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Mig welding aluminum without spoolgun advice/help

WESTOF7

WESTOF7

Fueled by hate and boric acid
Joined
Aug 6, 2020
Member Number
2422
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I want to try mig welding some aluminum. Someone stole my spoolgun off the service truck and I have a big job coming up. Have some questions I have that I haven't been able to find the answer to. Want to know if this would work.

Is it worth it to get a short gun around 8' long(shorter?) with a teflon liner and u drive rolls? Can get a new gun made locally for $250 from Kent Welding Gun. Kent Welding Gun Using a couple of old millermatic 200s

The wire I have is a 44# roll of 3/64(0.047) 4043 which is a odd size but actually seems to feed almost passably without birdnesting.

Is it a waste of time trying to feed the 4043 reliably? Would 5356 work better?

Don't have much experience with wire fed aluminum. I normally tig everything but just have to lay too much weld down for it to be feasible on this job and can't afford another machine right now.
 
Short whip with a Teflon liner ain't bad. It takes a little different technique, don't have the gun perpendicular when you pull the trigger. Have it at a angle so the wire will deflect and keep going if it doesn't arc. That's about the only time it will bird nest.
 
bdkw1 said:
Short whip with a Teflon liner ain't bad. It takes a little different technique, don't have the gun perpendicular when you pull the trigger. Have it at a angle so the wire will deflect and keep going if it doesn't arc. That's about the only time it will bird nest.
Click to expand...
Will I be able to feed it fast enough to spray properly? What do you think about whip length sould i go super short like 6'?

Do I have to keep the gun dead straight even with all the right stuff?
 
You are using a 200 as the power source or that is what the guns are from?

Is the run-in adjustable on that machine?
 
Twankie said:
You are using a 200 as the power source or that is what the guns are from?

Is the run-in adjustable on that machine?
Click to expand...
200 as a power source. Current guns are M25 or GA20C with standard liners

No adjustments other than tapped voltage and ipm on a scale from 60-600 ipm
 
You will need a lot of wirespeed.

I used a m25 6' gun Teflon liner and standard drive rolls on a vintage 250, it has high/low wire speed settings, 5356 wire.

Lots of fuck ups but once I got the angles, speeds and heat set I didn't have any more trouble.

The short gun really blows and could be a deal breaker depending on the project.

I would do it again for sure.
But I think if I had to do it again I would buy a china spool gun and hook it to the machine.
 
WESTOF7 said:
Will I be able to feed it fast enough to spray properly? What do you think about whip length sould i go super short like 6'?

Do I have to keep the gun dead straight even with all the right stuff?
Click to expand...
Wire speed, it should. Haven't used one of those machines but your wire speed isn't that different than steel.

I just used the 10' gun that I had. Put 8n a Teflon liner and rolled with it. Tried initially with a regular liner, big fail.

Once it arcs, just weld like normal.
 
I was thinking I can get the 4043 to work better because it requires less wire feed speed. It is softer but the size of 3/64 and 1/16" wire may help.

With 5356 I'd have to have very high wire speed but it's not as soft.

Kinda want to see if I can shorten the GA20C then use a 0.045-0.062 teflon liner off amazon
 
Ordered a new gun from our local manufacturer Kent

8' long rated at 300 amps
tweco consumables
0.047-0.062 teflon liner

Also ordered Miller 0.047 U drive rolls

Going to get 0.047 and 0.062 tips and maybe something in between like 0.052 as Ive heard that helps. Planning on picking up some 20 lb spools of Nexal 4043/5356 so I can't blame my old spool of 4043 if this fails
 
ive done it by cutting down a tweco 400 gun i had. and making parts to fit proper drive tolls. i did the whip at 6ft and had problems with the teflon, so went back to a normal coil liner. it actually worked well, and now i often use an HTP pp220 that is a normal, 2 roll, driven machine that uses a thick whip for amuminum. it works really well.


i would never try it again, and in hindsight... even for the one job, I should have just bought another spoolgun or push-pull
 
Weird monday morning thought: Why not put the drive rollers in the gun instead of the whole spool? yeah kinda a pain to get the wire installed, but then....
 
Seems to be working okay. The only time it fucks up and bird nests is when I burn back. Works way better than I thought it would using 0.030 v rollers 15' garbage antique GA20c with a new standard coiled 0.035-0.045 liner

Drilled out a 0.045 tip to 0.052

The key seems to be thick wire

Can't wait to get all the proper stuff for this. Going to be tits :smokin:
 
The reason I haven't replaced my spool gun is the economy here is shit and I just tig weld everything.
I mostly do machining and repair aluminum junk and castings. Not much reason for a spool gun.

But times are hard and I find I'm taking on work I never would have in the past.
 
I fed aluminum mig wire through my MM215 and didn't have any trouble with feed...ran the alum settings. Just doesn't work with C25 gas lol

Go to later in the vid when I put in alum wire:
 
2 tricks:

1. Notch a step on your contact tips...they used to be made with a notch not sure if they still are, makes it easier to 'peel back' a burn back.

Quick google:

WeldingSupply PX407728 $0.99

Secure on-line welding supplies PX407728 $0.99
weldingsupply.com weldingsupply.com

2. Wire tie a stick of something to your whip...making it straight. You won't be able to do 100% of it but anything will help.
 
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