Can You MIG Weld Aluminum?

PATREON: / liftarcstudios
This week we have a little change of pace for you where we delve into unexplored territory for everyone here at Lift Arc... MIG Welding Aluminum! Generally aluminum is welded by TIG but there are several other ways to accomplish aluminum welding. We've never tried any of them, so find out how we did in this week's video!
Do you guys have any experience with spool guns or aluminum MIG welding? Let us know in the comments!
If you read this whole description write: "Good job Aaron" in a comment :)
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VEVOR Rolling Garage Stool: s.vevor.com/bfP95u
Thanks for watching!
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:48 Setting Up the Everlast
08:51 50 Year Old Army Welder
22:32 Cheap Lincoln Spool Gun
25:46 Final Thoughts
31:45 Finishing & Install
To inquire about a custom build we can help you bring to life, or to be a sponsor of the channel, shoot Tay an email at: [e-mail]
Produced & Hosted by: Tay Whiteside
Filmed by: Tay Whiteside and Walker Hooper
Featuring: Aaron Dykstra, Jake Freeland, and Steve Heintzel
Edited by: Walker Hooper
Music Licensed from Artlist.io
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Any technique or methodology shown in this video is purely for entertainment and informational purposes only. Lift Arc Studios and their associated craftsmen are not liable for any injury or damage to your shop or surrounding areas you man incur while trying to emulate these builds. Remember, be safe, have fun, work smart!

[@venture17fly]

Try 5356 in the everlast with a teflon liner and smooth drive rolls. Bird nesting is usually because the drive roll tension is set too high, should be on 1 or 2. Also around 40 cfh will run good, spatter should go away as you get closer to spray transfer so up the volts and hold a half inch stickout. When you get it set right it should hisss like a snake and maybe crackle a little

[@wrstew1272]

My Uncle got arrested for dragging a chain down Main Street of our home town. When the judge asked why he was doing that….he asked “ ever try pushing one?” Family Factoids Revealed 😂

[@garybouchard827]

That gun is still made by Profax. Thats a good gun unit

[@rusty_restorations36]

I have one. it uses miller contact tips. it’s heavy and has a billion feet of leads, but it runs a bead, and seems to be simple/reliable

[@dougdelane3642]

I have a DC only Everlast 251si with a spool gun I weld aluminum by turning it up to 11 and quick stiches. I was even able to burn in a broken transmission housing, took a carbide and hollowed out the crack and just threw aluminum into it. I found running .035 wire run .040 tip the aluminum expands from heat as its being pushed. It drastically helped with the tips burning back and getting ruined.

[@verminatordorset4905]

What @SWResto said, Teflon torch liner and mind the fumes as they are toxic. Metal liners already used for metal wire will trap and cause birds nests. Birds nest is also a fishing term for an over run of a multiplier reel causing a mass tangle of line👌🏼🤙🏼

[@snijman25]

Go up a tip size too. The rollers can form it into an oval so an exact tip size can cause a birds nest. Use a “stiffer” wire as well like 5356

[@melgross]

When I bought my ESAB 215 several years ago, it didn’t do AC, so I bought their spool gun for it. It worked very well. Though it did take a bit of getting used to. When I gave that welder away, I bought the esab 205 which does AC, so I can do TIG aluminum. But I find that the spool gun is still useful. If you use a regular mig gun, you NEED to have the teflon liner for aluminum. If you don’t, the aluminum will rub on the steel spring and will kink, stopping the wire. This really is important. You can’t use aluminum without that liner - and the drive wheel needs to be the round groove and not the wheel for steel. If you don’t make those changes, you will not be successful, though you may be lucky for short intervals.

[@tommyobrien9480]

What make/ model gun is suitable to use with the esab?

[@802Garage]

I'd definitely like to see that Army welder tested eventually! Other commenters were saying it needs a constant power supply of some kind.

[@cprobus9517]

I mig welded aluminum every day for about 5 + years used a miller push pull gun makes a world of difference. Granted they are expensive but in my opinion great welds .. also we only ran Esab wire for aluminum and a tip size bigger than the wire

[@samuraidriver4x4]

Ran a fronius puls mig without push pull for a couple years. Teflon liner that goes from tip to the drive wheels and cut so there is a minimal gap between the liner and the rollers. 1.2mm wire diameter, with 1.4mm tip. Welded alot of thin gauge stuff around 2mm and as long as you cleaned the liner with compressed air daily it runs like a champ. Push pull wasn't an option due to the area's we had to work in, just couldn't get them into the areas we had to weld.

