weigh in on welding equipment - thinking of a spool gun

gears · Apr 9, 2022

Ok, rather than posting on the Tool forum I was hoping to get more opinions/experiences.

I have 2 Lincoln welders - 225AC buzz box and an SP175 Mig. I can and have been welding steel for the past 25+ years. I would like to be able to weld Aluminum now....

I was looking at the PowerMig210 which appears to be a nice multi-purpose machine but it would set me back about 2k. I already have a stick welder, I like my MIG and the fact that there's no computer controls, bootup or fancy display. I just want to be able to weld aluminum when needed (intake manifolds, cast tractor parts etc.).

Do I need TIG?

Doesn't a $350 spool gun (Lincoln Magnum Pro 100SG) make more sense?

Been watching reviews etc. on the u-tube and it looks like the SG would do what I want.

Anyone have any experience?

Thanks in advance

unc · Apr 9, 2022

My choice for aluminum repair work would be TIG. Aluminum MIG is tricky, persnickety, and down right annoying. A spool gun can work well for new, well fitted material, but the TIG will out perform it for repair work. TIG lets you start and develope a clean puddle before adding filler material. With the spool gun, aluminum is piling up, even before a clean puddle is formed. Just my thoughts, YMMV. unc

farmer656 · Apr 9, 2022

UNC is correct , I have a lincoln 180 with a spool gun I use alot, they are very fussy, heat and wire speed are tricky to set,
but I am welding new aluminum also, aluminum needs to be very clean to weld, I have used acid and a stainless steel brush to
clean still wants to splatter on dirty aluminum

VicS · Apr 9, 2022

My Son has a Miller matic 200 amp mig
welder he has 2 bottles of gas. We weld
steel with out the spool gun. Just a 40ft.
Extension cord. But have a spool gun for
aluminum. He bought it at a sale for $300
they said had never worked. Somehow the
wrong gas was in the bottle. Took us about
a year to finally try another bottle.

VicS · Apr 9, 2022

My Son has a Miller matic 200 amp mig
welder he has 2 bottles of gas. We weld
steel with out the spool gun. Just a 40ft.
Extension cord. But have a spool gun for
aluminum. He bought it at a sale for $300
they said had never worked. Somehow the
wrong gas was in the bottle. Took us about
a year to finally try another bottle.

DoubleO7 · Apr 9, 2022

(quoted from post at 20:35:15 04/09/22) My Son has a Miller matic 200 amp mig
welder he has 2 bottles of gas. We weld
steel with out the spool gun. Just a 40ft.
Extension cord. But have a spool gun for
aluminum. He bought it at a sale for $300
they said had never worked. Somehow the
wrong gas was in the bottle. Took us about
a year to finally try another bottle.

Wow, that is a huge amount of good fortune no matter how old it is.

I too have a MM200 but I do not weld aluminum with a spoolgun.
I use a shorter then stock gun assembly with teflon liner. The gun itself has a virtually straight barrel. Use 100% argon.
Keep the gun cable as straight as possible.

This post was edited by DoubleO7 on 04/09/2022 at 05:45 pm.

Steve@Advance · Apr 9, 2022

Place I used to work, I bought a Miller MIG. Bought it new from a welding
supply, paid way too much, and was not happy with it.

It would weld, but not a pretty weld. It was splattered and black, alwayd had
to be ground down to get to good metal. It was also very prone to the wire
kinking where it pushed into the liner.

I would recommend you try your hand at a TIG before buying a MIG. A world of
difference!

Bob Bancroft · Apr 9, 2022

Several years ago we lengthened my aluminum truck box. The young fellow who did the welding had a spool gun. I don't remember
what kind. We powered it with my Lincoln AC/DC 'tombstone' welder. Worked fine.

Stubborn Dutchman · Apr 9, 2022

I own a lincoln sp170. i purchased a pair of aluminum flotation pods to weld onto the transom of my jon boat. A friend who is a frabricator
went online and identified a conversion kit (not spool gun) for my welder that included the liner, guide tubes, and a roll of wire. I bought
a small tank of gas and he was able to weld the pods to the boat with no problem. It did take him a minute to adjust the roller tension tho.

Afterwords i was able to weld up some 1/4 angle and got good penetration with this set up. I did preheat the angle tho. with proper tension
and avoiding tight bends in the cable, this set up works fine for me. I hope this helps.

Don KE8TSH

stevieb49829 · Apr 9, 2022

Nothing will weld dirty aluminum, at least IMHO. Scratch it down to clean and bare with a dedicated SS wire brush, weld it as soon as you get it clean. The MIG can work, but does not do well without a Teflon liner in the gun, and not 4000 series wire (it's too soft) and birds-nests easily. As others have said, keep the gun lead as straight as possible, and use only Argon. I built an 18' aluminum runabout boat out of 1/8 plate, a bunch of extrusions and my Lincoln SP 170T. It was patterned after a Weldcraft Renegade.

I envy Jon's spool gun work on his son's flatbed!! If only................ steve

jon f mn · Apr 9, 2022

I just built this bed with my Miller
Vintage and spool gun. The vintage is the
same as the old 200, just with a new
cover. Spool guns work well for
fabricating and welding that type
material.

Spool guns work well for fabricating and
welding that type material. For cast
aluminum I mostly use tig. The most
important part of welding aluminum is
having enough power. It takes 50-100% more
amps to weld aluminum compared to the same
material in steel. I have a Lincoln Square
wave 255 for tig and frequently use all it
has. But I did have a smaller 175 that
worked ok for small stuff once I got the
water cooled torch.

Keith Molden · Apr 10, 2022

You know, you can weld aluminum with stick aluminum rod. It's a little tricky but it was done for years <before TIG was ever developed. About any welding supply should carry them.

Keith Molden · Apr 10, 2022

You know, you can weld aluminum with stick aluminum rod. It's a little tricky but it was done for years
before TIG was ever developed. About any welding supply should carry them.

gears · Apr 10, 2022

Thanks for all the input guys. I dont have a project in mind, just thinking of treating myself to a new/upgraded tool. I didnt realize you could stick weld Aluminum.... Would the 225ac buzz box be up to that? I guess the next trip to the welding supply house to refill the Co75 tank I will pick up some of those rods to tryout.

I will also be on the lookout for someone nearby who would let me have a go at their spoolgun rig.... anyone near Akron Oh?

weigh in on welding equipment - thinking of a spool gun

gears

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unc

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farmer656

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VicS

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VicS

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DoubleO7

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Steve@Advance

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Bob Bancroft

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Stubborn Dutchman

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stevieb49829

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jon f mn

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Keith Molden

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Keith Molden

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gears

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