Got spool, got welder, got aluminum, now what wire?

[peebob]

Have the macdaddy miller 175 and the 3035 gun. Now me gotta weldum some 1/8 alum butt weld and some 1/8 to 1/4 alum lap weld. I can't find anything in my book about which aluminum wire I need for this. I have plenty of scrap to practice on first (hope the wife don't mind her car getting into the mix ), but what wire would you recommend? THX.

[Dan]

It actually kind of depends on which aluminum alloy(s) you are going to be welding. However, with a spoolgun and a MM 175 as the power source 4043 filler wire is going to produce the best results. 5356 filler wire will require a higher wire speed then the 4043 for the same diameter of wire. The lincoln electric handbook has a chart in it that states which filler metal to use for the alloy(s) that you are welding. But for non critical general purpose work the 4043 should work just fine.


By the way, you didn t mention the SGA 100 control module that is required to run the Spoolmate 3035 on the MM 175. If you don t have it you will need it. Also, be prepared the travel speed on 1/8" aluminum is going to be pretty fast. Make sure you push the weld puddle . You never pull the weld bead on aluminum, or you ll end up with a lot of black soot on the weld.

[peebob]

Thanks Dan.

Yes, I have the 100 adaptor. I know this isn't the ideal method for welding thin alum, but it's my only option. Duct tape won't work.

Luckily this is for non-critical work, just something that needs a good fixing. Looks like it may be a frequent job though.

I figure really more than just pushing it along, based on the temp rating of the alum I'd be better off just tacking a bunch of spots then keep coming back to them to link them all up.

What'dya reckon?

[gnewby]

peebob, 1st of all I don't know squat about welding aluminum but think I ought to warn ya if your wife sees any of your welding questions or replys and sees you are calling her ugly she probably aint going to be getting you anything for valentines day! You might check with some of the guys on this site if you throw in enough welding stuff with her, maybe one of them guys will take her off your hands.

[R. Nelson]

Re: Got spool, got welder, got aluminum, now what wire?

Originally posted by peebob
Have the macdaddy miller 175 and the 3035 gun. Now me gotta weldum some 1/8 alum butt weld and some 1/8 to 1/4 alum lap weld. I can't find anything in my book about which aluminum wire I need for this. I have plenty of scrap to practice on first (hope the wife don't mind her car getting into the mix ), but what wire would you recommend? THX.

Actually the 5356 is a better all purpose aluminun wire, I use it on a regular basis to fabricate custum grating,..we do not pre-heat and have virtually no thermo-fractures and our products have an extreme warrenty.............BalcoUSA.com

[cope]

welding Aluminum

I ran across this link that may be of some use to you:

http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/articles/content/alum.asp