Did I waste my money?

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Just Ordered a spoolmate 100 for MM211. Going to pick up a bottle of Argon Saturday. Do not want to build an Airplane or an Aluminum Horse Trailer, Just want to stick 2 pieces of aluminum together for small repairs without braking the bank. Is this a Doable process with a decent amount of practice and Hunting down Aluminum scrap or did I waste my Money. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Tony
Reply:If you are looking to do basic alum from roughly 1/16" to 3/16" that will work fine. Heavier and you will start pushing the practical limits on that machine. Thinner and you will have issues with burn thru. If you want to build an alum tool box out of 1/8" it's a good tool. If you want to weld alum sheetmetal you will have a nightmare. I used mine to do some repairs on an alum dump body with no issues, but found it too cumbersome to manuver quickly enough to do small rods on one project I do. I also found the spoolgun to be quite useful for other things. It works great for keeping a small spool of .023 wire hooked up while I keep larger wire in the machine. It also lets me get to higher things like truck racks that are a PITA with the standard gun without lifting the welder. I also keep a spool of FC on hand usually for those few jobs where mig isn't that practical. Saves me from playing with the main spool for just a small job.Last edited by DSW; 07-08-2011 at 08:07 PM..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:IMO you rarely waste money buying tools
Reply:Just wanted to do some table top welding within the parameters you mentioned I am a carpenter by trade and I know you never waste money buying tools. but driving 16P nails with a 16oz. hammer is ok once in a while but a steady diet of 16P will get you thinking about a Bigger Hammer.  Guess I will start looking for some scrap
Reply:It works greatEd 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:Well picked up a bottle of Argon, aluminum cleaner, New stainless wire brushes. Talk about moving quick. First time I pulled the trigger Had to take the Gun apart to clean the wire jamb What a different ball game 95% prep 5% welding, Go to a darker shade on the AD,3 tips later I think I know what is happening at the tip of the gun. May get the hang of it .Money well spent Thanks Tony