Mig Welding Aluminum


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Thread: Mig Welding Aluminum

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    Default Mig Welding Aluminum

    I have a 115v Lincoln "Weldpack 100" mig welder. I have read that this unit is not capable of welding aluminum due to a lack of amperage, but the users manual says that it can. If the manual is true I need to buy a gas conversion kit, does anyone have any suggestions?

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    Quote Originally Posted by gibbsman View Post
    I have a 115v Lincoln "Weldpack 100" mig welder. not capable of welding aluminum due to a lack of amperage, I need to buy a gas conversion kit, does anyone have any suggestions?
    Ask a Lincoln sales rep to show you how it welds aluminum.
    If the results meet your needs, buy the kit.
    You will likely prefer a larger 230V machine, with a spool gun.



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    Monkeywrench Technician DareBee's Avatar
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    EVEN if LINCOLN tells you to use a gas conversion kit, you will also at minimum need a teflon liner, aluminum won't feed through a steel liner.
    IMO you need a 255 and a spool gun (gas of course) as a minimum welder requirement.
    I will digress (possibly) - after you spend a bunch of money setting up your machine for aluminum you MAY be able to weld foil

    www.integratedmechanical.ca


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    My advice - don't waste your time or money trying to get a 110 Mig to weld aluminum. You will be severely disappointed at the quality of the weld.

    Scott

    Consistency is a good thing....unless you're consistently an idiot.


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    I was asking a welding supplier recently about Mig welding aluminium and I mentioned the spool gun.

    He said that most problems with feed in aluminium are because people use the same gun for mild steel, and the steel wire leaves dirt inside the hose, which causes problems for feeding the aluminium wire. Also the aluminium wire expands very rapidly when you strike the arc and the welding tip contracts.

    People usually use with .08 wire a 1.0mm or 1.2mm tip which doesn't leave the expanding wire enough room. He said if I use a 1.6mm tip with .08 wire and keep a seperate torch for aluminium that I won't have any problems with feed. So I decided to buy a seperate regular torch instead of a more expensive spool gun when I get my welder. Is he wrong???

    Make sure you use a stailess steel brush or solvents and etching solution to remove the aluminium oxides before welding. Dont go too hard with the brush or you might drive the oxides into the material, also if you decide to use solvents and etching solution use a hydrocarbon free degreaser to remove it before welding.

    Anyway, re the gas conversion kit...what exactly is this? I thought you just changed your bottles to Argon and purged your machine to weld aluminium.



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    Quote Originally Posted by diarmaid View Post
    So I decided to buy a seperate regular torch instead of a more expensive spool gun when I get my welder.
    #1 Is he wrong???

    #2 Anyway, re the gas conversion kit...what exactly is this? I thought you just changed your bottles to Argon and purged your machine to weld aluminium.
    #1 Yes, I think he is!
    Again, you might ask him to demonstrate for you.
    You will probably learn all about aluminum wire "bird's nest" removal from the wire drive system using his method.
    The small diameter & very soft aluminum is very difficult to "push" satisfactorily with normal wire drive systems.
    Pull type MIG guns with drive rolls in the gun itself, or spool guns are the common solution to the above mentioned problem.



    #2 The machine mentioned in post #1 is sold for using self shielding flux cored wire.

    The gas conversion kit contains a solenoid gas valve, gas pressure regulator, hoses etc. to convert the machine for use with solid wire electrode that requires gas shielding.



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    Banned diarmaid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Weldtutor View Post
    #1 Yes, I think he is!
    Again, you might ask him to demonstrate for you.
    You will probably learn all about aluminum wire "bird's nest" removal from the wire drive system using his method.
    The small diameter & very soft aluminum is very difficult to "push" satisfactorily with normal wire drive systems.
    Pull type MIG guns with drive rolls in the gun itself, or spool guns are the common solution to the above mentioned problem.
    #2 The machine mentioned in post #1 is sold for using self shielding flux cored wire.
    The gas conversion kit contains a solenoid gas valve, gas pressure regulator, hoses etc. to convert the machine for use with solid wire electrode that requires gas shielding.
    Thankyou. I didn't realise some Migs were sold for only flux cored. Oh well, learn something new every day.



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    Monkeywrench Technician DareBee's Avatar
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    diarmaid

    Just so there is no confusion.
    That machine is not sold ONLY for flux cored.
    It is packaged to be inexpensive to get the home owners to buy it.
    To keep the cost down they sell the gas kit as an "extra".
    The machine is capable either way.

    ALTHOUGH on a personal note I would NOT buy a 120V welding machine (accept for the backpack TIG (and they are often dual voltage)). They just dont have enough power and a Lincoln SP180 is only about $900 anyway.

    www.integratedmechanical.ca


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    one thing not mentioned is duty cycle. on a tiny machine you'll have it cranked up to max and you'll weld 1 minute in 10. then you loose all the heat out of the area yet not have enough amperage to get the puddle going before gettitng the area too hot again. I recently had to weld some 1/8" wall 2x2 tubing with a lincoln 200a tig and the duty cycle wasn't enough to finish a 2" long pass.



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    The smallest mig we use on alluminium is 200amp unimig we have tried the small machines for fine work but they are hopeless, it appears .9to 1mm wire is ideal and i use a short lead with a nilon liner and a felt cleaner on the wire just behind the drive rollers.It is also good practice to only apply the minimum pressure to the drive rollers to avoid wire bunch up should your tips become blocked good luck with your with your choice of welders greg b



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    I have a customer that has been using Lincoln SP-100's for years to weld AL with decent results. Amazingly, they have found that the regular wound steel liners work better than the nylon ones, and they are pushing .035 wire with them. They are a sign contractor and are, of couse, only welding light gauge material with them. I was blown away the first time I saw one of their machines come in the shop, thinking they were idiots for trying to a) Push small diameter Aluminum, b) trying to weld it with a 115v machine, and c) using steel liners. Worse yet, they run them off portable generators to do roadside repairs. Once the machine was fixed, the guy brought over some of the material they were welding and proceeded to put down a decent bead with the thing. They've got about a half-dozen units set up this way and use them all the time. Keeping the gun straight and changing liners frequently allows it with very few birdnests. I have since been setting other people up with steel liners instead of Nylon or Teflon when pushing AL, with improved results. They do require more replacement or cleaning. I've also "engineered" a Lincoln spool gun onto a Century 140 amp mig (the guy INSISTED). It worked well also.



