Mobile aluminum setup

[Rock N Roll]

I recently purchased a welding business, I'm trying to work with the equipment I have now to get it mobile aluminum capable as there is a large demand for it here and I really can't afford new equipment just yet. I have two bluestar welder/generators, the biggest is a 145, 4500 watt. I also have a xr-a extended reach wire feeder I would like to use for mobile. One place I found said I just need the psa-2 to get 24v to the gun and I should be good. Obviously not an ideal setup and I will upgrade to a trailblazer soon as I can, but will this work well enough? Won't be welding much more then 1/8" with this setup. Any suggestions or input would be great, thanx.

[ryanjones2150]

What sort of aluminum work is in demand where you are? What part of the world are you in?

[Rock N Roll]

I'm in Page AZ. Mainly there's repairs to pontoons and decks on the houseboats here. Handrails, generator enclosures, that sort of thing. I have a Tig set up in my shop but most of these boats are in dry storage when they are worked on and they aren't easy to move to the shop, most range from 40 to 60 feet long

[FusionKing]

Trust me, that won't be enuff power at times. (On big house boat work)
You need tig for pontoons anyway.
Last big job we did like that we ran the wire necessary and brought in the 350-P and charged them every cent. (we ran wire from their box) That was in addition to bringing the 280 Dynasty. That's how we roll.
Nice looking welds sell more work than price ever could.

[H80N]

Trust me, that won't be enuff power at times. (On big house boat work)
You need tig for pontoons anyway.
Last big job we did like that we ran the wire necessary and brought in the 350-P and charged them every cent. (we ran wire from their box) That was in addition to bringing the 280 Dynasty. That's how we roll.
Nice looking welds sell more work than price ever could.

AMEN........

Garry.......... he should see your work

https://www.facebook.com/OutBackAluminumWelding/

[Rock N Roll]

Good looking work.

I understand it's not going to be a great setup, certainly not going to be my permanent rig. I need to get something going for this one job, really it's just filling gouges in the toons where they hit rocks or the dock that sort of thing. I've I get this job and a few more that are lined up I'll be able to upgrade to a trailblazer and have a more proper setup. Just need advise on how to run the wire feeder off the bluestar, or if it's actually possible

[H80N]

FWIW the Trailblazer makes a pretty poor TIG rig & current TB lineup has no AC..... so no AC aluminum TIG...

You will be looking at a Dyn 210 or Dyn 280

or maybe Sync 210/spoolgun/TIG & Genset

[xryan]

Rock N Roll, your current equipment is NOT adequate for what you are trying to do. Just rent a machine for the day, charge it to the job. Even a small Dynasty 200 would be 10x better than trying to cobble together a crappy weld with the other equipment. It's just not going to cut it, you're going to be cursing like a welder the whole time and still won't have quality work accomplished. Do it right the first time and they will beat your door down to do all the others.

[FusionKing]

I am pretty sure you would need a 30-A and a WC-115-A with the contactor to make it weld aluminum properly.
That would be more than the machine is worth.
I have 350-P.and don't weld dirty aluminium sheet metal like pontoon logs with it and it is a thousand times better than what you are attempting to do.
You need tig to weld pontoon logs. You can weld brackets on etc. But not repairing holes and such.
All you will do is ruin their boat and take their money unless you are gods gift to welding. I re-fix jobs quite often where the previous welder should have been taken to small claims court.
It won't work.
Aluminum basically is welded spray mig not short circuit which is all that setup would be capable of unless you used .025 wire.
You need a good tig setup. Sorry
Weld the things you are capable of doing excellent and people will beat a path to your shop.

[Rock N Roll]

I am pretty sure you would need a 30-A and a WC-115-A with the contactor to make it weld aluminum properly.
That would be more than the machine is worth.
I have 350-P.and don't weld dirty aluminium sheet metal like pontoon logs with it and it is a thousand times better than what you are attempting to do.
You need tig to weld pontoon logs. You can weld brackets on etc. But not repairing holes and such.
All you will do is ruin their boat and take their money unless you are gods gift to welding. I re-fix jobs quite often where the previous welder should have been taken to small claims court.
It won't work.
Aluminum basically is welded spray mig not short circuit which is all that setup would be capable of unless you used .025 wire.
You need a good tig setup. Sorry
Weld the things you are capable of doing excellent and people will beat a path to your shop.

That's more the input I was looking for, thanx. I'll see if I can't rent a better machine or just do some other jobs till I can get a proper setup put together