Ok, so I have all the pipe I need to make 3" I/C pipes for my LLY, but I've never welded aluminum before. I have a Lincoln Electric 3200HD MIG, a 5lb bottle of argon for shielding gas, a non metallic gun cable liner, special drive roll, and the obligatory aluminum wire. All of my welding up to this point has been with flux cored wire, and I'm wondering if there are any tips that can be had to make my life easier. Like what to set my regulator to for the bottle, push vs pull benefits, skipping around (like with very thin steel to avoid warping), etc... I plan on practicing a bunch with scrap aluminum of the same thickness before moving on to the pipes. Thanks!
Question: Need welding advice...
- Thread starter SgtKilroy
- Start date
Aluminum is a very good heat sink and takes alot of heat to weld properly. I've never welded aluminum with a mig but not having any control of the heat would be worrisome to me. Also I like to push everything but flux cored but I am a very novice fabricator so someone else that knows more than I do should chime in.
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Aluminum is tough to weld, no color change to the puddle, hard to tell how hot it is before you burn through. Welding aluminum tubing is going to be even harder, following around the bends of the pipe.
Can your welder push aluminum wire without a spool gun? Most wire feed units need a spool gun to run aluminum.
Just a thought but you could fit all your tubing & tape it together, then take it to a welding shop & have it Tig welded.
Can your welder push aluminum wire without a spool gun? Most wire feed units need a spool gun to run aluminum.
Just a thought but you could fit all your tubing & tape it together, then take it to a welding shop & have it Tig welded.
If its a wire feed you have to use a spool gun. The aluminum isn't strong enough to get pushed through the cable. I TIG aluminum everyday and its very easy to weld if you know what your doing! Your best bet is to fit it up and mark the pieces and have it TIG'd by a pro.
alum burns way hotter then steel turn your welder way down and pratice on scrap be for atemping cause u WILL burn holes for afirst time alum watch!!!! the puddle thats key with alum the puddle tells u what going on and what the wire is doing pratice first its not for the backyard welders
also argon is for steel welding you neeed agas called mizion i prolly didnt spell it right but that what i use at my shop if you ship it to me ill weld it :thumb:
Lincoln sells a kit that I bought to feed aluminum wire. It's a nonmetallic cable liner and a special drive roll that doesn't bite the wire like it does for steel. They assured me it would work perfectly, especially since I don't plan on welding aluminum hardly ever. They also said to use argon gas for shielding.
The guy on the phone at Lincoln said use argon with their wire. They said CO2 mix is best for steel or stainless. I dunno. Like I said, I'm a self taught welder and have been using nothing but flux cored wire so far.
your set up will work. just keep the torch cable straight so the wier can push through it. argon is fine to use for aluimum, if you are welding over 1/4" i like to use a helium/argon mix for more pen. set your cfh to 20. one thing that has not bin said is clean the s#!t out of your weld joint or you are wasting your time and money. use a s/s wier brush by hand ,NOT a wier wheel you will just bury impurities deeper into the metal.
I say give her hell on some scrap parts, if your comfortable, get some:thumb:I really appreciate all the input guys! Thanks! Should be making them either this weekend or the next. If all else fails I'll just fit everything and go have them tig welded at a shop. I wish I could get a TIG. Anyone giving one away?
I was taught when welding aluminum with a MIG to crank it up and just go really really fast with it, or to basically stack tacks to make it look like a TIG bead....either way it's not hard if you clean it well.
Thanks for the tip on the cfh. I didn't know that about the wire wheel. I've been using one to clean up flux, but I usually use a grinder flap wheel to clean up the weld area before I weld. That a no go as well? I'll be buying a new SS brush tonight then.
Three rules to remember when welding AL
1.clean it
2. Clean it once more
3. Clean it one more time
:thumb:
1.clean it
2. Clean it once more
3. Clean it one more time
:thumb:
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Its been said before, but its still very important, CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. The most important thing in welding aluminum is cleanliness. I clean with a stainless brush and then wipe everything down with a wire wheel.
I prefer to push. It gives me a better view and its the way ive always been taught.
Practice on some other stuff first. I remember my first time Tig welding AL, i though my bead looked perfect until i flipped the piece over and saw that I had melted it like crazy.
I still suck at it and with a fab shop 100 yards down to road I just let him take care of it all.
I prefer to push. It gives me a better view and its the way ive always been taught.
Practice on some other stuff first. I remember my first time Tig welding AL, i though my bead looked perfect until i flipped the piece over and saw that I had melted it like crazy.
I still suck at it and with a fab shop 100 yards down to road I just let him take care of it all.