MIG welding and advice

[JamesCH95]

Get the PN, call Lincoln, make sure you can use it to weld aluminum before you go through any more hassle. They will also be able to give you PNs for the appropriate equipment you'll need (spool gun, gas controller, wire, etc) Also consider keeping your welding table surface steel, it will be easier to maintain in general.

I think that if you keep your expectations realistic, you'll do fine welding aluminum. However, those realistic expectations may be no welding anything thicker than 0.093in in aluminum.

Having said that... MIG welding aluminum can be tricky. It isn't rocket surgery, but requires careful setup and very clean equipment and material. The setup chart inside the cover is a good start.

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/
^IMO this is the best online resource for welding. Not exactly text book, but Jody REALLY knows his stuff and how to get it done. Pay careful attention to his MIG welding Tip series.

Originally Posted by Justin Shelley

In order to weld Aluminum with a MIG you have to have a TIG gun. As far as getting gas I would contact a welding gas supplier near you and lease the tanks, OzarkGas is who I would contact first. They are extremely reasonable and highly qualified.

I think you mean to say "spool gun" as there is no such thing as a TIG "gun" only TIG torches, at least in general. It may be semantic, but these things matter.

Originally Posted by techhelpbb

If that MIG unit is less than 200A (it says 125 on the front) you'll likely run into some issues with aluminum.
As mentioned you want 100% argon as well.

My Hobart 210MVP has a spool gun but there's limits of what you pull off with low power delivery.

100% Ar is suggested by many, but is not always the best shielding gas. A helium/argon mix is best for welding aluminum (TIG or MIG imo) because helium has much better heat transfer properties. This lets gas-cooled torches run cooler, and transfers more heat to the work. Both of these increase the capabilities of the welder. I like 50/50 mixtures, but even 25% helium makes a big difference. Helium also helps create a more stable MIG arc.

Originally Posted by MrForbes

Just to throw a monkey wrench into the whole discussion....in 2011, we built a steel robot chassis. A freshmen borrowed a MIG welder, and did all the welding. If you use thinwall steel tubing, the weight isn't really very much more than using thicker wall aluminum. And MIG welding steel is easy. Even I can do it.

^ Agree 100%. Thin-walled steel (think 0.035in) can have a comparable weight to aluminum tubing of similar strength. Welding it is a helluva lot easier. Just keep some sharp drill bits (step drills are great for this) around, learn how to use riv-nuts, and don't cheap out on the hacksaw blades (Lennox bi-metal blades are the best IMO).

My qualifications on this topic:

-Formerly ASME & AWS certified TIG welder for alloy steel and aluminum
-2 years of experience developing MIG welding wave-forms (specifically for titanium), researching welding theory as well as experimentation. A lot of this effort's success was a result of understanding and implementing argon-helium mixtures.
-Taught welding for a year in college, also started and ran my colleges welding lab (BTW: I started every student off welding aluminum with 50ar/50he gas, no big deal)