How Not To Weld Aluminum: Spool Gun Edition

[@garthland]

I run a touch of aluminum at work,all push-pull [similar to spool gun but more user friendly]. My 2 cents; too much gas flow (over 40 CFM)causes turbulence and introduces contaminants. Always end return or backstep your weld,never leaving your 'crater' at the end of your weld.4043 requires less volts to wet in than 5356. Run pulse if it's available. Great video!

[@marklugo6002]

The welding bible actually recommends 40 to 60 for aluminum.

[@Dopamine1245]

Them push pull systems are very nice to run, especially the double pulse mode if it has it, see them a lot in boat fabrication shops.

[@israelgroysman5040]

maybe you should check your gas reducer, the piston valve part i mean

[@OliverlifestyleJa]

Thanks for sharing the fundamentals about welding my friend, it was very interesting

[@miguelheras7371]

Great demo and explanation I have learn in this video a great deal hoping to improve my aluminum welding and minimize my grinding. THANKS I will be watching your videos more often in the near future

[@evanburton1271]

You’re wrong on electric current flow. Electrons travel from negative to positive. You explained DCEP wrong. The current is actually flowing from your work up to the electrode (wire) allowing it to penetrate the oxide layer of aluminum. The current is not flowing from your wire into the part.

[@flyback_driver]

This is correct. Although, I didn't know aluminum could be welded (well) on dc voltage alone. Most modern welders use a pulse of HFAC to break the oxide layer and then run DCEP. I'll have to look into that because welding aluminum might be possible with my welder after all.

[@Goldwing1500rider]

Thank you for sharing, I just purchased spool gun, mig/tig welder for hobby … I wanted try aluminum weld one day…. Been stick welder since youth. Started mig welding for year now… loved it.. now next try spooling… aluminum!! Honestly… I’m nervous bout it … I think gonna find it interesting 😆 Learned something here!! Thanks

[@LoBeau53]

Very good video. Basic understandable information and an interesting presentation style.

[@jimireland7299]

Took Stick welding in high school many decades ago, my granddaughter is an apprentice millwright and an artist so we split on a new Mig welder so she can practice at home, our first project will be to repair some broken aluminum tubing using a spool gun. Your advice is most appreciated, and very timely to boot! Thank you and the welding community, fun times ahead!

[@andyb7754]

Very informative and interesting video, thank you.

[@markdaigle9766]

super video will have watch it a couple of times to remember all tips/ gonna probably copy and print out, thanks

[@ypaulbrown]

fantastic Dustin, cheers, Paul 'Paulie' Brown

[@jpwipeout99]

Thank you this helped tremendously.

[@garygoudeau8346]

DCEP vs DCEN. First time I've heard this terminology. I've always heard polarity referenced as straight or reverse. Am I correct in thinking that DCEN is straight polarity and DCEP is reverse polarity? I've had a spool gun for many years. Haven't welded aluminum yet with it. Also I didn't realize flux core runs on DCEN. Really appreciate this video. It will help immensely.

[@jgren4048]

So what is the model of that 45 degree gooseneck , barrel? ? I cannot find any thing under that description

[@carpediemarts705]

So how are amps regulatee with a constant voltage power supply?

[@marklugo6002]

Wire speed regulates Amps.

[@carpediemarts705]

@@marklugo6002 second time I heard this. How?

[@marklugo6002]

@carpediemarts705 wire has ampacity, which losley defined is the current carrying capacity. Amps are demanded (drawn) and not supplied. Each wire diameter has a certain current carrying capacity per unch of wire delivered to the weld. The wire burns off (melts)as the current carrying capacity is exceeded. The burn off affects the ability of wire to draw the amperage through the arc gap... The faster the wire feeds, the more current can be delivered (drawn). It gets into a lot of physics and math, but that is a simplified laymens explanation. Read about Ohm's law etc.

[@johnlegere478]

Would have been nice to see method to eliminate crater

[@tommyobrien9480]

Fantastic video thanks for sharing 👍

[@k20Fritz]

so if my puddle pool is "flat" OR "river like" that means to hot?

[@morgansword]

My old body quit in 05 when I got my lower back crushed! That said, I did some kind of effort to fab stuff as a mechanic doing what we did. I never really had a hands on aluminum welding job nor even tools to do it with so just some questions from a seventy three year old man. I see the Chinese sell aluminum radiators and they are real close to fit as our own prices of radiators is so high, its driving away much of our business. When its a thousand dollar difference for the hobby kid, you know where he goes. I understand that they "aldolase" (some name of a chemical) they use to protect their products. So modifying something can not be done cause their metal is contaminated. "Can that stuff be removed"??

[@marklugo6002]

Some good points but several failures of information. Mig aluminum, unless for purely decorative applications, should be done in spray. Or pulsed spray. Unfortunately that never entered into the picture very much. The one pass he made where he turned it up was actially the closest to the proper weld he made. Short circuit should not be used to weld Aluminum. Every good, authoratative, text will tell you that. Short circuit looks good but will leave issues under bead. And he misstated how electrons and the arc flows. He understands a few things, enough to be dangerous. Soot can be caused by other issues and it's not always technique or gas flow.

[@bernardmauge8613]

yep I approve of this message. the crackling sound tells you you are in short arc. the woosh sound in spray When I weld aluminium I get a bit of both depending on my stick out. i always set the machine rite at the threshold between globular and spray (180A 26 V) on 10mm thick material.

[@drott150]

Hey title man: How not *TO* weld Aluminum.

[@Welddotcom]

How did I miss that? Thank you!

[@21gioni]

Why are you using a spool gun when a normal Mig gun can be used.?

[@marklugo6002]

Not usually with Miller. They dont push teflon liners or u groove drive rolls. They pretend that doesnt exist.

[@21gioni]

@@marklugo6002 I have converted hundreds of welding machines even installing Euro Connectors. The wire feeder is run on 12 V DC current. To install a Teflon or carbon fibre liner you need a special set of adapters plus an O ring. As for feed rolls with a U grove in some cases you require the type with its own bush and half moon key. Never let a manufacturer prevent you from making simple changes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHjLhKJuZ7KDb7c

[@marklugo6002]

@21gioni i am with you. I know exactly what can be done, but US companies pretend it can't be done so they can make more money on a spool gun.

[@21gioni]

@@marklugo6002 spool guns are too fidgety. Yet some people love them. I have a compact unimig and every welding machine basically runs in the same manner.

[@Dopamine1245]

@@21gionisome spool guns run like shit, I use a miller spool gun but it is not as good as the old profax aec-200 spool guns. Those ran great.