Still trying to break into welding at the hobby level. I am a boat fanatic and would like to start fabricating some leaning posts, cooler stands etc.. I assume most of this stuff is like a 6063-T6 aluminum alloy, maybe 1/16 wall or at the most 1/8". Would the little Maxstar 140 do the trick at 120V?
Actually I see it is DC only, so I guess that rules out aluminum?
Go for it, you will need helium and lots of practice.
no AC, no aluminum, period.
Well, technically speaking, you can weld AL with DC. It's been done before and continues to be done today. DCEP for the light guage and DCEN for heavier--though some use DCEN for even the lighter guage--just takes more practice. DGXL has it right. Get a jug of helium, clean it well, and go practice.AC is easier and requires less practice, but DC is doable if you don't want to spend the money on a squarewave machine.
Sublime/MikeR:
DC welding of Al is done daily in the aircraft/aerospace industries.
I think the question is: Do you have the equipment and materials? (shielding gas, filler metals, tungsten, cleaning materials and practice)
Pocket rocket welders like your are perfectly capable of welding aluminum, BUT, the thickness will be limited by the amperage of the little inverter. If your Miller is like my Thermadyne, it will do better on 220V than 120V. Power is really limited with this primary input. I use mine for low-amp stuff on 120.
P R A C T I C E
L E A R N
There are numerous posts on this, you might want to look them up. The only thing I can add to DGXL is this process won't work through annodized material. You could start out with bare material and have it annodized after welding. Also I have had the most success with 4043- Ted.
just about all aluminum on a boat is 5000 series. I forget what alloys are common, but 5027 rings a bell for some reason. you would have to weld it w/ 5356 alloy. and for 1/8" aluminum you'd need around 180 amps at the least. also, the thickness of aluminum on most small boats is very thin (1/16" or less) and it's hard to weld if you're in an odd position or not experienced w/ thin materials.
You need ac power and high frequency to weld aluminum also the power source better be able to put out 200 amps (ac) or you'll burn out your machine. Welding aluminum (ac/high fequency) requires a water-cooled tig torch as an air cooled torch will quickly burn-out because of the nature of ac current. Better really think about it before you get into it.
Is this still true with regards to the original post? The post was for hobby welding of 1/16-1/8 aluminum. If the welding doesn't exceed these parameters would dc tig at 140 amps max be ok? The maxstar has a fairly high duty cycle. I believe 100% at 100 amps. That's high considering the maximum amperage is 140 amps. Asking because I too am consdering one of these units. Mainly for light stick and stainless tig. Is tig welding hotter because of the slower speeds involved? I've only used smaw and gmaw so far. I know smaw puts plenty of heat into the weld area.
How much does a welding machine really cost? If you are buying it to make a dollar or more, it actually costs you nothing. It is an investment. Having run a profitable welding fabrication business I know this is true.
May I suggest a better machine than the Maxstar 140 for aluminum. Try the Dynasty 200, it has the AC needed for aluminum. It has an advanced squarewave ac with the potential of 99 percent time at negative and changing the ac frequency from 20 to 250 hertz at full amperage output. All this with three phase or single phase input, it is more energy efficient then the big single phase ac GTAW machines.
At first glance it looks complicated but setting it up as a standard squarewave ac machine and adjusting one parameter and one parameter only! Repeating the process through all parameters a person can see the power of advanced squarewave ac. How good is squarewave ac, try for giggles and laughs welding an E-6010 on ac. It works.
Maxstar 140 has an excellent arc for GTAW stainless with the DCEN.
Hope this helps.
357,
I hear what you are saying and agree with you, but his original post he has indicated he is "Still trying to break into welding at the hobby level".
And I can understand that it's hard to justify alot of money for something you may or may not use a lot. Yes, I agree if he plans to use this welder to make money and start a business fabricating and welding to go for the bigger machine with more power and bells/whistles. :)
John Wright
Another good response John regarding the hobby factor,
And for the those who beleive in urban legends, aluminum is readily weldable with DC and the correct shielding. You people should read and research before responding with info to others that is not accurate.
DGXL,
I'm bad about that too. I shoot my (mouth) keyboard off with out researching my responses enough. I wouldn't do it on purpose, but it happens all the same. I get caught up in all the other responses and don't always pay attention to the original question(post).
John Wright
I wasn't shooting my mouth off because of ingnorance.....i was relating experience 20+ years......for that matter you can find SMAW electrodes that will weld aluminum that will work fine with the max-star 140 which is really a good machine, but if you think just because it has 100% duty cycle at 100amps(DC) you'll be able to run it forever.....that's a misnomer because 120volts use a standard 20 amp breaker, which will kick-out after about ten minutes of continuous use................YOU stop talking out your ass.......poser!
I guess that was directed towards me. The only one to mention duty cycle in a post. If you read carefully you'll see that almost my whole post is in question form. That means I admit ingnorance! This is usually a good place for all to get questions or opinions on general welding matters. This often includes hobbiests and seasoned pros. I never claimed to be an expert welder, or even a metal melter. How can someone ASKING QUESTIONS about something be talking out of their ass!? Go look at my previous posts and see how arrogant my posts have been. The posts are questions I have no answers to. Many have been responded to in polite informative style. If anyone feels a poster needs to meet certain weld proficiency criteria before posting on this board please let me and many other backyard/hobby welders know right now and I'll stop posting. Perhaps the board should be more specific about who can and cannot post here. Opinions welcome!
Lighten up guys- this is a friendly board.
Bill
I apologize for my lack of professionalism on my last post. This is a good site and whether you are a seasoned veteren or someone who is a fix-it type person wanting to know more or putting it your own 2 cents worth, it's valid if it refers to welding.
My last post was a response to someone who said tig welding aluminum was not a problem(with DC) and the tone (of it) was inappropriate. I will not reply that way again.I hope everyone will accept this reconciliation.
Anyway, The major advandage of aluminum is it's light weight. I would switch to stainless steel as a material for a ship or boat as you can use thin-wall stainless steel tubing that (while it may be slightly heavier) will equal or exceed the strength of aluminum.
To weld aluminum as hobby try DC with Helium and see what happens. If you want really get into it(welding aluminum) get a machine and set-up(water-cooled torch, etc) made to do it. You should also know that you would be wise to get pure tungsten or Zirconiated tungsten as 2% thoriated tungsten "spits" inpurities into a weld which is only half as strong as the base metal anyway. I worked at a shop which specialized in using aluminum exclusively for over 3 years and if you live near the seacoast.........salt air will soon attack non-anodised aluminum and destroy it much like it does to carbon steel sheet metal.
Any little ac/dc tig would be much easier than a dc machine.So keep that in mind when you think a maxstar 140 will do the job.It just seems like a major hassle to use dc.Boats use 5052/5083/6063-T6 mostly.If you need 120 volt operation,Miller Dynasty,and the Lincoln 205 T are good picks.If you can use 230 volts the Thermal-arc prowave is the best deal going.It welds as nice as the other two for over $1000.00 plus less.You will pay big bucks for 120 volt ac/dc inverters.On dc you get a lot more options on dc also.like pulse,and better current control settings.
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