Learn An Old Timer's Secrets To Mig Weld Aluminum Without A Spoolgun 

Electrically speaking, a MIG welder is a Constant Voltage (CV) machine. You set the voltage and wire-speed needed, so the voltage remains at the setting. The wire speed and wire stick-out from the contact tip are used to adjust the amperage. This is because those two factors create resistance. We are talking about Ohm's Law here. With the wire speed properly set and the proper amount of stick-out, you should have a good buzzing weld arc. If the arc is popping and spattering you most likely have too much stick-out meaning the arc is too cold, reduced amperage. If the stick-out is too close the weld might be too hot increasing the chance of the weld sagging or melting thru in the aluminum. The stick-out is used by experienced welders to adjust the heat (amps) of the arc as they are welding and require a little more, or a little less heat. MIG welders learn to do this and make the adjustments unconsciously based on what they see and hear. Aluminum requires more heat than steel does for a given thickness of the metal being welded. Going past 1/4" inch thick aluminum I have found it is sometimes advantageous to pre-heat the metal a little. Now, SAFETY!!! For all the safety warnings you listed and went over, You committed the MOTHER OF ALL SAFETY VIOLATIONS!!! NEVER EVER MOVE A HIGH-PRESSURE GAS BOTTLE UNTIL THE SAFETY CAP HAS BEEN PUT ON THE BOTTLE. Even an empty bottle can be a danger to life and limb. As a side-note. A SMAW (STICK) and GTAW (TIG) welding machines are Constant Current (CC). You set the amperage and by adjusting the length of the arc, you vary the heat (Voltage) of the arc. The arc spans an air gap between the electrode and the workpiece. That is the resistance used by Ohm's Law. A close arc reduces the voltage, a longer arc increases the voltage. Hope this all helps with your future welding. I couldn't help but respond as I was a welding instructor before retirement.

As a thirty year welder with miles of aluminum experience let me give my two cents worth. Many great comments from real welders here. Things you did right: using 5356 wire, using .035 tip. Other things (repeating some things others have noticed): Wrong ark length setting and you don't need to set the wire feed to the highest setting, that just causes a hotter, higher amperage weld. MIG machines are set by ark length not amperage. The machine gives whatever amperage is needed to burn the wire to maintain the ark length so faster wire feed means more amperage and hotter weld. If the wire moves faster than the machine's amperage can burn the wire to maintain ark length the wire will just pop, sputter and throw off lots of dingle berries or throw a bird's nest in the drive. Slow the wire to lower amperage and the ark length should be set to where the wire burns smoothly (not popping like welding steel with CO2) into a cone shape where the end of the wire burns about 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the parent metal. Don't wear rings while welding. It's bird's nest not bird cage. Don't use WD40 on something you plan on welding. Don't start and stop your welds every 1/4 inch, that's just a series of tacks not a real weld and it cause porosity like crazy. Use a piece of clean steel to back up the weld on thin aluminum, don't worry it won't stick.Who uses a file when an angle grinder is available? The aluminum must be completely clean (sanded clean) half an inch from the weld or the junk on the surface will be pulled into the weld causing lots of porosity. Do not allow your wire to touch the parent metal when you pull the trigger. Bend or cut it back. If they are touching it's possible for the wire to weld itself to the copper tip if it's not moving when the ark starts, that will start a bird's nest real fast. Keep the cable as straight as possible, no S curves unless absolutely necessary.

1-Clean part with stainless brush. 2- Then clean with acetone. 3- Replace the gun liner with a teflon one. 4- Pre heat the workpiece. 5- Purge residual gas from welder. 6- Tack each end, then weld continuous. 7- Slow down wire speed. 8- Less wire stick out before initiating arc.

I love reading the comments from the welders. I have been tig and mig welding for 40 years. Everyone has their way of welding and aluminum mig takes skill and knowledge. I never used a spool gun for aluminum mig. The bigger tip is key and a clean weld. No need to stitch the weld though run a straight bead and you will have a good weld.

Thank you for taking your time to make this video. I would like to add to Mike Klass's comments. Best tips in the video: 5356, .035 tip for .030 wire, and 100% Argon gas. As for the rest, no need to steamroll a dead horse.

