lot faster and easier. Can anyone recommend a good spool gun and wire for this application?TIA
Reply:I would for sure skip the spool gun and go with a push pull gun like the alumapro liteMiller Multimatic 255
Reply:Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:BKelleher,I have both, a Miller spool gun and a Miller push-pull gun.  I have had the spool gun for years.  It works great, and was "cheap" in comparison.  That is the up side.  The downside is that it is heavy and a little bulky / awkward.  It is tough to get into tight areas.  I bought an Aluma-pro push-pull gun because it was plug and play with my Millermatic 255.  The Aluma-pro fits into tighter locations.  The gun is lighter than a spool gun, and you can run full size spool of wire - rather than the small spools in a spool gun.  For a wire suggestion, I have run 4043, 4943, and 5356.  My favorite right now is 4943.  It is a little stiffer of a wire than 4043.  It lays in really nice.  Also in the limited testing I have done, it seems a little stronger than 4043.  I have tried several brands of wire, and my favorite right now is the Hobart Maxal wire.  It just runs really well for me.  Most of my aluminum welding is 6061, 6063, and 5052.It I were buying for work and was going to use it enough to justify it, I would take Louie's advice and go with the push-pull gun.  Once you get the hang of it, you will love MIG welding aluminum with your Multimatic 255 - 100% argon and pulse/spray.Geoff
Reply:Geoff, I don't yet have a push pull gun.  What is the process to get it all synched to work right?  Does the wire have to be timed to keep the same tension or does the gun pull just a bit more than being pushed?
Reply:BillE.Dee,  I have a Millermatic 255.  In the manual, it explains how to "calibrate" a spool gun to the machine.  The Aluma-pro push-pull gun is plug in and go, no "calibration" needed.  I use the term "calibrate", as that is the term Miller uses in the manual.   For aluminum, I change the drive rollers to U-groove drive rollers.Geoff
Reply:Have you tried just a short whip and a plastic/teflon liner?One job of railings makes it hard to justify a push/pull if there are other ways and if you can get right around the job with the machine... How many lb of wire are you expecting to run?I did a 8x5x8ft platform in my shop last year with just U rolls, teflon liner and 4m whip

ran around 15lb/7kg on it in total. Good times.Murphy's Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.
Reply:Actually I forgot about that option. Miller now sells an auto body version of the MM255 with three different MIG guns: one for steel, one for aluminum and one for silicon bronze. This is the gun they recommend for aluminum on the 255https://bakersgas.com/products/bernard-q2012ad8rmcMiller Multimatic 255