Currently I have a Lincoln Mig 140 which I love, sometimes though I need to do some aluminum work and have to take it to a shop for them to tig. I found that Lincoln has a aluminum spool gun kit for migging aluminum. Just wondering if anyone uses on or has any experience with migging aluminum. I dont care about perfect looking welds like a tig I just want something to weld aluminum when I need it. Anything special with the gas ect?

Thanks

 

ive only used a spool gun a few time's and you have to move fast. i donno if any of my welds will hold fluid but im sure with pratice they will. oh and you have to use stright argon.

 

I've used the kit before and its not the greatest thing in the world. However it will work to make a few peices here and there if you don't mind sanding some. Really if you don't care about weld appearance you'll probably be ok. You'll have to play around with it to understand. Try finding one on ebay cause they're pretty expensive, last time I checked.

 

I have a miller 255 and I was going to get the spool gun for it but instead put the money twards a tig (lincoln 185) and it was one of the best things I have ever spent money on I do regret that I didnt spend a few extra bucks for the miller 200 tho

you will never use ur mig again and also youd be supprised how many people will come to you for lil bs welding things... its good for beer money

 

It really depends on the thickness of the material you are welding and the amount of production time you wanna spend welding.

IMO, I wouldnt use aluminum mig on materials thinner than 1/8, tig will make a more controlled weld that will be stronger and better looking.

I mig aluminum for a living and the majority if material thickness is over 3/16 to 1/2".

I also have a syncrowave 180 tig runner so I am basing my opinions on my own experiances

 

I've used a Cobra push/pull gun setup,it was the ****!

 

Bring it to me cause i need practice with aluminum.

 

I use a miller spool gun on a 350P. I agree that it works better on 1/8" and up. You can make some really good looking welds with it if you have everything adjusted right and have a good technique. I think in many cases though, a TIG machine would be a better use of money.

 

Thanks for all the input, probably will just make wetback do my welding



Modified by BIGTUNA at 1:22 AM 4/20/2007

 

I learned in 1.5 hrs. to mig Al using .080" 6061 - welds have excellent penetration, negligible distortion (on par with tig) and sharp beads that look as good or better than my ms migging

as stated a spoolgun is halfway to a tig pricewise, but you can do some serious kickass work with one - I think it's worth it, but it's your time and money. As for it being inferior to tigging: BULLSHIT

 

I have a miller spoolmate 30a on my miller 300 mig, I paid $225 for it used but they are like 900+ new. Spool gun and tig both have their place which is why I have both

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ghostchild316 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've used a Cobra push/pull gun setup,it was the ****!</TD></TR></TABLE>

best thing for aluminum in my opinion, i spent ten hours a night welding aluminum with one of those setups, the welds come out nice as long as your speed is constant and you learn to bounce your hand slightly while you weld (helps the appearence, nothing else really)

 

Can someone please post some pictures of how well the spool gun works.

Thank you,
Kirk.

 

Forgive my novice but how does a spool gun work any different from a normal mig wire spool in the welder? I looked at on yesterday and looked like it just housed a mini spool of aluminum wire. Is there a problem with running Aluminum wire thru my current mig setup? Of course switching to the proper gas?

 

How thick of material are you welding? If it is no more that 1/8" you can use you Lincoln 140 without a spoolgun. You just have to be careful not to kink the lead. If it is a bit thicker, you can take one of those small propane torches and preheat where you are going to weld, this will help from getting cold start and no penetration. Once you preheat enough and start welding, your base metal will continue to stay hot as you weld. You dont have to preheat a large amount of area.

It really comes down to how much you really "NEED" to weld aluminum. For most DYI'ers, it is more of a convenience to have a welding machine to do aluminum at home. If you plan on buying a good machine for home use, plan on spending around $2000-$2500, either a millermatic 250 with spoolgun or a lincoln precision tig 185, by the time you get all your accessories.

 

Really its just for making a bracket here and there, and some aluminum pipe like for a intake or charge pipe. I dont need a beautiful weld just something functional without running down or towing my car to a shop who has a tig.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BIGTUNA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Really its just for making a bracket here and there, and some aluminum pipe like for a intake or charge pipe. I dont need a beautiful weld just something functional without running down or towing my car to a shop who has a tig.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I own a spool gun for that reason. Got a decent price on one (whole set-up for $300 off craigslist) and put an argon tank on it. I use it for stainless and aluminum. Works fine, just have to move it along when you weld, but nothing some practice won't make simple. Just don't try to use it on really thin stuff and you will be fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Top Ramen &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Just don't try to use it on really thin stuff and you will be fine.</TD></TR></TABLE>

ya, if you need to do charge piping i would skip it. find a used TIG instead.

 

I have Lincoln 180 pro mig. It comes with an optional teflon liner kit for welding aluminum. I haven't used it but seen pictures and it looked nice. I think you'll be able to do the same