After viewing many comments, even if your teaching is less than perfect, you got my attention to research this welding aluminum with mig. So for that I thank you

Appreciate your tip on the mig technique ! I am paralyzed from my shoulders down, and no longer able to weld, however have a part-time fabricator that I will be sharing your video with. Once again, Thank you sir !

Many good comments here. Great advice from Mike Klass. The #1 rule with aluminum is it's GOT to be clean. I worked in my Dad's sheet metal/fab shop for 46 years. He taught me how to weld all types. I never got as good as he was. But great video.

Exactly what I was looking for. Enjoyed the video. By no stretch of anyone's imagination am I a welder but they did sell me the tools and now I have enough information to try it. Thanks!

as a welding noob, I would like to thank you for this video. between the video and the comments I have learned a few things that are useful to someone just getting started learning how to weld.

For cleaning aluminum use a stainless steel brush that has not been used on steel. When welding aluminum, cleanliness is essential.

I learned aluminum welding having to weld propellers with stick in 1970. (no leasons) 1972 we bought our first wire feeder for steel. Aluminum wire welders were a nice treat in 1985. Thanks for your nice work from a boat builder and job shop owner.

Not too bad pal, How about a couple more tips from an older timer? I been doing this for 50 years and am semi-retired. You never really retire completely if you love what you do. You're a fan of safety I see so this one is for you, before you lift your bottles out of the machine, please put the cap on. It will only take you one time to have it slip out of your grip, fall over and break off the valve to never forget it again. Ok, number 2 is the wire nomenclature, the reason 5356 is stiffer is because it's a 53,000 tensile strength while 4043 is 40,000. Note the numbers? The next one is the current, while turning off machine before changing the tip is ok,it's not necessary if you are not leaning against the table where the ground clamp is, you have to complete the circuit before it will flow. And the last one is, after you went thru all the trouble to clean it all, you thru the new tip on the table in the dirt, which could pick up shavings and contaminate your weld. Any foreign particle will ruin your weld. I got my first certs in 1968 in the Army and been sticking metal together ever since. I specialized in Aluminum and stainless building industrial kitchen equipment, food processing plant equip, hospital equip, and of course a lot of Harley motorcycle repair. Mostly all of this had to be perfect, especially the motorcycle repair, those guys are picky. I had only one rule for the guys I taught, once I got them certified they were to never accept a job with an inferior wage. It had to be upward of 14-15 $ an hour, more now than way back then. Anyway, I like your videos and you have a good sense of humor but hard to pick up on at first, now I know it better 'cause I watch them. Oh, one question, Why didn't you use a die grinder to bevel your joints? If you would like to talk some more, post it here and I'll get back to you. Remember I'm retired so I might take a day or two but I will always answer.

I have the SP-100 and I love it! I don't have any problem welding aluminum either

When you change over your gases, purge the lines through for a few seconds first, to flush out the previous gasses from the machines pipework.(We usually do that via the gun trigger, but just before fitting the new wire reel. Failure to purge almost always causes weld porosity at first. In this case, the residual co2 is still being fed through in the beginning, until finally being cleared out by the Argon.(Same thing if the machine has been stood for a while, you need to bleed out the air via same method.)if the wire is already fed through, you can just slacken the feed rollers, then trigger the gas through (Reel shouldn't move) about 5 - 10 seconds is usually enough, then re-set tension to the feed rollers. An Acetone wash of the prepped surfaces will also help, but make sure it has completely evaporated/flashed off, and that the container is shifted way out before even touching that gun !

Regardless of the negative comments I did get a few good tips from your video, at least I have a very starting point for my project so unlike so many comments I read I thank you

Great video ! You got her done and it looks like your son can get his drywall finished now. I have a very old welder ( 220 single phase ) and I'm going to get a bottle of argon and give it a try. Personally I'm not a welder but I had a weld shop in Dachau Germany while in the Army and welded in most every machine shop I ever worked in. I just play with the machine and setting on a piece of scrap until it taste right then i finish cooking it. I could read all those books on it but I'm lazy.

