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I have a Lincoln Weldpak 155, 220V MIG Welder that I recently added the Aluminum kit to. So far my attempts to run a simple bead on a test sheet have resulted in the most horrid "welds"Essentially no puddle ever forms, instead it just leaves irregular balls as it starts and stops. If I dwell in order to form a pool it burns through. I'm using 0.03" 4043 wire Now the problem may be the gas. I'm using CO2. How much of a difference will Argon or some mixture make? How about the flow rate?Or is the problem just that a MIG is not suited for welding Aluminum? Some have told me that you simply can't MIG weld AL. But MIG was originally developed for AL...or so I read.Thanks,
Reply:I think I see the problem....argon is for aluminum. Co2 is for mild steel. Peanut butter is for jelly...and, so on. Get a tank of pure argon, clean the surface of the metal with a stainless brush and try again. Do that stuff and things will improve...lots. Also, make sure you dont get a mix of argon and co2. That still wont do Aluminum. Pure argon....Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Originally Posted by smithboyI think I see the problem....argon is for aluminum.Get a tank of pure argon, clean the surface of the metal with a stainless brush and try again. Do that stuff and things will improve...lots. Also, make sure you dont get a mix of argon and co2. That still wont do Aluminum. Pure argon....
Reply:You will be glad you got the argon.
Reply:I have never tried it on purpose, but I have accidentally tried it a couple of times. I ended up with crusty black chunks of stuff all over, until I changed my tank out. CO2 and aluminum do not go together. There are other gasses that can be used besides argon, but argon is, by far, the gas of choice for most aluminum welding. Don't forget to brush the surface to remove oxides and push the mig gun...don't pull. Take some pictures of the welds you have already attempted and then take pictures of the welds with argon. Post both. The welds with Co2 will also be similar to welds with contaminated gas and with leaks in the hose (more contaminants).Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Ok, went out an bought the tank of 100% Argon. I installed it without adjusting the air flow volume from the previous C02 setup. I turned on the power switch and ....what's this.....it's bloody working. Its going to take some practice to make it nice, but I can see the potential.Now it may take some time to figure out what you are looking at below.This is a 3/8" AL sheet. On the left edge is the bead I just put down with the Argon. The rest of the surface is my previous attempts with C02. On those attempts I was going from right to left. With Argon I went from bottom to top along the left edge. Even when the bead passed through the other....shall we say "welds" it was able to bead right through. Dang I can't believe the difference, the C02 shielded welds are just lava rock. Here is a side view. You can see the lava clearly here, even where I tried to weld on the side of the sample
Reply:Lots of folks that get bad gas, bad coverage from the gas, who have holes in the gas system somewhere, get simliar results to what you are seeing with CO2, get discouraged and think aluminum is for the SUPER WELDER. It's just that with steel, you can be way off in the settings and still see a weld. With aluminum, being off on a single variable can result in the stuff you did earlier. The weld you did with argon looks pretty nice. You arent getting enough penetration for that thickness, but otherwise it looks fine. You may think about multi-passing. That way you get more practice and you might be able to run the welder a little below the max output (which is better for duty cycle and for arc performance).Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:make sure the welder is on AC and preheat that will help DC will make the welds look like that
Reply:You will grow your Kingdom by using ARGON on Aluminumor you can get "ALUMIMIX" from AIRGASYou will be a good fabricator welder
Reply:whats with the kingdome crap?...zap!
Reply:Dear AllTo build wealth, I like to encourage fellow Americans to build their Kingdom of assets to hand down to the next generation of Americans. That includes Property, Gold, Cash, Cars, Trucks, Company, Trust Funds, Stocks, Welding machines, tools, tractors, farm, Oil Leases, dividends.The Queen of England just gave a gift of $4.5 Million Dollars to her grandson Harry, Harry will then make that wealth grow for the next generation. Each generation of Family is responsible to expand the family forture.I hope this helps us all understand Kingdom Building for your benefit. Plus you get to buy more tools with the profits.
Reply:Well,for the record, the Argon was the ticket!!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by gian1500make sure the welder is on AC and preheat that will help DC will make the welds look like that
Reply:Originally Posted by ctardiAre you sure about that?
Reply:Originally Posted by LimpetDo you think it will make that much difference? I'm glad to run out and buy a tank of Argon if it will makes things better. Have you ever tried CO2 with AL?Thanks |
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:17:25