nick205
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 08:32 AM |
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MIG welding Aluminium - how easy or hard is it?
Who's had a go at MIG welding Aluminium then?
Is it harder than doing steel and any tips for prepping the metal before welding?
Will Argoshield gas be OK or do you really need pure Argon?
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blakep82
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 11:11 AM |
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I tried it when I first got my "new" welder
You'll need the teflon liner. The standard liners are too sticky, so you end up with the rollers scrunching up the wire and snapping it every
30cm or so, also for the few mm you do get from it, I just ended up with balls of aluminium rolling about, with no actual weld taking place, so I just
kinda decided not to carry on, and find someone who can tig stuff for me instead.
With practise, it works, but I just didn't put the time in. Maybe I'll try again another time. You do need argon though, and I think much
higher wire speed, and lower power
[Edited on 28/7/13 by blakep82]
________________________
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macc man
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 11:29 AM |
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I tried it a few years back with little success. The metal just balls up and clogs the tip. You need to go up a size on the tip bore from the wire
diameter. Gave it up as a futile effort. Tig welding alloy is far more sucessfull. Good luck.
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Davey D
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 12:04 PM |
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I do plenty of aluminium welding at work. We have a 400amp push pull esab mig unit.
Aluminium mig welding is quite fierce, and messy. Best for covering big distances on thicker material. About 6 months ago we bought a new 310amp water
cooler ac\dc tig welder. The alu mig welder is now just gathering dust, and I doubt I will use it again unless I really have to
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jacko
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 12:55 PM |
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yep i do it not so much now a days i use to make prison vans and the inside are mainly alloy + i use to weld alloy floors in 40ft trailers etc
As Davey says you need a big amp welder and all the kit to go with it
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ashg
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 01:43 PM |
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aluminium welding regardless of mig/tig will always require more amps than the same thickness steel. on a 150amp mig 2-3mm ali on max power is about
all you will manage on a really good day
Anything With Tits or Wheels Will cost you MONEY!!
Haynes Roadster (Finished)
Exocet (Finished & Sold)
New Project (Started)
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mark chandler
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 01:51 PM |
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I tried Ali on a hobby welder, Clarke 150te... Hopeless with new liner, 0.5 wire, argon can etc. okay to stick metal together but the finish was
not at all good.
So from my experience its a reasonable way to tack something together then get TIG,ed up by someone else.
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nick205
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 02:06 PM |
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Perfect - that's confirmed my suspicions 100% - I'll stick with steel and leave the Ally 
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Bare
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 04:00 PM |
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Years ago I witnessed an old guy (relative) weld thin sheet ali 20 Gauge(?) with an Oxy acetylene torch.
He just butted the sheets used an ali rod and simply welded them together . A perfect bead too... amazing to see.
I asked how !?.. he replied it was dead easy, after 30 years experience :-)
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 05:01 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Bare
Years ago I witnessed an old guy (relative) weld thin sheet ali 20 Gauge(?) with an Oxy acetylene torch.
He just butted the sheets used an ali rod and simply welded them together . A perfect bead too... amazing to see.
I asked how !?.. he replied it was dead easy, after 30 years experience :-)
I saw Trev D do it once, he made it look simple but then again he'd had a lifetime doing it
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jacko
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| posted on 28/7/13 at 06:06 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Bare
Years ago I witnessed an old guy (relative) weld thin sheet ali 20 Gauge(?) with an Oxy acetylene torch.
He just butted the sheets used an ali rod and simply welded them together . A perfect bead too... amazing to see.
I asked how !?.. he replied it was dead easy, after 30 years experience :-)
I did not see you watching me 
In my job we do o/a alloy welding as the Old gent said its practice
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