proxlamus© Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Just wanted to share lol Im going to try out Lincoln Electric's Aluminum welding kit for my Lincoln Electric Mig!! Part #k664-2 $63 from a local welding supply warehouse I've done a lot of reading and I think I will be able to use it pretty successfully as long as I have pure argon gas and PUSH the welds and not pull! I'll let ya guys know how the results come out!! Otherwise chime in with your aluminum MIG welding experiences! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) yes please let us know , Ive got a MILLER MIG, that has a optional aluminum spool gun available as an option for welding aluminum, and altho Ive got a TIG it would still be interesting to see the results on aluminum. btw Always think thru your goals when you purchase equipment,the rough rule as a guide is youll need about one amp per .001 inch of material thickness to well aluminum effectively, IE youll need about 250 amps to weld 1/4" thick aluminum, now that is based on the idea of near constant use, naturally you can weld thicker material if youll allow less than a 70%-100% duty cycle, and as a general rule a 250 amp rated machine will operate at 70%-100% duty cycle at significantly reduced amps (lets say 180 amps as a guess) from its rated 250 amp max. heres my mig http://www.welders-direct.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WD&Product_Code=907321 Edited April 23, 2009 by grumpyvette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nismopick Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Here's my 2 pennies... welding aluminum w/ a traditional MIG can be a biotch. Hopefully your (EDIT... Lincoln, not Miller) is a 220v because 110v won't cut it. I was dead set on converting my Lincoln to weld aluminum, but after a 2 hour talk w/ the welder guys at Praxair, the only realistic solution is to buy a spool gun. I mentioned that I've read online that you can just covert to a nylon liner, but pushing soft alum for 3 feet will bind VERY easily. You also have to change out your groove roller. Also... remember that you have to pre-heat the aluminum before welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughdogz Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I've done it with a shortened wand (no spool gun) using a 120V Millermatic 135. I agree with Nismopick, you really need 220V and heat up the workpiece (I used MAP gas). I had to crank up the Argon flow to just under the "arc blowout" stage (~25 CFM), or else the weld would be too porous and contaminated. First attempt: Uglyness: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nismopick Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I've done it with a shortened wand Homemade? If I could find a spare and shorten it to ~1.5ft, that might work.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeCrush Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I have the same Lincoln kit. Don't forget to reverse the polarity. Buy an extra spool of wire to practice with. Keep the hose straight. After some practice, the welds will turn out pretty nice. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughdogz Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I have the same Lincoln kit. Don't forget to reverse the polarity. Buy an extra spool of wire to practice with. Keep the hose straight. After some practice, the welds will turn out pretty nice. Good Luck! Doh! That's what I didn't do . I'll read up in my manual and online to see if reversing the polarity is required (you're probably right though). I need to weld a -6AN bung to my upper thermostat housing soon...hopefully it will turn out okay. Nismopick, yes it was homemade. I shortened a wand to ~3 feet and there was no "birds nest" from the aluminum spool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 I read up on buying a spool gun.. but since i'm a cheap person by nature.. i figured the new nylon lining and roller kit for more than HALF the cost of the gun was worth a shot. If it doesn't work.. eBay does wonders sometimes! i do have a 110v by the way.. i guess we will see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 (edited) To properly MIG weld aluminum you need to push enough heat to get into spray arc transfer. Short circuit transfer (typical 110V and low settings on 220V machines) won't get any penetration. I strongly recommend NOT using a 110V machine to do any aluminum welding that has to have some strength. Filling holes in an intake manifold and welding 1/16" sheet metal is fine, but 110V MIG welding an aluminum part that has to bear a load is a bad idea - even with preheat. You MIG weld aluminum with electrode negative polarity. You only need to switch polarity on your welder if you're going from flux core to aluminum. If you're welding with wire and gas there's no need to switch polarity. Use 100% Argon not the C25 mix. FYI... buy lots of extra contact tips and keep the cable and gun as straight as possible. Before welding, get in position and practice covering the entire length of you're intended weld to limit starts and stops. Once you start a bead, keep going as long as possible. Edited April 23, 2009 by johnc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughdogz Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Awesome info John. Thank you Sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zclubhouse Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Doh! That's what I didn't do . I'll read up in my manual and online to see if reversing the polarity is required (you're probably right though). I need to weld a -6AN bung to my upper thermostat housing soon...hopefully it will turn out okay. Nismopick, yes it was homemade. I shortened a wand to ~3 feet and there was no "birds nest" from the aluminum spool. Be careful when you weld the -6 fitting. I tried to weld a 7075 (I think?) -6 fitting from goodridge to my valve cover (cast alum) and it didnt go so well. Granted I'm a mediocre TIG welder at best, but the fitting would flow before I could get anything happening on the valve cover even with preheating it. At least it was just for an oil catch can, the weld would have never passed for any structural purposes. Maybe you guys know someway around this issue of welding two types of aluminum together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Those welds look clean for a MIG. Well on the subject of welders. Whats a pretty good cheap TIG welder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) Maybe you guys know someway around this issue of welding two types of aluminum together? Read: http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/comistakes.asp AN fittings are typically 6061 because they are machined from extrusions. Edited April 26, 2009 by johnc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I'm bookmarking this thread. Lots of good info here. I have a Lincoln 175 220V machine and I've been considering the aluminum kit for it, but wasn't sure whether to hold out for a TIG. Also I think my MIG might be setup for rosin core wire as that's what came with it. I just threw it on the side and hooked up a bottle and solid wire. Maybe I need to look at my polarity after reading this post. Might explain a few things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 you know i spent about an hour looking at the Lincoln welders.. reading every box.. the instructions.. everything while I was at work today lol.. Lincoln says it can weld up to 12 ga. ALUMINUM with a 110v MIG. The total range is 22 ga to 12 ga aluminum Trust me I'm absorbing the info in this thread.. but if both lincoln and miller are advertising their 110v MIG's to weld up to 12 ga aluminum.. why would they false advertise? Miller even has great how to video's on youtube! Im going for it.. the part is still on its way.. but if the box, the instructions, and even the lift panel on my welder shows I can weld up to 12 ga aluminum.. damnit i'm going to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannji Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I sell the Aluminum kits at work and the best I can say about them is that you can get some welds out of them when you have no other option available to you. I have no real good stories about them, and everyone I know who has used them has replaced them with either a spoolgun or a TIG in short order. If you are going with the kit, you might want to start out with an up-sized tip right off the bat. (ie: using .030 tips for .025 wire.) Find the best drive-roll tension you can, too loose will obviously slip, but too tight will crush the wire, which encourages jamming in the liner and loading up the drive wheel with aluminum particles. Also, make sure you have very little drag on the wire roll. Weld with the lead as straight as you can humanly accomplish. The best description I have heard of using aluminum kits was "It's much like forcing cooked spaghetti through a straw"... and I dont think I need to add to that = ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 I guess im just being really confident.. Miller and Lincoln are BIG welding companies.. I don't know why they would sell and advertise a product that doesn't work.. they seem to know what they are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zclubhouse Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Read: http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/comistakes.asp AN fittings are typically 6061 because they are machined from extrusions. Thanks John, good info. However even if 6061 fittings are suitable for welding, how do you weld this to a cast aluminum structure? I understand that the great majority of my problems could be due to operator error/lack of skill, but in my experience I can't ever weld anything to cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Just like wrought aluminum, cast aluminum has weldable a none weldable forms. Typically 4043 filler is used for 300 and 400 series cast aluminum and 5356 for 500 and 700 series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I don't know why they would sell and advertise a product that doesn't work.. That's really, really funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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