I welded Aluminum with my Century.

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I bought a 145 amp  wire feed Century from Sam's 12 years ago for $550. I was skeptical of the quality but talked to my local shop first and they said it was fine for home use. 12 years later it still runs great. I use flux core and air shielding and they both work just fine, no problems what so ever. Last week I had the need to weld aluminum. I bought the teflon liner, rubber roller wheel, a 20 cu ft argon tank and a 1 pound spool of wire. Everyone told me that it would wad up and would not work. Well i set the roller wheel to real light, just tight enough to push the wire. I also kept the 10 foot cable real straight to avoid excessive bends. It welded like a champ. Not a single bird nest, smooth feed and great looking welds. The biggest thing I found was the AL needs to be spotlessly clean before welding. Even a little bit of oxidation or debris will mess up the weld. For small jobs I would have no problem saying "go for it". No spool gun needed on small jobs. For the money and around the shop use this welder has been just great.
Reply:Post soem pics of the welds. Great to hear that it worked out great.
Reply:Originally Posted by ReuelFor small jobs I would have no problem saying "go for it". No spool gun needed on small jobs. For the money and around the shop use this welder has been just great.
Reply:Originally Posted by imagineerwell I'd have at least $8.
Reply:Yep...my mm130 will do it fine on thin stuff.  You just have to run it at full throttle.  I have occasionally tripped the breaker on aluminum.  You know bumble bees are not supposed to be able to fly...but, dont tell them that.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:It is possible to push aluminum though a 10ft gun if you are:1) Patient2) Keep the welding gun straight3) Use a .035" diameter wire4) Use a 5356 alloy because it is stiffer5) Use a Teflon liner.If you aren't doing a lot of aluminum, this should work fine for you.  If you are doing a lot, then you will get to a point where a spool gun will be worth the money.My 2 cents.JeffJeff NolandDrive a LincolnDrink a MillerWeld with an HTP
Reply:Originally Posted by ReuelI bought a 145 amp  wire feed Century from Sam's 12 years ago for $550.Last week I had the need to weld aluminum. I bought the teflon liner, rubber roller wheel, a 20 cu ft argon tank and a 1 pound spool of wire. Everyone told me that it would wad up and would not work. It welded like a champ. Not a single bird nest, smooth feed and great looking welds. The biggest thing I found was the AL needs to be spotlessly clean before welding. Even a little bit of oxidation or debris will mess up the weld. For small jobs I would have no problem saying "go for it". No spool gun needed on small jobs. For the money and around the shop use this welder has been just great.
Reply:Limpet you can NOT use C02 to weld aluminum you need argon or heilum your brush need to be stainless and you should only use it to clean aluminumChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:Originally Posted by LimpetI just did this same thing....except mine is a Lincoln 155...any my welds are horrid.  The big difference may be that I'm using C02 Still.  My hope is that if I move to Argon my troubles will be over...but I'm a bit skeptical given the welds so far.
Reply:Limpet,Chopper5 is 100% correct - running CO2 is like putting diesel in a gas engine - it may run, but it will run very poorly.  If you invest in a tank of 100% argon, you will have better results.Jeff NolandDrive a LincolnDrink a MillerWeld with an HTP
Reply:Limpet, I will try and snap a pic this weekend. I second (or third) the stainless steel wire brush thing. I am no expert by any means, strickty a weekend warrior but you need to use a stainless steel wire brush and keep it dedicated for only AL and nothing else. As far as I know 100% Argon is the only shielding gas that can be used with AL. Now that the job is complete I have removed the liner and put the old one back in. In order to keep things spotlessly clean for the next time I need them, I have taken the teflon liner and the left over AL wire spool and am storing them in the house in a plastic bag with some of that decicant stuff so they stay dry and are not subject to all the heat/cold humidity cycles. I can not stress enough in just my short experience with AL that it needs to be dirt and oxidation free.Last edited by Reuel; 02-03-2006 at 08:45 AM.
Reply:Miller Matic 200 w/Prince Spool Gun with Tweco Eliminator Cam Lock Tips