You can try it the for the fun of it and see! But more seriously,what usually is called 75/25 is 25% Argon and 75% CO2. CO2 is very reactive to aluminum and you'll have a mess.
Now if you mean 25% argon and 75% helium (or vice versa), both are inert gases and the mix will work for aluminum.
CHGuilford
I think you have your gasses and your percentages transposed. 75/25 is 75% Argon 25% CO2.
Mike
Yup, you're right! I had meant to write it the other way but obviously didn't. Thanks for correcting that.
Chet Guilford
If you have a contract that specifies 100% argon,use that.
There are basically two gases that are suitable for aluminum welding. Pure argon will give excellent results on all aluminum welding wether it be mig or tig. An argon/Helium mix (the most common being 25% helium is ideal for tig or mig welding aluminum over 1/4"- 50% he for over 1/2" and 75% he for over 1 inch.) The thing about helium, is it doesn't conduct electricity as well as argon, so the voltage required to generate an arc plasma, will be greater. The end result,however, is a hotter arc that will increase productivity. faster travel speeds, faster puddle with tig,etc......you can not use a gas that contains Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, etc.....for your mig process, pure argon will suffice,although if you substitute that with an argon/helium mix, your machine will "act bigger" than 175 amps.
Hope this helps.
OK, so 75/25 doesn't work for Aluminum.
Would 100% Argon work for steel then? What I'm looking for is one gas that I can use for everything.
not much for good news here. Pure argon on carbon steel in the mig process will not work. In mig welding, oxygen is used to stabilize the arc and reduce the surface tension of the weld metal. Oxygen in the weld is obtained from additions of oxygen or carbon dioxide to the shielding gas. during welding, surface tension is undesirable (surface tension is the same thing that causes water to bead on a waxed or polished surface). If you use pure argon in the mig process, the molten bead does not wet out and the weld will look as though it is sitting on top of the base metal, and will have a dark,dull grey appearance. there is no one gas that will cover all welding (unless you are tig welding, where argon will be sufficient for all materials).
sorry to burst the bubble, but I guess that is what this forum is for.....questions and answers
good luck!
I have a project comming up where I'll need to weld a small piece of 1/4" aluminum to a cast intake manifold. It doesn't make sense to invest in another $100 bottle of gas that I'll use once in 5 years. What are the alternatives? Are there small bottles available, like the size of a propane cylinder? Are there flux core Aluminum wires? Can I weld aluminum with OA? I need a cost-effective solution that works.
a question I have is, do you have enough amperage to weld on 1/4" aluminum? it will take around 240 amps to get a solid bead on there. 1/8" aluminum takes around 170-200 amps. it might cost less to have somebody at a fabrication shop to weld it, eventhough the $50-$70/hr fee might scare you, a professional w/ the right equipment could have your manifold welded in about an hour.
Might be able to oxy weld it. Never tried oxy welding aluminum myself but there was a post on the topic about a month ago.
You can run some flux core electrodes with 100% argon and get good welding profiles. I have only tried it with sst though. I have never tried it with solid wire or mild steel electrodes. The mild steel electrodes flux core electrodes are not designed for 100% argon because it is more expensive, but there may be some that run OK with it. So if you want argon only, you may be able to do it if you want to use flux core wires.
Dave, for that one small weld, would you consider bringing it to someone elses shop? Just a thought.
Mike Sherman
If you have access to a stick welder there are some decent aluminum welding rods on the market. The problem with aluminum though, is it has to be welded hot and fast. the thermal conductivity of aluminum causes the heat input into the weld area to dissipate rapidly, therefore you need to increase the heat input to weld it. The other problem with welding aluminum, is the oxide layer that covers it. This thin layer melts at about 3300 degrees, whereas aluminum melts at around 1200. (give or take) a stick electrode will work better sometimes on cast aluminum, because it has a harsher arc, that will help to burn out some of the impurities in the base metal. (cast aluminum is filthy...to weld aluminum it needs to be clean) the drawback to aluminum stick welding, is the way the electrode burns..very fast,very ugly, smokey,etc....the end result, especially on a small piece, usually looks kind of like a pile of grapes.
I do agree with the other postings, though.....if there is someone in your area that can weld aluminum with the proper equipment, it is worth paying someone to do it.
Grrrr....
I was all jazzed to finally have "aluminum capability" with my new MIG. It seems like it's not practical after all.
The rated output is 130 amps. That's a far cry from 230. I ~do~ have a 230 amp stick welder and OA torch.. but I guess I'll hafta let someone else do it :(
I'm afraid that's not all the bad news. I've been where you are and I've spent a lot of money on tefflon liners, special wheels, very short guns for full size feeders, modifying tips and still got the same failed results. Bird nest after bird nest, you spend more time clearing the feeder than it's worth. This was with 4043 AL. I've never tried 5356 in any of the small feeders- it may work because it's a lot stiffer than 4043. Most manufacturers claim that they can weld Al with a standard feeder that is designed for steel but I haven't seen one. Al is succesfully welded with a spool gun or a push-pull feeder.
Keep the torch burning- Ted
Hello everyone!!!
According to the May 2003 issue of "Welding Journal" there will be a program on the "Speed Channel Show" demonstrating aluminum gas metal arc welding. It states that the power source will be a Lincoln SP-135 Plus. The show will cover topics such as wire and shielding gas selection, changing the gun liner, setting the wire tension and welding techniques. They will be fabricating an engine stand. According to WJ the show will run June 1, at 11:00 AM.
Keep the torch burning- Ted.
If you know your supplier really well they may let you use a small portion of the bottle for nothing. I believe they make smaller bottles too.
Brian Maas
Ted, that's great news! Nothing like seeing it done live...sort of. I know by June 1st I will have forgotten this. If you remember post a quick message toward the run date. Great find, thanks again.
HEY D/R, June 1st is next Sunday
So it is!! It should be interesting.
Thanks
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