I also have been welding for 50 years full time and retired about 6 months ago. I’m never impressed by someone ragging on someone else’s effort. Good video to help those who have the equipment. I also spent a few years in construction hanging acoustic ceilings. I wouldn’t hesitate to walk with that stilt after that repair.

Also remember that the machine can still have a charge in it even after you unplug it. De-energize it by touching tip to something grounded. You might even see a spark even after its unplugged.

Best vid on this so far Thanks I've stick weld my heavy equipment, Mig weld my tools. Going to now weld alu

Wow you have one of the best methods Iv'e seen, thanks for passing the old-timer stuff on!

Appreciate your attention to the many details to consider. Very nice and high quality video. I have always wanted to try welding aluminum and you have given me enough info to pursue. Thanks

Just saw this, even though it's a little old. Thanks to Mike Klass for some real good advice beyond the somewhat "busy" video. Lincoln used to offer a teflon liner to be used with aluminum wire to help with the birdnesting . I got one when I got my SP-175 Plus years ago. It really helps the aluminum feed much smoother, but now that I have a TIG, I haven't MIGged aluminum for ages. Might have to try it again for S&G. You really did a poor job of cleaning, as stated many times and an organic respirator is a must( they're cheap, too!).

Great video buddy! Some very helpful tips for anyone needing to weld aluminium (i'm European). Great to see that you make a big deal out of safety, a persons health and safety is not only about avoiding physical injuries, but also environmental impact such as breathing in dust, vapour and irritants over a period of time. Education is the key here and you nailed that bro!! I visit the USA and Canada frequently and safely is always something that concerns me over there. Our health and safety laws here in Europe are very stringent and for good reason, one example is the fact semi trucks do not need crash bars running the length of them to deflect smaller vehicles and pedestrians away from their wheels! Very dangerous and must account for a massive number of avoidable deaths over there. All lorries in Europe were forced to have deflect bars fitted back in the mid 80's and I think they should be mandatory on every lorry on the planet.

New Teflon liner, new tip ( dont use a bigger tip ), adjust (4 roller!) Tension so you can pinch the wire with your fingers before the rollers & stop/slow the wires movement without the rollers grinding & deforming the wire. If the wires deformed, pull it out because it will screw up later as you weld. Use a shallow angle on the gun. Snip the melted ball off the end of the wire ( @ a sharp angle ) before starting the next weld run ( it needs to peirce the oxide layer on the parent metal ) .When threading in ( installing) a new roll of wire, file the tip so theres no burr on it & slightly tapered so it wont gouge the teflon liner. Once you get good at welding Ali, you can weld anything.

Your spot on with the 5356. I use Harris on my Miller set up. The only real reason I see for someone trying to weld like this is that their welding machine does not support a spool gun. Aluminum welding is an extremely hard to learn skill. It took my 6 months of practice and learning how to properly set up the speed, verses volts, verses material thickness. If your welding machine supports an aluminum spool gun, bite the bullet and buy it. I bought a spoolmate 150 for my Miller Millermatic 211 Mig Welder . That way you learn the right way and your welds will eventually come out looking nice with good penetration.

I heard that you can weld alloy with a mig. This is a good starting block to learn and grow from. Thanks!

it helps alot if you use a new liner . if you use a liner that has had flux core or solid wire run thru it the coatiing or residue will contaminate the alum wire.

Great informative video. Production quality was on point! Audio was fantastic and was blown away that you recorded everything with your phone. Well done Sir. Hat tip to you.

A grinder would come in handy bud. Thank you for your video

5356 has titanium and is used for the 5000 series aluminum and the titanium containing 7075. Porosity is a sign that you didn't have your gas high enough. For MIG welding 35 to 45 cfms is called for. That's a poor looking weld, but I guess it will hold. I am a welder, retired and I studied metallurgy as I had to weld a bunch of unusual metals like aluminum bronze with titanium, which was some really tough stuff to cut.

Now you said hang drywall that they may do but it is made for us finishers we're the ones that make it look good drywall finishers that is! Thank you very much!