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    I have this same welder ( lincoln welpak 100hd ). I have purchased the "gas kit" as well as the "aluminum kit". I have practiced with it all weekend trying to weld some 6061 T-6 extrusion that is .160 thick. Sometimes it welds good, but I have not been able to get the "stack of dimes" bead to run. Most of the time it is either too cool or too hot and blows through the material. I am using 100% argon gas, but don't know for sure what to set the gas pressure on. I wish I had done more research before buying the add-ons for this welder. Any help on the gas pressure is greatly appreciated.

    James



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    I've welded on a miller 220 without spool gun using argon teflon roller and a special feed kit..... Must say I prefer metal any day, and will not weld aluminum without a proper gun and controll box it's just a pain, burn backs , birds nests etc .... it's a real pita.. hats off to the aluminum welding pro's



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    Trying to produce quality welds in AL with MIG is a waste of time. You can use the process to make material carts, but qualifying people in the process for critical welds is a waste of time. Hard enough to get good alloy tig welders up to speed on AL.

    Steve
    DO SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT'S WRONG!


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    Quote Originally Posted by elogicca View Post
    I've welded on a miller 220 without spool gun using argon teflon roller and a special feed kit..... Must say I prefer metal any day, and will not weld aluminum without a proper gun and controll box it's just a pain, burn backs , birds nests etc .... it's a real pita.. hats off to the aluminum welding pro's
    I must say - using the 220 with a #30 spool gun is as good as it gets. That combo is decent - especially if it is a three phase machine.

    The issue with MIG and AL is not really the welder or the weldor - it's the process. I can lay a decent bead with a decent machine, but it's too difficult to do it perfect every time and no matter what you do, it still has a cold start - even pre-heating will not resolve this. It's the nature of the procees.

    I often wonder why the manufacturers don't offer start settings for their MIG machines - like Start Heat, Duration, Wire Speed and ramp controls for start-up. This would certainly help and I think it's an extremely good idea.

    If you want to weld AL without the potential for future crack propagation due to cold start issues, get a TIG and get good with it. The outcome is 100% up to the Weldor with TIG - you control everything and that guarantees success - every time.

    Scott

    Consistency is a good thing....unless you're consistently an idiot.


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    This might not be possible at all, or may not work, but could you set-up the inductance settings to compensate for the cold start and then either automatically or manually adjust after 1 or 2 sec's when the piece heats up?



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    Talking argon amount

    Quote Originally Posted by jacarpen View Post
    I have this same welder ( lincoln welpak 100hd ). I have purchased the "gas kit" as well as the "aluminum kit". I have practiced with it all weekend trying to weld some 6061 T-6 extrusion that is .160 thick. Sometimes it welds good, but I have not been able to get the "stack of dimes" bead to run. Most of the time it is either too cool or too hot and blows through the material. I am using 100% argon gas, but don't know for sure what to set the gas pressure on. I wish I had done more research before buying the add-ons for this welder. Any help on the gas pressure is greatly appreciated.

    James
    i mig weld aluminum all the time. i have had pretty good success on thinner aluminum. it takes about double the amount of argon when welding aluminum. i keep my reg set to 45psi of argon flow. i believe most people use about 22 to 30 psi of mix gas when welding steel. so a good range would be anywhere between 40 and 50 psi of argon. hope this helps!!



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    "i keep my reg set to 45psi of argon flow. i believe most people use about 22 to 30 psi of mix gas when welding steel. so a good range would be anywhere between 40 and 50 psi of argon."


    You mean CFH not PSI.

    CFH = cubic feet per hour. A measurement of volume.
    PSI = pounds square inch. A measurement of pressure.

    Anything over about 28CFH is throwing money out the window in my opinion. I run 18-22 when I MIG.

    Welcome to the site, BTW! I see this is your very first post!

    Scott

    Consistency is a good thing....unless you're consistently an idiot.


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    Hi:

    The gas regulators are based on CFH cubic feet/hr) and if working in a shielded area 15-20CFH will do.
    I've experienced the above mentioned dissapointment with these little welders. Pushing the wire is just not the way to go, unless you want to dig out the birds nest.Second of all you just dont have the amperage for any decent pentration. For thin materials you would be better of with aluminium brazing rod & oxy-aceltylene. This setup works really well on thin < 1/8" thick materials.

    regards



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    Thumbs up

    Quote Originally Posted by mxtras View Post
    "i keep my reg set to 45psi of argon flow. i believe most people use about 22 to 30 psi of mix gas when welding steel. so a good range would be anywhere between 40 and 50 psi of argon."


    You mean CFH not PSI.

    CFH = cubic feet per hour. A measurement of volume.
    PSI = pounds square inch. A measurement of pressure.

    Anything over about 28CFH is throwing money out the window in my opinion. I run 18-22 when I MIG.

    Welcome to the site, BTW! I see this is your very first post!

    Scott
    thanks for the correction! are you saying that you only use 18-22 when you mig aluminum with pure argon? are your results good as far as clean welds go? wow! im gonna go run a bead using 20cfh! i have been wasting money! argon is almost twice as expensive as blended gas here in texas! thanks again!!



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