I have searched but could not see an answer to my question. Instructions show reverse polarity for welding aluminum but could not see any other info. Can I use aluminum wire in machine as is or do I have to change parts? Don't have the want to buy a spool gun at this point. Thanks
57 B/A wagon, 408"BB, 14' Bonair travel trailer, 71 Nova 355"SB, 2-51HenryJ's, 07 2500HD with 26 Prowler 5th wheel.
I doubt seriously you can run aluminum wire from a spool with that machine as it’s not a push-pull MIG. I’m not even sure it’s compatible with any of their spoolguns, but maybe. MIG aluminum would be run DCEP, not DCEN and you’d use 100% Argon not mixed.
running the aluminum wire is the easy part. fit a nylon liner and use a fairly stiff wire (eg 5356) and it will feed through a short torch. you will also need to right drive rollers.
however lack of amps is a big issue and also lack of fine adjustment controls. dialing it in is a real pain and i'm not sure if you can even do it on a 4 tap machine.
in all honestly i would use a mig thats been designed to run aluminum mig.
however lack of amps is a big issue and also lack of fine adjustment controls. dialing it in is a real pain and i'm not sure if you can even do it on a 4 tap machine.
in all honestly i would use a mig thats been designed to run aluminum mig.
tweak it until it breaks
that helps with lack of amps, but if you can't dail it in your weld will be crap.drizler1 wrote:How about using a torch to preheat and weld it while hot?
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tweak it until it breaks
Thank you all for the info.
The chart on the door shows 20ga max for aluminum. 1/8 max for steel.
The chart on the door shows 20ga max for aluminum. 1/8 max for steel.
57 B/A wagon, 408"BB, 14' Bonair travel trailer, 71 Nova 355"SB, 2-51HenryJ's, 07 2500HD with 26 Prowler 5th wheel.
Bill Beauregard
- Bill Beauregard
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Weldmonger
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Location:Green Mountains of Vermont
Aluminum MIG is normally considered to be a 1/8" and thicker process. I've done little, but found it tough on thin metal. I'd think you need a much bigger machine for a spool gun to work. Miller did react to the new Ford trucks with all aluminum bodies. They call it "optimized" for thin aluminum sheet. It is a 350 sized machine, (That usually means 450 peak output.) It costs more than $10,000.
As for the question: Will it feed? The answer is absolutely NO. You'd have to run .023 wire, it'll simply birds nest in the rollers.
As for the question: Will it feed? The answer is absolutely NO. You'd have to run .023 wire, it'll simply birds nest in the rollers.