Posted by WayneH [73.200.160.201] on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 19:53:13 :
In Reply to: welder posted by Gil In Kentucky [75.117.144.215] on Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 17:49:12 :
To weld aluminum most people use a TIG welder. Using a MIG welder for aluminum is tricky. For TIG welding is that the general rule of thumb is that it requires 1 amp for each thousandth of an inch. My TIG welder is a miller Dynasty 200, and it is a 200 amp welder, which means it is good for max of .250, but happier a bit smaller. MIG welding for aluminum is best done with a spool gun. The soft aluminum has problems being "pushed" through the cable. Spool guns cost $$.
MIG welding is a lot easier, especially on steel. It does not require two hands and one foot to work together. Set the current and wire feed, and out spits wire that melts and sticks to the metal. They work best on steel. The problem people run into with MIG is you can run a great looking bead but have absolutely no penetration of the base metal, so the weld is weak. Don't ask how I know that...
The TIG takes more practice, but in my opinion makes better looking welds. It works well when you are working on a bench, but harder when working on a vehicle.
I'd suggest going to the Miller and Lincoln web sites and checking out their tutorials. Both companies are good. I have a five year old Miller plasma cutter that was giving me fits, but when I sent it out to get it fixed Miller took care of it for free.
Wayne