mig aluminum

[new2tig]

I have a Ironman 210 set up for aluminum,100% argon, .030 alum wire and teflon liner and using .035 tips,,less drag on wire maybe??? Sometimes as soon as I pull the trigger,,snap...wire burn off, sometimes not. I do get the alum. hot enough to puddle,but the weld hardly ever looks like it's stacked,most of the time it likes like you just put down some puddy with your finger......Any help out there??????

[dda52]

Which wire?? Makes a difference sometimes. While 5356 pushes easier, it can be harder to weld with. 4043 is much easier to weld with. You might want to try .035 wire. I did that with one machine and all the trouble I had with .030 went away.

[new2tig]

Using 3035,,,.030. I'll gi ve that a try...Thanks for the input,,but I will take more ideas also......

[Iron Head]

Not familiar with your machine, (taps or not) try turning your voltage way down!

[new2tig]

Crap,,,I just read my last reply,,,,,it's 4043 wire that I'm using.

[Steve W]

new2tig, you might check to make sure your polarity is set right too electro positive. I have never feed aluminium thru the mig gun liner, but when I use my spoolgun I have to have more stick out, about 3/4 of a inch from the tip. Otherwise it will just burn back into the tip. When that happens the tip is usually ruined. Sometimes I can save one. Like Don said, the .035" 4043 seems to work the best in my spoolgun. It might just be slipping on the drive roller, you might have to get a knurled one to grip it better. Good luck, Steve

[new2tig]

Thanks guys,,I'll pickup some .035 tommorrow and try it and let you know..Thanks for the info...Mike

[MichaelP]

Insufficient wire feeding speed can be a problem too.

[new2tig]

Here's one you guys will get a laugh at,,Sounds like I need to Spray Weld the aluminum,,,,other than the set up of argon,teflon liner and aluminum wire,what is the difference of spray and welding mild steel?? And is the Ironman 210 able to spray weld ?

[MichaelP]

Yes. Even HH 187 can spray aluminum (but not steel).

[new2tig]

Still don't know the difference of Spray and reg. mig welding. Tonite I'm going to try,,.035 wire, tighten up my drive wheels, adjust my regulator to 25 to 30 and keep on playing with it..I'll let you know what happens...

Thanks for all the ideas...........Mike

[MichaelP]

Still don't know the difference of Spray and reg. mig welding.

It's really simple! For a regular welding you use a MIG gun. When you need to spray metal, you replace the gun with a garden hose.

Take a look at this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_met...transfer_modes

[new2tig]

Tried again tonite with better luck. Increased presure on drive wheel,increased argon to 30 and lowered heat setting. Think along with too much heat, must have had some wire slipping. I'll figure out how to post a picture and let you guys tell me what else to work on....Thanks...Mike

P.S. MichaelP....when I sprayed the metal with a water hose,,,I got a whale of a shock!!!!!!ha