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15 a welding thin aluminum

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:24 am
by Rods Fab
Newbie to the forum here. Here is my first of many dumb questions.
I have a job I am bidding on that will require me to weld 1x1x 1/8 wall tubing to 1 1/2 angle 1/8 wall .there is going to be ALOT of joints to be welded. I have a 15a spool gun with .035 4043 wire on it but Iam having trouble with it blowing through. Is the material thickness too thin for this setup? Operator error? Where should I start at in solving my problem?
Thank you for the help

Re: 15 a welding thin aluminum

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:27 pm
by delraydella
You should be okay with 1/8th inch wall tubing and that size wire...... but your settings have to be just about dead nuts on to not blow through on something that thin.Try lowering the wire speed a little bit at a time until you get a good weld and don't blow through. Wire speed = amperage on mig, the faster (higher) the speed = the higher the amperage. Lower the voltage a little less every time you dial down the speed. You could also try a backer bar of thick steel or copper to act as a heat sink under the weld. This will sometimes help prevent blowout.

It will be a combination of wire speed and the speed you move the gun, and it will take quite a bit of practice and a lot of scrap pieces to get it right.

Re: 15 a welding thin aluminum

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:49 pm
by Rods Fab
Thank you I will try that. Sounds like a good plan!