mig welding alum.

[zachary kling]

This is a question that I have had for a long time and have asked many people about, so here it goes, I have had the mm 210 for about a year now, and let me just say it is a great welder, and I have to agree with the people that think that it is understated,for I have done larger than 3/8' plate with it, running .030 and 75/25 and it had no problems with it. anyway, is it possible for me to beable to weld alum. without using a spool gun? I understand that you would have to keep the gun cable straight so it wouldn't kink or bend the wire, but its not like Im going to do alot of alum.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Zach

[ASKANDY]

Zach,

The quick answer is yea probably. You would want to at least get a new liner for only aluminum. After running steel wire, your present liner is already contaminated. You need staight argon gas and alway use a push angle on the gun. The second best way is to get a shorter mig gun and set it up for alum only and you already know the best way to do it

Good luck!
Andy

[aametalmaster]

I had a Miller 451 Deltaweld that I used at work. I had 2 guns, 1 for steel and 1 for alum with a teflon liner. The machine welded great. I used it for fixture welding. I have a spoolgun at home so I have not tried using alum wire but I know that the steel liner tears the alum wire...Bob

[Paul Seaman]

Zach:
Andy is right and this is an addition to what and bob said running a slightly heavier wire will help the ability to feed it. Also running a stiffer wire helps maybe 5056 or harder. I run 4043 in my spoolmate3035 and it is good but not feedable for a long distance. I weld mostly 6061 and 4043 is the smart choice for this but the 5056 is supposed to feed better and I have a roll to try but haven't had time for fun. I'll send you a post if I get a chance over the weekend to try it out.
Hope this helps!