Another thing that helps feeding your wire thru gun is to hold the gun in front of welder with cord stretched out straight. It moves much easier in a straight shot . Also you should use a stainless steel wire brush with aluminum

Thank you! I enjoyed your video very much because it took me back to when I used to weld professionally. I first learned to run a bead on my dad's farm at age 12, using 6013 mild steel rod an old Forney buzz-box… progressing later to a large shop in Ithaca, NY. There, we did about every sort of fabricating, design, and/or repair job, using various techniques with all sorts of metals, both ferrous and nonferrous, etc. During the course of a day, I might silver solder a handle back onto a dainty little collector's-item silver teapot in the morning, and then erect a safety cage out of 10" thick-wall well casing onto a huge dozer in the afternoon using 1/4" diameter low-hydrogen rod. Mostly, for aluminum and stainless, I used TIG on a huge Miller Gold Star machine... which had all the bells and whistles one could ever ask for. Have you ever welded while soaked to the skin in the rain in November, perched on a steel scaffolding with cracked cables hooked to a truck-mounted rig? It's a tingling experience (low-voltage, higher amps), but not really all that dangerous, unless you fell off (Don't tell OSHA). We often did a lot of higher-end work for the local Cornell Univ., even though they had a welding shop, mostly for small work. I'll dispense with giving you any tips as I see many have done. I now live in San Diego. We used to use Navy surplus "Cobra" MIG portable machines when I worked at a local university. The portable Cobras had double feeder motors; one pusher feeder located at the source reel and the second puller feeder motor in the handle, which alleviated any sticking (or bird-caging). I miss it now that I'm of retirement age (76 at this writing). However, I till have my trusty old helmet (4"x6" viewing glass). I get a kick out of it when someone says to me, "Shucks, I just cracked/broke this (whatever); guess I'll have to toss it out and buy a new one." I say to myself, "Hey, just toss it at me; I'll fix it and keep it while you go buy a new one." Thanks again. Ron M

you know what, ive welded with an ally spool in the mig before and its been ok but its moving so fast its very easy to get a tangle up. the larger nozzle and stiffer wire is the best tip ive heard so far, thanks mate.... :¬)

The 125 welder you are useing and th exact setup Only I used different rollers to feed the wire and clamped a close pin on the wire loosely before; the rollers with a white linen piece of cloth to wipe of any dust or foreign material. To clean any thing off the wire as it passed threw. Sometimes that hose caused a bit of a problem if not perfectly strait or even a little dirty. Seem's I also had to have a special liner in the hose. It worked well for at least 10 or 15 years. It welded alot of spools of that aluminum wire. Also used aluminum rod in my DC arc welder, metal definitlly needed to be clean and preheated takes some patients and practice for sure. Good video

Excellent video quality and clear audio. I like that there is no background music interrupting when you are speaking. Keep it up.

Good video for newbies.A handy hit is to help clean the wire as it enters the liner. Easiest is to use a paperclip with about a 2" square of clean cotton rag. Double the rag over and fit the paperclip over the fold side of the rag, then fit the paperclip and rag over the wire where it enters the feed rollers. It acts as a continuous wiper for the wire. u may wan to double the rag again so you have 2 thicknesses of rag wiping the wire at all times. You will be amazed how quickly the rag collects alot of rubbish off the wire. Most of the rubbish would otherwise start clogging your liner. Change the rag as required.

Good video! Yes why go have to buy a Spool Gun that's half the cost of the welding machine,! let the Mig welder be the Spool Gun, Excellent!

Brother you nailed it ! I liked the way you showed us all the tips for the welding but utmost your style and jokes . Your video tips were as good too!

The most important for every kind of welding is to keep the parent metals 100% clean and dried. Do not apply any oil, solvents, soap.....if need, apply some heat to burn it, and remove by air pressure with a new wire brush. Wire feed needs to be synchronized with amperage which depends on thickness and crystal structure of metals. This is nice presentation for hobbyists. The TIG is the best welding for aluminum. It makes the best penetration, clean, smooth.....Preparation for welding is crucial and the most important part of the job.

This could have been a much shorter video but I appreciate it very much non the less. Thank you 😀

One of the few background music tracks that is enjoyable.

soooo much saftey!!! lol thank you for the video though, ive been needing to weld aluminum for a while and didnt know I could do it with my regular mig welder!

