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welding 16ga alum tubes!


Mattsv8

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Anyone welded alum tubbibg for intercoolers with mig and alum wire. i have to get the alum tubes welded i have 10 beeds to run arround 3.5" alum pipe. or find someone who can have it done within a few days of me droping it off. this will be the last thing standing in my way of the track rental on the 23rd! if the mig works do i just get alum wire and keep the same gas just turn the heat to min setting and set it to stich weld! thanks
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I have a Millermatic 251 MIG and it requires a spool gun that actually holds the aluminum wire and 100% argon. I don't know about your machine, but it will at least need a kit from the manufacturer for aluminum with a non-metallic liner, different guides and tips. Of course you'll 100% argon.

 

I would drop it off to someone with a TIG.

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I have read not to even try it unless you have a quality spool gun- I have heard snapon makes/sells a nice one- and something that thin is going to be tough with a mig unless you are really good and have a lot of extra material to practice on...

 

Do you know what alloy of aluminum is the piping? I have graduated from training at Lincoln Electric in Tig welding and have a quality ac/dc inverter machine and have some 4043 filler but only currently have 3/32 which is too thick for that stock (I would have to check my literature but I am pretty sure that would be the correct rod for the majority of aluminum pipe over the also popular 5056) ...

 

I hope to be up and running by June or July hopefully to help people out- in the meantime I would contact Rob LaSota (RL) on here- he does a good job and may even be able to get you the hook up on that spool gun as he is a snap-on dealer as well...

Edited by hpfiend
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If your looking to ever buy a tig I have a lincoln precision tig 225 cart with some rod and tungsten with only maybe 3 hours on it for sale for 2000, not trying to start a for sale thread but depeneding how much the spool gun and everything is you might just be able to buy a smaller tig off of craigslist and be able to do everything you need in the future
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