Welding Aluminum
- Thread starter TurboStreetCar
- Start date
I run the millermatic 140 with a spoolgun. practice makes perfect. There is alot of tweaking with the volts and wire speed to get it right. I usually weld 1/8"- 1/4" thick aluminum.
Supracentral;1604937 said:
I wish i could use a TIG unfortunately its not a possibility. The cost for the machine while is a very good investment is just too far out of my price range. I do plan on eventually getting one at some point though.
NTRA08;1604943 said:
Any pics of your work?
Thanks again,
Dan
What are some good TIG machines. I have been looking and am on the fence of splurging for one. Looking into the Miller Diversion 165 and Hobart Tigmate. What a good entry level cost effective unit?
Chunks- check out www.weldingtipsandtricks.com - there's a plethora of information there. The site is a bit odd to navigate at times, but overall it's a great resource. He recommends a Miller Syncrowave 250 for TIG.
[video=youtube;cwB4PESPAlI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwB4PESPAlI[/video]
[video=youtube;cwB4PESPAlI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwB4PESPAlI[/video]
Well just been watching videos of people tig welding thinking about my credit card and the affordable miller diversion 165 and I just ordered one. :biglaugh:
My love of fabricating and available credit pretty much took over once I started to think about it. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of the week. Oh well, it's only money right?
Very much excited.:icon_bigg :evil2:
Thank you everyone for the input!
My love of fabricating and available credit pretty much took over once I started to think about it. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of the week. Oh well, it's only money right?
Very much excited.:icon_bigg :evil2:
Thank you everyone for the input!
Nice! 
Yeah, dude, details! I've got a Hobart Handler 210. It's a great MIG. Getting a plasma cutter this winter with my sick time buy out, then going for a TIG after that and I'll be almost set. I get all giddy just thinking about it. LOL.
Yeah, dude, details! I've got a Hobart Handler 210. It's a great MIG. Getting a plasma cutter this winter with my sick time buy out, then going for a TIG after that and I'll be almost set. I get all giddy just thinking about it. LOL.
Scored a Miller Diversion 165. It does AC and DC for both steel and aluminum. Its Miller's home hobbyist line. All the settings are pretty much preset like pre/post argon flow, frequency, and im sure theres more that i also wouldn't know what to do with. Current and AC/DC selector switch are the only settings besides power. I figure i would leave them all on default settings anyway since i dont know enough about it so its not a big deal not having the adjustment.
Its nothing fancy or over the top, but for ~1300 bucks i feel its a very good investment and will do all that i am looking to do.
I really dont know much about them other then what i have recently learned reading here and at the link Shaeff posted but it can be found on Miller's website here http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/diversion_165/ If theres any other specs you guys were wondering.
Its supposed to be here Thursday so im VERY excited to try it out.
First project when it arrives is to make a new welding cart to house the TIG on the bottom and my Lincoln 180HD on the top with two gas cylinders on the rear. Ill probably assemble that with my MIG just to get it done quick so i can practice and learn on scrap metal as soon as possible. :icon_bigg:icon_bigg
Out of Curiosity, What Tungstens do you guys use? I have herd nothing but good things about red 2% thoriated but i have herd good things about blue 2% lanthanated.
Its nothing fancy or over the top, but for ~1300 bucks i feel its a very good investment and will do all that i am looking to do.
I really dont know much about them other then what i have recently learned reading here and at the link Shaeff posted but it can be found on Miller's website here http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/diversion_165/ If theres any other specs you guys were wondering.
Its supposed to be here Thursday so im VERY excited to try it out.
First project when it arrives is to make a new welding cart to house the TIG on the bottom and my Lincoln 180HD on the top with two gas cylinders on the rear. Ill probably assemble that with my MIG just to get it done quick so i can practice and learn on scrap metal as soon as possible. :icon_bigg:icon_bigg
Out of Curiosity, What Tungstens do you guys use? I have herd nothing but good things about red 2% thoriated but i have herd good things about blue 2% lanthanated.
I've mig welded and gas welded aluminiun before, just a little T.
But just after TIG I aIG. Obviously TIG is best, most expensivectually perfer gas welding aluminium as far as ease of the process and joint quality and strength. Probably the easiest of them to learn too.
I was sceptical at first myself but damn it works really well.
http://www.aladdin3in1.com/products.htm
But just after TIG I aIG. Obviously TIG is best, most expensivectually perfer gas welding aluminium as far as ease of the process and joint quality and strength. Probably the easiest of them to learn too.
I was sceptical at first myself but damn it works really well.
http://www.aladdin3in1.com/products.htm
Well my TIG came today!!! After i finished making my new welding cart i hooked everything up and layed down a couple beads on a sheet of 1/8 aluminum.
Sorry for the crappy Iphone picture
I made a little block but the sheet kept getting too hot. At least i think so from what i have read online that the stack of dime like appearance goes away if theres too much heat. I think thats why the bottom bead ran so nice because i waited a few minutes and made it in a different spot.
I have no foot pedal yet so im using the finger roller. Im starting to get the hang of it. After laying those beads i got adventurous and tried welding two pieces of 1/8th inch aluminum together and it seemed like i couldn't melt them both at the same time to make one puddle. I did notice i had the amperage set at about the middle of the range and i didnt have the finger roll really really high so im thinking maybe i didnt get them hot enough?
Any tips on welding two pieces together, specifically how much heat to start with, how much to add and where to go from there would be much appreciated.
Sorry for the crappy Iphone picture
I made a little block but the sheet kept getting too hot. At least i think so from what i have read online that the stack of dime like appearance goes away if theres too much heat. I think thats why the bottom bead ran so nice because i waited a few minutes and made it in a different spot.
I have no foot pedal yet so im using the finger roller. Im starting to get the hang of it. After laying those beads i got adventurous and tried welding two pieces of 1/8th inch aluminum together and it seemed like i couldn't melt them both at the same time to make one puddle. I did notice i had the amperage set at about the middle of the range and i didnt have the finger roll really really high so im thinking maybe i didnt get them hot enough?
Any tips on welding two pieces together, specifically how much heat to start with, how much to add and where to go from there would be much appreciated.
Diversion 165 is a very good machine but a little light. You will definitely need to pre-heat material 1/2" or thicker like when making an intake manifold. But TIG is so much nicer and so much cleaner then MIG. Even when we are doing a project that could be migged I will TIG it a lot of times just because of the cleanliness and ease of clean up versus cleaning all the splatter off of everything! Good purchase and good luck!
Seth
Seth