Great tips. He forgot to mention a couple things like changing the wire sleeve for a new clean one. If you use steel wire, there will be oil on it, and that oil will contaminate the sleeve and then contaminate the new/clean aluminum wire. Also, clean the wire drive rollers. The manual that Lincoln supplies with the MIG welder suggests this as well.

In the seventys I worked for a company that sold mostly aluminum sprinkler systems. They had a spool gun but was heavy and cumbersome. We ran helium gas, and smooth rollers. It ran great, just keep the liner as straight as possible!

Really appreciate this video. Had heard you could mig aluminum and now I know the basics of how it’s possible. Given I will never do anything but hobbyist stuff this kind of instructional vid is exactly what I needed to get me started so thank you!

Great presentation. Good safety notes (Yes some misses OK). Much to learn on welding aluminum perhaps, but one of the better vids as you have struck up some great conversations. Information I would never have available. Negative comments are much a waste of reading time and more for self-indulgence. Looking at all the positive critiques here and taking notes !!! Thanks Much, time well spent !!

Excellent video the complainers are ignorant of welding and should be ignored probably very young and just trying to raise an argument.

very, very interesting video, and most interest opinions of viewers, and it seems most of them with many years of experience. THANK YOU OF ALL YOU

I welded aluminum dump bed trailers using mig machines for years. You have to push your gun instead of straight in or or dragging a bead. Start a weld and go with it. Not start and stop. Set your machine on a piece of scrap having the same thickness. Grinding your weld makes you a "grinder" and not a "welder". We always tried to make pretty welds to make the trailers look perfect. Lots of good tips here. Larger tip/ Keep welding lead straight/ Keep ground clamp clean for a good ground.

Great laid back Vid..5356 wire/.030 wire with .035 tip sound like answer to my prayers..Bout only thing ya didn't mention was turn on gas and purge through tip...Helps lots when you start weld...THX

Set my 120v Weld Pak up thirty years ago (before I had a spool gun on a larger welder) for aluminum. Lincoln recommended a teflon coated gun liner (Tweco style). Don't use that liner for steel just aluminum.

Absolutely love the safety aspect of your video. A good tip with the nozzle diameter. thanks for the insight.

20 minutes of my life never to be recovered for good information that could have been presented in 10 minutes. Too much time was spent playing video. I thank you for the wire type, tip size and 100% argon... that was the old timers trick...

Well now...I have a sp125 plus purchased in 1990...been flux wire the entire time. It still works just fine. I just purchased a LE31MP because it's spool gun capable. Now that I know of a way to wire weld Aluminum with the sp125, I got to try this out. When I get a spool gun for the LE31MP, I can do a comparison. I am an amateur welder sometimes on my best day. I wasn't going to watch this, but I am glad I did.

I needed a face mask just watching you....good Ol'Tips..weld done!!

Thanks, I like and appreciate it a lot. I mig steel all week long, I saw my boss weld some aluminum once, he had a spool gun. He's forgot more than I'll ever know lol! I have a few little things here at home that need repairing.

hahahaha welding on a plastic table, love your work

Good comments, good old school way of mig welding aluminum IMO. I was going to buy a spool gun but I'm going to try this first. Makes more sense, less $ out the gate, very similar results. Thank you for the knowledge and constructive criticism from everyone! Lotus mig 140 is my tool of choice here.

Put the cylinder caps on BEFORE you move the bottle

In a world of RU-vid videos where people give advice or how to videos with Zero experience or knowledge, this video was a breathe of fresh air. Gonna do some more research, but thanks for the rundown. I have an extra mug machine. Been wanting to convert for aluminum projects. Thanks again.

Who else has become an MIG welder pro during the Corona virus lockdown? lol

Thanks for the video. Those were a whole batch of good tips and a very good demo. Some drywaller will thank you:)

Why do you specify a 110v machine ? I have a 220v but I don't see what the difference would be aside from max rating. I have MIG and TIG machines but going to try this just out of curiosity since the argon is here already. Spool guns have come down in price over the years as have entry level TIG's but for a one off repair this is interesting. Sorry if I missed clarification on this but you need a stainless steel brush which it appears you had, just didn't see that mentioned and never use that brush on anything but aluminum or it will contaminate your next weld job. You can't be too clean welding aluminum, I'd say most new to welding underestimate how clean it needs to be. Thanks, nice video

Thanks for producing the video.

