another supid question

Date 05-15-2002 00:16

OK, I'm back with my small 75 amp mig. I am considering trying some light aluminum with it. According to the manual I need teflon liner and rubber drive roller to come close to welding any al. with it. Is this a total lost cause? What are the capabilities with respect to this material and machine? Is it even close to possible to weld some utility boxes out of al. sheet with it. They wouldn't need to be watertight. (probably never would be anyway!). What would the best weld beads in say 16 ga. al. look like with this machine. Is the strength of the weld likely to be poor because of the low power? Any input appreciated.

By IowaBob (*)

Date 05-15-2002 01:15

bz,

Your machine should work for the job you mentioned (16 ga.) and the beads should look great and be solid after you've made a mess of things several times. Follow your manual's instructions and be prepared to do some practice before you get things right. AL is a lot different to weld than steel. The biggest thing to remember with AL is to make sure it's clean (stainless steel brush). Stay away from high strength AL alloys for your back yard projects because they can be extremelly difficult to weld. Good luck!

Bob

By welder_guy2001 (***)

Date 05-16-2002 00:57

your machine is most likely a "push" machine...which means it pushes the wire through the lead to the contact tube. most serious alum. welders use a "pull" gun w/ their welder, which has a spool of wire on the gun itself and the drive rolls are also in the gun. this is because alum. is a soft metal and tends to birdnest and jam up in a push system. i had that problem w/ my little welder using 4043 alum. wire. i heard 5356 is a harder wire, and wouldn't be that bad for my applications. i tried it...it works like a dream!

By bzzzzzzzzzz (**)

Date 05-16-2002 01:39

Yes I've heard all the push-pull gun stories, and the not enough power stuff, straight argon gas, and the clean-it super well song. I guess the only way to find out is to buy some wire, all the acessories, and go for it. I'm sure many on this board want the best machine for the job. That makes sense with a professional welder. Even a wealthy tinkerer. I am neither of these! Sounds like it might word OK for me. If not, oh well. I suppose there are limits to what it'll weld, but I plan on keeping the thickness way down. I would imagine with large thick pieces of al the heat is sucked out of the weld area very fast.

By CHGuilford (****)

Date 05-17-2002 16:08

In other words, as long as you know your limitations, "it'll either work or it won't". Cain't hardly argue with that. :)
I hope it works out for you.
CHGuilford