[@colestowing8695]

i never understood why spoolguns were a thing. it makes way more sense now...thx!

[@SmorgusBorg]

Good job Aaron!

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Wow that's pretty amazing to see this. Awesome to see it work. Awesome. Can't wait to see more updates an projects and many more videos soon my friends. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friends. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Making. God bless.

[@lawrencesears7255]

When running aluminum mig wire through your machine, you need a clean liner preferably nylon or teflon. You also need stiffer wire than you were running and upside your tip aluminum wire rapidly expands during welding and drag in your tip if you use the one sized to your wire.

[@Kneedeepingore]

Teflon Liner, aluminium rollers and tips makes a world of difference with the normal gun.

[@randyharris8669]

Dont be scared to run hot. Like 24 volt and 500 wire feed speed and use a push angle

[@1960fl]

Airco was Union Carbide! the people that Pattented the term HeliArc

[@funone8716]

Wrong. Linde and Ltech was Union Carbide. Airco machinery was mostly Miller

[@mathewmolk2089]

We used to call then "Orange Millers" @@funone8716

[@GaryMiller-sh8gl]

Spray transfer and an oversized contact tip might help out for next time.

[@LiftArcStudios]

Good tip! (pun intended) thanks for watching! - Walker

[@philirwin2028]

It is a profax spoolgun and welder. Made for airco. Can still get Profax spool gun, though they are heavier than miller spool gun.

[@wrstew1272]

Self deprecating humor recognition. 😂 You really do worthy comments, and are surrounded by a group of “Veddy Interesting “ support characters 😮. 😊😊😂😊😊

[@steelworkers78]

Nice workshop welding bro 👍👍😀

[@funone8716]

I have one of those Airco Midget spool guns.....1972. Bought it with an Airco mig welder in 1984. Still use it from time to time, works great. Boomer old guy here......PS Get an orange ceramic belt on that grinder and your parts will not get so hot.

[@sallybrokaw6124]

Tye, Miller makes a good push pull gun. Connected to a pulse arc welder doing spray arc transfer you will do fine.AL B.

[@sallybrokaw6124]

Tay,Miller spoolguns have a wire speed control on the gun itself. Welding thick aluminum like your fence will require larger diameter wire than if welding steel because heat propagates away from the weld zone faster in aluminum than steel. So welder is set higher and wire speed is set higher to feed puddle. Hope this information helps.AL B.

[@AZRckt]

I have the Magnum Pro 100SG driven by my little 100A Lincoln... leaves a bit to be desired. I found it is similar to my uncle's Miller spool mate 100. Then I bought the Lincoln Magnum SG driven by my 256. That does some real work. I find I am not having to constantly fiddle and the bigger power supply helps. I found (or at minimum imagined) that spending the time to remove the oxide layer with an aluminum appropriate flap disc helps.

[@gasm1100]

I did it for years!

[@stackingdimes6939]

Spool gun welds like glass no spatter

[@jamesfino7962]

Millermatic 211 with a 150 spool-gun works great.

[@CGT80]

I have the 211 inverter and 150 spoolgun as well. Today, my brother just finished a little aluminum job on a military base using my 150 gun and his multimatic 220. Mig is generally a CV process and they tried to run it on CC. Wire feeders have been run on CC in the past but it is only for heavy material and the results are not controllable the way it is with CV.

[@davidkelly9218]

The spoolgun on the lincoln 210 actually works well once you get it set

[@Michaeljm84]

Get a Parker spool gun for that 262 you will love it

[@nf4x]

The bendiness term you seek is “Young’s modulus” or “modulus of elasticity”.

[@greekgods3399]

love it

[@Metaz]

I've seen a lot of blacksmith/blade smith keep a bucket of water next to their belt grinder. Might be a good idea :D

[@whs2220]

My Everlast Cyclone 212 says use smooth rollers (U roller) and a teflon liner for the MIG gun. Seems to work but I agree its finicky. And yes its spatter prone.

[@curtiszeitelhack981]

Yes, Tye. You ARE the weird one :D Fun to watch you guys fumble-farting around with both an apparatus and a process you know nothing about. In the end, you guys figured it out - mostly. Good work!

[@benjamin2339]

I weld aluminum extrusions to be run through a series of tanks and we run otc welders out of japan and its a power supply with a feeder pusher box (not sure the name of it), but the wire we run is 1.2mm so considerably thicker.

