Re: Can Aluminum be welded using a DC SMAW ?

Jul 01, 2003 3 Replies
J



>Oh I forgot to mention that you could go the other route.
>
>Buy the Maxstar 150 TIG/Stick machine, and use it to run a Readywelder
>spoolgun for aluminum.
>
>
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>I run one off of my Maxstar 200DX, and it works great for MIG welding >steel or aluminum.
>
>For steel you would need a small bottle of C25 and for aluminum a small >bottle of Argon.

Thanks Ernie. The Ready Welder completely slipped my mind since I was planning on a CC Tig/Stic machine, but after looking at the specs it can accommodate both CV and CC. This appears to be the perfect solution for me. I wont even need the Tig/Stick for now. I will hook it up to my 200 Amp Air Products (Type RCHS ??) MIG. The reason I wanted the Tig/Stick was because I don't have the wire feeder working yet for the MIG. I have a Planetics wire feeder I intend for the MIG but it needs some modifications before I can hook it up to the power source. I'll use the Ready Welder with the MIG until I get the wire feeder working. Then I'll look into getting a nice TIG with all the knobs and switches I can afford. Thanks again for your input.


-Joe


oh, one more question. It does not seem that the Ready Welder will switch on and off the contactor in the MIG power source. Will I need to make an on off switch for this ?

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D

Joseph, your welder may be a little light for welding aluminum. Thickness ? you can weld aluminum with a tig in the dc straight mode. the gas mix is critical mix: argon 5-8% Helium 92-95%. the helium ala hotter arc the argon smoothes the arc and gives it stability. the tungsten should be rather large w/ 160 amps. i'd say 3/32' grind to a long sharp point. this process is extremely fast and will take some practice. refer: to the american society of metals, welding handbook.

d baltimore md

ps yes you can stick weld alum> Hello,

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K

AC for AL, only way to do it..... at least that's my experience trying both dc and ac on AL.

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E

I was just running aluminum stick electrode at school tonight. We have a couple of old boxes of Allstate Smoothcote 1/8" Aluminum rods and thought I would play with them.

Everything I had heard and seen of aluminum stick welds was ghastly, but after playing with them for a few hours I can say that if pushed I could use them to do some aluminum welding.

Technique and weld prep are critical though.

They still qualify as only a last resort welding method for aluminum.

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