Quick question on welding aluminum..
Quick question on welding aluminum.. Well, I've started a turbo build and realized I can save a little money if I go with aluminum on the cold side tubing. Simple question.. All I have is a MIG welder but currently can't find gas for it. Basically a Flux. Is there any way possible that I can just tack the aluminum with my welder? There is a guy out the road who uses TIG but I'm afraid if I don't get it to him in one piece, it won't be right.
Spool guns will cost more than you think
Make the joint tight, mark alignment strikes with a sharpie and have your friend tack it. Refit and continue
Alternatively, use duct tape wrapped tightly. Have him cut small windows at the joint and tack, refit and continue
Probably be worthwhile to make a day of it and drag the car over. You fit the parts and he weld
Make the joint tight, mark alignment strikes with a sharpie and have your friend tack it. Refit and continue
Alternatively, use duct tape wrapped tightly. Have him cut small windows at the joint and tack, refit and continue
Probably be worthwhile to make a day of it and drag the car over. You fit the parts and he weld
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 4
OP ,what welder do you have ?you can weld aluminum with out a spool gun .you need a clean liner ,not contaminated with any thing .you need argon and a small 1 lb spool of aluminum wire ,they cost $13-19 .you will probably need 150+ amp welder .check out chucke2009 on U-tube ,he did a good vid on welding with out a spool gun .
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 128
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From: Surprise, AZ
Spool guns will cost more than you think
Make the joint tight, mark alignment strikes with a sharpie and have your friend tack it. Refit and continue
Alternatively, use duct tape wrapped tightly. Have him cut small windows at the joint and tack, refit and continue
Probably be worthwhile to make a day of it and drag the car over. You fit the parts and he weld
Make the joint tight, mark alignment strikes with a sharpie and have your friend tack it. Refit and continue
Alternatively, use duct tape wrapped tightly. Have him cut small windows at the joint and tack, refit and continue
Probably be worthwhile to make a day of it and drag the car over. You fit the parts and he weld
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 4
you can get a spool gun for $200 for some horbart welders .most welders need a wiring conversion to work with a spool gun ,a guy on U-tube sells them .you can weld aluminum ,you should install a Teflon liner in the whip .
Last edited by garygnu; Feb 20, 2014 at 08:58 PM.
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Verdad Gallardo Swapping liners will lead to a lot of frustration. Think standard copper wire gets caught a lot when the lead isn't dead strait? Aluminum is 10x worse and you can't simply straiten out the lead. The feed wheels grind away on the wire, you you must pull it out and feed fresh up the lead each time
I've been mig welding aluminum for the last 3 years. Spool gun or don't bother. IMHO, you should skip doing any sort of welding and let your friend handle all that. It doesn't make sense to invest in the welder add-ons for such a small project. Plus, mig'ing alum has an extremely limited use for automotive projects. I'd splurge for a tig machine if you're dead set on a multi material rig to use on car projects
A decent spool with box will run $500-2k
Add a bottle of argon at $280
Plus you need to learn how to weld again. Mig on steel is a lot more forgiving than alum
I've been mig welding aluminum for the last 3 years. Spool gun or don't bother. IMHO, you should skip doing any sort of welding and let your friend handle all that. It doesn't make sense to invest in the welder add-ons for such a small project. Plus, mig'ing alum has an extremely limited use for automotive projects. I'd splurge for a tig machine if you're dead set on a multi material rig to use on car projects
A decent spool with box will run $500-2k
Add a bottle of argon at $280
Plus you need to learn how to weld again. Mig on steel is a lot more forgiving than alum