[@jackofalltrades164]

I might have seen it wrong but doesn't it say 60 ipm instead of 600

[@lwas3141]

Dude! You should be using the Fronius MIG machine (TransSteel). No push/pull or spool gun required for aluminum. We push that right through a standard 15' lead. .035" 5356 or .045" 4043 or 5356. Really and truly a pulse machine would do you even better! 😃

[@LiftArcStudios]

Woahhhhh, I wanna know more!

[@Shadow6a]

The Everlast requires a special liner and u drive rollers.

[@davidkelly9218]

I do believe Walter sells an antispatter spray that works on aluminum

[@kricketscreations4887]

Got to use a Teflon liner and 5356 wire

[@hobowh]

@Lift arc studios check out the python setup it has a pull roller at the gun so spool stays in the welder and you get a push pull setup

[@adamwaller1528]

Did you guys work counter clockwise to "back step"?

[@tommyrexx6587]

Your gun needs a teflon or vinal liner to do aluminum & if 30 wire use 35 tip for less resistance. It will work if Patient.!! Thats the key to Success....

[@sallybrokaw6124]

Spray arc and pulse mode reduce spatter.AL B.

[@jspeed99]

I mig weld aluminum just about everyday at work as a large trailer mechanic.

[@57moto59]

Tell us about the 210, what you don't like. I have one and have often wondered about my shitty sputtery welds. I want to know your thoughts on the machine. I've thought about buying something different. It's the only mig welder I've had and know. Is life better away from the MP210?

[@B.Bros.]

I've got the 210 mp and love it. I've only done mig on 220v with it, but its been buttery smooth after almost a full 11 lb spool of wire. Just picked up some 6011, 6013, and 7018 to mess with the stick function.

[@gearhead181]

Love the videos man. You should really look into HTP I bought a pro pulse 220 about 4 months ago specifically for my aluminum welding. It use to use my Miller 250 with spool gun and I haven’t touched my spool gun since it’s an awesome multi process machine. Hands down the best customer service I’ve ever dealt with also! Game changer

[@htownblue11]

The always Sunny edit had me laughing. 😂😂😂😂. Almost at 40k subs fellas! Keep up the corporate shilling…. 😂. Interesting welder in this one for sure.

[@SmorgusBorg]

Did you give away the ArcCaptin yesterday?

[@LiftArcStudios]

So we did contact a potential winner! We're waiting to confirm certain details to make sure we can get them the welder before making a larger public announcement!

[@joshua12084]

Teflon liner?

[@sammyspade123]

I beleive your old Airco Army spool gun needs to be connected to a CV power supply, like a dedicted MIG with aux outputs. Looks a lot like a old style Miller spoolgun. If you really want to see a weird dedicated aluminum mig torch check out Cobra-Matic

[@funone8716]

You are correct, constant voltage welding machine required. I have both the gun and welder.

[@jameshunt2141]

your willing to bet a component has gone bad.. id say one of the capacitors is past it. Id imagine you pull the trigger it pre flows and then starts driving the wire. the bad capacitor that should charge up giving the time delay probably isnt really doing anything anymore

[@davework5922]

get 1.2mm wire and a graphite liner and your regular gun should work fine

[@patrobinson4867]

you need to be 24-27 volts for the parts you are trying to weld in the video and use *040 tip as the wire will get hot and not go thru the *035 tip after use you should have almost no splatter when you have wire speed and heat right so use cold no pre heat at all metal for testing turn up heat, slow wire down when you get to the point it sizzles it will be clean in the mid part of the wield no black. Cobra MX push pull gun is priceless when welding 1/8-1/2 alm

[@mathewmolk2089]

Didn't really watch the whole thing and Icould be wrong but it looked like he was trying to short arc. Mig Al is spray. - Zero spatter and great bead contour if you have a guy that knows how to weld. I did a ton of Aluminum trailer repairs back in the 80s with a Westinghouse spool gun and contractor control on aLlincolon weld-n-power 250 gas drive. Also used a Cobra at the shop on a Miller MP65. Never had a bird's nest and tips lasted forever. Those are some pretty pitiful welds. - Was he using pure argon and a machine that had enough ass to get up close to 30 volts? If not it's a wasted trip. - Still got 2- Westinghouse guns and use one every once in a while and we got 2 cobras with 25' cables. - I'd thing about selling one for the best offer over $2500 if anybody is interested. -

[@SWResto]

If you set up a MiG gun with a Teflon liner MiG welding aluminum works pretty good! You should use respirator for aluminum fumes!

