Need Spool Gun advice

By welder_guy2001 (***)

Date 12-06-2002 01:53

you also have to watch it when you weld w/ steel wire and then switch to AL wire, or vice-versa...after a while of using either wire, some of the filler wire will coat the inside of the wire tube and the contact tip in powder form. not a big problem if you're welding on occasion...but keep in mind, the more you weld, the more powder from other wires that could be contaminating your weld.

I've welded w/ pure Argon against my will only because it was the only cylinder of inert gas we had for a field job. pure Ar is great for AL, but it sucks for steel. the arc always wanted to burn back to the tip, I couldn't get much of a bead to form (it was pretty flat), and penetration was paper thin. sure, it works...but I wouldn't trust the strength of the weld. go for the 75% Ar/25% CO2 mix. besides, pure argon is more expensive than the 75/25 mix gas.

as for spool guns, I'd go w/ a Miller...a trusted name. and it sounds like you won't be doing all that much welding to want to pay for a feeder w/ all kinds of toys n trinkets on it...unless if u want to...

By brande

Date 12-08-2002 07:06

Of your choices, stay away from the spoolmate stuff, unless your requirements are very light.
That said, of your choices, the Spoolmatic 30 and the Profax AEC are probably the best choices.
I own a Spoolmatic 30, but have vast experience with the AEC.

Really like them both-but....
The Miller will fit your machine easily by using the WC24 control.Plug in and go.
There are a number of barrell options available for the Spoolmatic 30.
I've even built a number of custom front ends for the Spoolmatic 30.

On the other hand, the newer 4 series Profax AEC guns are a bit more rugged. A little more bulky, they can really take a lot of abuse. If you do go with the AEC gun, be sure to go with the straight tips and not the "kinked" ones. You'll have much better feed.

Hope this helps

brad

By billnunez Date 12-08-2002 17:48

VERY helpful. I've never even held a spool gun---do you find that once you get used to it you can use it anywhere you might use a regular MIG gun, or am I going to end up wanting both? Also, as welder_guy pointed out, I may have contamination issues with switching from AL to steel. Do you agree, and if so, will I avoid the problem if switch the liner, spool, and contact tip together---is that a chore?

Thanks so much.

By dee

Date 12-13-2002 20:36

Bill,

For me its a chore to merely change gasses, so I would be concerned with having to "clean" the gun before changing wires... but I'm "lazy" and impatient enough to be considered nuts by those who know me best. "My stuffs gotta be 'right there'."

The spool gun gives an advantage of small spools of unusual fillers you need once and may never use again, including stainless etc. as well as aluminum; big, heavy, and unwieldy as it is, it'll always have a place even if that place does wind up to be under a layer of dust on a shelf somewhere. You'll be glad its around.

As a sideline and for getting started it's a starting point for sure and could perhaps be practical at least for a while; you wont be changing over every day.

Let me stress the heads up on using pure Ar on steel; you probably will find it impractical if not sometimes impossible. The gas mix you use makes a tremendous difference in weld characteristics. It wont help your life become easier to fight issues the wrong gas will create, and the issues will be more serious than merely burn-back...
...stop in on Ed Craig's site at weldreality.com and see what he has posted on gas selection. Also a few months agothe AWS Journal had a feature on shielding gasses that might be of some help; its accesible from the home page here I thaink under archives.

Good Luck
d

By billnunez Date 12-13-2002 22:02

I'm also lazy about switching tools around. As a carpenter, I own two tablesaws just so I don't have to switch between a dado and a regular blade. But like you said---the spoolgun would be a start. It's sounding like I'm gonna have to commit to having two gas bottles around, though.

Thanks for the info.

Bill

By supermechanic (**)

Date 12-15-2002 16:08

Buy a bottle of argon and a bottle of co2, get two flow gauges, a 'y' adapter with needle valves on it and mix your own gas.
I think that is the best way to go, as the 25/75 mix may separate if let stand a long time, also, with the straight co2, you
have the capability of using dual shield wire, as well as using straigh co2 on steel.

By dee

Date 12-15-2002 21:54

Supermechanic,

What's the point of mixing your own gas?

I'm afraid to recommend it because I have no faith in my ability to reproduce the mix with sufficient precision; I also find the additional tank of gas is cheaper than a decent flowmeter... <80%Ar (balance CO2) lets me weld anything made of carbon steel in short arc or spray... I presume AR100 would permit me to weld Al- unless I wanted or needed to improve the characteristics...
...do you actually use (can you accurately mix) your own mix for stainless without complications from the CO2?

Two flow meters cost about $200, hoses and fittings are additional; you can pay that or more for a single one that's accurate I suppose, while THREE tanks of the OPTIMUM gas mixes for each metal application should cost about $80 each. Aluminum, Stainless, and Steel, respectively, behaving exactly the same each time you strike an arc on one of them so you can depend on the quality of the weld.

Your rationale is usually right on target, S, but I think I am missing your point or something here.
My weld supply shop is less than 5 minutes away, and the guy's able to provide the precise mix I'd prefer to use. Maybe this convenience has me thinking differently, but we're sharing different opinions with each other on this issue; I considered and rejected the idea quite some time ago.

Regards,
d

By bobaroony Date 07-09-2006 21:09

You cant buy a better spool gun than the miller 30a.aluminum must be welded with 100% argon,which wont work well with steel,although it works with stainless.use a gas mix with steel.switching from steel to al and back is no problem,usually you would need a different size of contact tip anyway.for aluminum i only use .047 5356 alloy wire spools. A regular wire feed usually has a much larger spool, mine takes 50lbs.you dont have to change the wire often,the gun is lighter and easier to handel but you are limited by the length,usually 15',although possible they dont work well at all with aluminum

By Rick Becker Date 07-03-2006 19:53

Hi,

I just joined the forum, and see you have experience w/ the AEC 200 gun.

I'm a physicist, and thinking of converting the one I have into a thin film evaporator in my vacuum system.

I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions at your convenience.

Thanks.

b.

Rick Becker
ionsourcerer@mac.com
978-337-9009