Mig welding aluminum withOUT a spool gun?

[slagmatic]

I want to weld some aluminum, probably nothing thicker than 1/8th for now. I have a Miller 175 mig machine, but the spool gun is over $600 (while the spool guns for the new 180 is less than half that ).

I would buy a new tig machine before I'd pay $600 for a spool gun.

The purpose of the spool gun is simply to get the wire closer, because aluminum wire is too soft to push through the normal mig lead, correct?

If so, has anyone even tried with a normal mig lead? It seems like if you were very careful to keep the lead as strait as possible at all times it might feed. If any one has tried what was the result and what thickness of aluminum wire were you using?

Also what thickness can I expect to be able to do with my MM175?

[sn0border88]

It can work sometimes, you need to use an aluminum only liner so that it does not get contaminated by the steel wire. It would also help to get a shorter lead so it has less distance to push.

Its more commonly done in a push-pull gun, with rollers at the gun and wirefeeder. I dont know if they make one that will work on your unit, but its something to look into.

[jreynoldswelding]

I have done it, but it is a PITA! Do what you have to but be patient with it. You will also go through some tips like that. Good luck.

[DSW]

Looking at the specs, you probably will be able to do 1/8", possibly 3/16" alum.



I looked at the Spoolmate 100 and the Spoolmate 3035, The pin connections to the machine look to be the same for the gun trigger and the feed power but the part numbers for the motors are different. I don't know if they are using a different voltage to run the motors or if it's just that they have superceded one part with another. You might PM Steve (7A749) or may be one of the other guys here who works on Miller stuff and see if they know what the actual differences in the guns are. It may have more to do with the machine hookup than the spoolgun. I know I had to install an adapter kit from Miller in my MM185 in order to run the 3035 spoolgun on my machine. I forget now exactly what was involved in doing so.

[BurningMetal]

I have done without any issues on my Hobart Handler 140. i just changed my spool over to AL...then changed my gas over to 100% Ar.....and away I went! No birdnesting, just ugly aluminum welds! nothing a grinder couldn't make look decent though.

my gun lead on my HH140 is short though.....10 feet or maybe even 8 feet long.

[7A749]

I talk to a guy on a different board from Austraila & he says spoolguns are a rarity there.

He has been doing it with a standard push style feeder & nylon liner for decades.

Just keep the whip distance short & he says it goes pretty well. There may be just a bit more to it but that's what I read out of it.

Your MM machine doesn't have the 4 pin connector you plug the MIG gun into wired for 24 volt output. It only has the contactor leads for the trigger. The newer machines come set up for use with Miller's cheapie spoolgun. Unfortunately, you'll have to get the SGA control & all that crap to run a gun on yours.

There are alternatives, but you'll have to cobble to do it. You'll still spend money either way.

IMHO, if you were going to spend money on a spool gun, buy a machine that can power it beyond what the smaller units will. You'll do sheet metal at best with your machine & the duty cycle will be almost nothing at top end. I'm not crazy about Miller's light duty gun either. For what you'll spend to get it set up right, you're better off saving your money for a used 30A/MM 251-252 combo.

Even looking for a Miller Regency 200-250 or an older Miller Spoolmate 200 power source with the spool gun is a good option. These are both Miller CV MIG welding power sources that were designed primarily for use with a spoolgun, but can also connect to many different Miller wire feeders for multi purpose use. They are "sleeper machines", meaning a lot of people have no clue what they are & pass them by. They can be had for a song sometimes complete with a spoolgun.

Keep an eye out on C'sList & ebay. They come along from time to time & sell cheap once in awhile.

Just a thought.