[@justintasht1067]

Cool video and interesting to shame the military spool gun did not work that would of been awesome. Great work guys👍

[@LiftArcStudios]

We will absolutely do a deeper dive and a follow up if / when we get the military spool gun to work!

[@KGRICK1]

very cool old tech, i would look at the wiring diagram.

[@twmeigs]

Check out the KZbin Video by Everlast "MIG Welding Aluminum (without a spool gun): 4 Tips

[@johnclymo3668]

I can not believe you are welding wearing T_ Shirt

[@gnorpflorbsen8665]

60 IPM not 601 PM maybe

[@motivatedpeon]

I can smell that wire burn on the finger tips. I use pink-metallic nailpolish, just to freak people out 👹 Although, most of the time it's the girls, who want to know what color it is and how I did it 😁

[@johnclymo3668]

Helium or 100% Argon

[@wvrockcrusher]

If you want to weld aluminum with your regular MIG gun, you'll have to change to a Teflon liner, U-groove drive wheels (smooth), and the right contact tips (oversized for aluminum). It will work with 5356 wire because it's hard wire, unlike 4043 which will need a spool gun or a push-pull type gun. I've been using a Python brand push-pull gun on a Miller 350P with ESAB or Lincoln Super Glaze wire for years with little problem feeding any wire type, but there are others that work just as well. Aluminum is gas and power hungry to weld, so give 'er the beans on voltage and start around 25 CFH on the Argon until the weld cleans up. It takes push angle to run it and I use a whip and pause motion with no weave. You'll have to play with the settings as every machine is a little different. If your machine has a weld chart, follow that to get in the ballpark. Aluminum can be a joy to weld if everything is set up right, but it takes a little money to get there if you're serious about it. Corporate shilling aside, have fun! 😁

[@MichaelRoachWV]

Here with the algs comment, GIVE ME SOME CORPORATE SHILLING!

[@LiftArcStudios]

We stay shilling around here! 😂 Jokes aside thanks for the algorithm assistance! This video was a lil different from our usual process so we hope you enjoyed it! - Walker

[@MichaelRoachWV]

@@LiftArcStudios Walker, ask tay for the Corporate Shilling graphic from the email he ignored! 7/22/23 2:26am

[@wrstew1272]

Another analytics comment, real men don’t read the directions. Haven’t you seen Electro Boom videos? You ( every one) should. Definitely.

[@LiftArcStudios]

We LOVE ElectroBoom around here! One of the most entertaining channels on KZbin by far

[@sonnymarion3829]

First!!

[@marvtomson574]

you'll learn eventually with aluminum that you need to pre-clean extra the surface your welding with gun cleaner or acetone to get the oils off the surface. Otherwise your welds will look like shit, bad welds, porosities, heavy black discoloration, etc... Realistically I've found for really good performance, do it by hand with TIG but just saying. There's trade offs. Whatever engineer that invented the so called "spool method" needs to be kicked in their god damn head a few times. IT NEVER WORKS AS THEY DESCRIBE IT.

[@BruceFindlay-kv5gr]

You have to remember Defense Sec McNamara wanted to fill the ranks with low iq soldiers so the directions were for the least able troop.

[@skwerlz]

Old angry person here, you guys are idiots. With that out of the way... I prefer ER5356 wire. It doesn't wet in quite as nicely and it's a little dirtier but it survives in a metal liner where the ER4043 you guys used is so soft that it requires a teflon liner. The metal liner lets me run stainless wire through the same spool gun without swapping components as well as flux core for those times you have to work in a breeze. Basically my MIG rig lets me weld just about anything, and it's even set up for dual gasses so my normal steel wire can run 75/25 and my spool gets 100% argon. Totally worth the investment if you don't have the money or space for a full second machine or the time to TIG.

[@funone8716]

HAHA Hey dude I agree. Boomer old guy welder here

[@carymartz8762]

Order a laser welder from China and fuse aluminum beautifully.

[@mightye342]

U's are a prime example why abortion should be legal.....!

[@LiftArcStudios]

wow, thats awesome, thank you so much for your generous support of our channel, not only monetarily, but with kind words of encouragement. Its because of generous donors like you that we are able to continue chasing our dream of becoming spokesmen for Logan Paul's new energy drink, PRIME. I mean have you tasted it? Its delicious, and low calorie!

[@jasoncousins1343]

U need a push pull gun