I got a lot out of this video. Thanks for all the tips.

I have the same machine as yours for years, I bought the alu setup but never used it. I may have missed something in this video but I don't recall seeing you changing the wire core from steel to aluminum "inner tube " wire lead. Is that not necessary???? It was an excellent presentation I pi ked up a lot. If you want to make your video better drop the music and the cloun. Thanks for the details about filming very useful, so far this is the first time I had that and I thank you for it. Two engineering and I never had a class with music. I am subscribing to your channel, will tick the bell too but will not watch Holliwood on that statio. It was very well done, very understandable. All I can say thaks, keep it up That Old Bob

A small tip put the protative top before you move the bottle I have seen someone drop it right after they remove it from the welder

Thanks for the information and the two tips that will really help. I have an old miller that is so old that they don't even make a gun kit for it. I bought a teflon liner, but the welding supply shop didn't have any advice on how to set up the machine. The wire speed and larger tip will help a lot along with the stiffer wire. Of course that was 20 years ago. Since then I generally TIG every thing that is worth the effort to do so.

Hi just a quick tip from an old welder - Pretty does not equal strong - Linishing off the Weld would have weakened the Butt - I would leave it if I was you and give the finish a nice coat of Ally paint. ... Cosmetic finish = Paint usually .. trust me dont grind off the top of the Weld

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEO, ITS VERY INFORMATIVE, CONGRATULATIONS, THAT IS A VERY GOOD. WELDING MACHINE, GOOD AUDIO, GOOD LIGHT

A Safety Tip- Never remove the cap from a high pressure bottle unless the bottle is stored, securely fastened and can not tip over! Never move a high pressure cylinder without a protective cap! If a cylinder is knocked over or dropped it is possible for the valve to break off! If the valve is broken off, the cylinder will take off like a rocket! You should make a correction to this video and warn people of this danger.

Thanks for this video. With what you've shown along with some of the other comments from others with experience, I can finally try my hand at welding aluminum with my mig. I've tried the brazing but it's not holding well enough. I was looking for a way not to have to go buy the expensive spool gun. I have a few years of welding experience but I know aluminum is whole different game. Interesting point about not wearing a ring during welding (Thanks Mike Klass).

Thank god for TIG

My one suggestion was he should have placed the safety caps on the tank before he moved the tanks . He lifted the tanks by the control valves which is a NO NO! Plus he left the argon/CO2 tank standing by itself to go back and get the safety caps. I've seen them fall and snap off the safety valve ah do the term uncontrolled torpedo comes to mind. I did NOT know that some mig welders had hot tips while on! But I hate being shocked so I always turn mine off before I do anything with them. Great video.

Thank you for doing this I learned.

Found your video. Really well explained and not patronising. Have now subscribed.

Too many comments are way to stringent, you are not teaching the pros, so its an excellent video... Thanks for taking the time, and Im glad your not perfect!.

That's really surprising, that you could do Aluminum are all, with a small 110 vac welder. With 125 amp. Max. ?? With Everything against you it turned out really well !! Now I'm going to try it 😃😃😃 Thanks

i have to say that is the first time i have seen someone use a plastic table as a welding table!

Thank you for the video, I didn't know it's possible to weld aluminum without a spool gun. Money saver right there)) Thank you Sir.

Looks like stress fracture on aluminum foot, originally welded along cracked area. Probably wasn't annealed properly, to relieve stress embrittlement. Aluminum must be stress relieved or it will be brittle and break at stress points. *Good Tips, oversized electrode orifice of .035" dia, not 030"and stiffer 5356 Alum. wire, thanks*

Been welder/fabricator for 37 years. If 110 hobby welding AL then a Teflon liner would help in the whip. Got WAY too much wire speed. Dial it down, you can tell by all the popping, adjust heat accordingly. Use tacks initially to hold joint in position then run bead. Clamp your work while you're welding it. Let it cool before inflaming then clean up your weld if needed with grinder. Other than that good video for beginners

