Which welder works better when welding aluminum? I see Lincoln has an aluminum wire feeding kit for their welder, but with Miller I can only find references to the spoolmate gun which is $$$. A good bottom of the line tig welder is still out of my price range. Thanks.

 

Supposedly my Clark MIG 130 can weld aluminum. It spools fine, feeds fine, and I am using argon but I still only get popcorn. Either I suck or 110v MIG welders just aren't up to welding aluminum.

 

I've been doing some aluminum with my Hobart 140 (similar specs to the Miller 135) and it is doing fine without any special wire feeding. It feeds .035 wire fine, just keep the cable pretty straight coming out of machine and no sharp bends. I pretty much have to crank it up all the way for 1/8". I would never weld something structural out of aluminum with this, because its not hot enough to get full penetration. Get a higher powered 230V MIG if strength is an issue. However, preheating and multiple passes help. Its doing fine for my uses though.

Beepy - just something to check... make sure you reverse the polarity from how its set for flux core. it should work, perhaps not optimally, but it'll lay a bead.

 

I think the miller "kit" might just be the rollers used for softer wire (same used for flux core) and a nylon gun liner. Those can be ordered for like maybe 40 bucks.

Go for the miller