Im new to aluminum welding. We have an aluminum welder (spool gun). I can't seem to get it to weld .063" aluminum for the life of me no matter how much i mess with the settings. Does anyone know if you have to have a specific wire for specific hardness' (6061, 3003 etc?) Im a pretty decent with a MIG welder so I know at least how to weld steel, I wouldn't think it would be that much diff? Or maybe it is?
Please let me know,
Dan

 

I here it helps to preheat the aluminum before welding. Try some welding forums. They should be more informative.

 

Aluminium is not easy to weld at the best of times..but there are several thing to keep in mind.
1...with spool gun wire size can be .063, probably for LARGE pieces requiring lots of amps. for smaller pieces try .035 aluminium 5053, good all around wire for your application.
2...the pieces must be clean immediately prior to welding...either sand blast, then wire brush or plain wire brush.. this remove the oxides that build up on the surface.
3... use pure argon as your shieding gas @ about 35- 45 cfm
4... wire speed must be adjust acordingly to amperage. EX;more amps , more wire is needed to fill.
5.. direction of travel.. best to travel away from deposited metal..lettiing the gas flow over the newly form weldment
6...speed of travel IS important. moving to fast will leave a thin irregular weld bead..move just fast enough to fuse to edges
7.. for larger pieces that need to joined preheat to about 135f..clean weld immediately
hope this helps.. if you need more info i be glad to help

 

what he said ^
although I would add that a TIG welder is easier than those darn spool guns for welding aluminium. If you don't have much to weld I'd take it to someone with a TIG (heliarc).

 

Couldn't have said it any better (23 yrs. experience) but will emphasize-it must be VERY clean for a good weld.

 

Good advice. I'm good with my mig on steel but I suck when it comes to aluminum. I think it's more the process than me Practice, practice, practice I'm lookin for a tig and a plasma cutter. There's 2 more for the list Santa, i hope your reading this

 

hi agent 86, been awhile...tig can be adapted to be used with mig welders as a power source. i bit of rewiring involved, but potential yield good results.( becuz of the square wave DC current). but tig welding aluminium must be with high frek AC current.. for best results. gas (ox/ act)welding can also be done. NOT MY FAVORITE
if you interested, i have complete tig welding outfit( i think 20 foot lead, 150amps, small handle )..seening that it is xmas i'll through in some tungten 2% (red tip) . It is on my welding truck.rig, complete with argon flow guage..
as for the aluminium and mig.. you can change the liner in your lead cable to poly and push aluminium through the whip ( no more then 6 ft) with good results..(kits available @ local welding supply dealer or Princess auto).. or a spool gun @ an additional 500 -600 bucks extra. if you have miller welder, that takes one.. rewiring any mig welder to accept is not difficult.

as for the plasma cutter...Mine is made by thermal dynamic and will cutting 3/4" plate very easily. All that for the price of a mere 3800.00 bucks, but there must be some used equipment out there that cuts up 3/8" for a lot less...

check out these pics: lots of tig welding here..stainless steel Mini chopper framehttp://members.shaw.ca/vettek/Picture%20164.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/vettek/Picture%20177.jpg

ps: santa direct line was busy when i tried to contact him for my wishes

 

You can weld aluminum with a gas torch as well. Just like everyone here has said it must be extremely clean and while gas welding you should use a good amount of aluminum flux to help with the flow of the weld... in fact I beleive it to be almost impossible to get a proper weld without using the flux.. Merry Christmas..remember the reason for the season

 

Thanks guys i think the emphasis on the must be very clean made me realize that the problem is that i was cleaning off the oxidation at all! Welding fine now. Thanks!

 

Also might add that you can stick weld aluminum. Works best on pieces over one eighth inch. Pieces must also be clean. There are some aluminums that cannot be welded. Not sure what numbers they are though. Joe

 

Try these links for the properties of each alloy

http://www.suppliersonline.com/Resea...erty/step1.asp

http://www.onlinemetals.com/