You definitely can do this more efficiently. I would strongly recommend that you should have welded it from the opposite side first with it clamped down .Then when cooler unclamp, it flip it over back grind to clean Aluminium ,clamp it down again then weld. An option is to clamp brass or copper plate on side that will not be welded ensuring the plate is very tight, as you said with a bevel and a gap. A slight oscillation is not necessary when welding ,and the AL will not stick to Brass or Copper. Continue weld,continuously if possible, no stop starts, off and on. A pre -clean with Acetone would be sensible and keeping the gun hand-piece and hose as straight as possible i.e extended to its full length means you are enabling the small motor to be used to its optimum without the unnecessary habit of making the wire take a detour I accept nothing is ideal and please don,t take my minor criticism to heart I know not everyone has cut offs of Al and Cu .In your example I would have clamped a short piece of Cu in the awkward side,leaving the flat back side accessible for a grinder.For everyone's benefit a change of liner to Teflon one means the sticky Al wire will travel more smoothly than the stock one supplied with your LIncoln ,this is common practice for production welding ,just my thoughts , Mike Class also covers the other essential info I did not include. PEACE, regards Richard.

Thanks for the informative video. About to have a go at DC alum mig welding myself and I'm 100% sure that your video and some of the comments have flattened the learning curve a load for me!! Thank you!!

Appreciate the video. I want to do aluminum welding with my Hobart 140 I just bought 3 weeks ago. Your finished product did come out pretty good! Looks like it will do the job you want it to just fine. I just can't help but notice 16 minutes in are you wearing work gloves instead of welding gloves? :P

35 years welding everything from aluminum to stainless. Clean is the word on aluminum. You can be a master welder and have a weld look like crap and be crap if not cleaned properly. I mig and tig weld aluminum from .040 to 1/2 inch. I agree about the ring lol. That’s a bad idea for a welder. I have seen the results of a gold ring and mig wire not pretty. I have welded 2” aluminum with straight helium using straight Polarity. Not something your supposed to do but awesome penetration It was a job for the military. I know there are going to be people saying I am full of crap with that but it does work. The worlds were x rayed and penetrant tested.

Like your show,I am a weider and have been for over 60 years, always replace the safety cap before moving,even so called empty tanks can take of like a rocket if the nozel happned to break do to being droped.Bad things hapen to good people be safe.

gonna give these tips a try thx a bunch...

I used to do rollers when I was younger inside diameters outside diameters and build journals for the rollers some of them massive sizes should I switch to drywall I liked it better finishing no hanging for me

yOU ARE DA MAN THANKS FOR THE SIMPLE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTION.

An "old timer" once told me that 120v for aluminum is going to come up a ball hair short of a decent job every time. When all you have is a 120v welder you don't want to believe it, but when you get a 220v you know it's true.

cool nice tip i think most people have a hard time and have to uses the spool gun if they don't realize going with thicker diameter wire and tip as well as the pure argon. Looks like you can almost do the equivalent to tig with maybe raised a little welds that have to be grinded down. Really cool to play around with tig , mig and see the significant differences.

Plus i didn't hear any mention about changing your liner,would have thought with ali you'd be using a Teflon liner not steel

hi i would use a teflon liner in my whip and have a argon -heliem mix it smoths out the weld with alum, but you did a great job in the video.

There are Specific cleaning agents for aluminum..get it at a welding supply or online....

A few other tips. Purge your welding gas feed when you are switching bottles, changing welding gas mix or even if you have let your machine set for a while. If you do not, the beginning of your weld might be porous (bubbly). Ventilation is important, but a direct breeze can ruin your weld by blowing your shielding gas away. Some manufactures use special aluminum alloys that require special alloy welding wire. If you have problems, you might need to contact the manufacture to see which alloy they use/recommend. Aluminum welds shrink when they cool off and can draw an unclamped piece into a curve. I have 40 experience and I am still working, (large equipment, wreck and damage repair including aluminum dump trailers, dump trucks, cabs and various other large pieces of equipment. I also do custom fabrication.)

I do a lot of aluminium welding at work and I use 75% argon and 25% helium mix to get a hoter weld

“Bird nesting” is the term you were trying to think of and it’s dangerous as all hell to move unchained or unsecured bottles WITHOUT the cap on them. Those dang things are missiles!