What is needed to MIG Aluminum? (MTS200)

[posixPilot]

spool gun is the best , I have used my Lincoln mig welder to weld aluminum but is a pain since have to change hose liner for aluminum and use roller designed for aluminum.

I'm not sure what you need for a spool gun, but a couple of threads have mentioned that it's not an option for the MTS200. The manual said something about a special liner for aluminum, so I will have to check into that. Does anyone know what MIG torch comes with the MTS200? The web sites says "Genuine Trafimet???? MIG torch with Euro style quick connect", but there is not a Trafimet MIG torch manual on the Everlast manuals page.

I've watched that video a few times in the past couple of days .

Would the MTS200 be capable of spray transfer? According to this thread by Mark (http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...5955#post25955), it sounds like the MTS200 may not have enough power to spray.

Spray if you have the power.. When I get my new gun I will "try" it with the 205P. Oleg has one on the way.

Let us know how it works ....would I expect similar performance on the MTS200?


Thanks
Mike

[Brian Ski]

I'm not sure what you need for a spool gun, but a couple of threads have mentioned that it's not an option for the MTS200. The manual said something about a special liner for aluminum, so I will have to check into that.
Thanks
Mike

Never got to use a spool gun. I used the liner on my MIG welder. Pretty much a pain to switch over and the Alum welding never did pan out very well for me. It did get the job done. Just seemed to be a very fast mover. I also had problems with the alum wire swelling up in the MIG tip and getting stuck.

On the inside of the MIG hose where the wire feeds through looks like a coil spring. It looks like the casing of a throttle cable on a lawn mower. The Metal wire passes through it quite well. When you go to use Aluminum you use a Nylon liner that you slide inside the mig hose. Makes the wire feed smother and does not contaminate the alum wire with any steel flakes from the metal liner.

I had a cheaper MIG welder that said it could do Aluminum but it did not do it well and was a lot of trouble to switch it over. I am going to try TIG instead. I don't do much Alum just fixing what break, but want to learn.

[Rodsmachineshop]

spool gun welds aluminum great like it for doing aluminum plates or large aluminum tanks . my friend across from my shop makes large aluminum filtration tanks , he uses a large miller mig push pull machine works really nice . push pull is , machine pushes the wire and the torch gun has motor that pulls the wire also so wire comes out smooth and doesn't ball in liner. I had a clarke hotshot welder with a spool gun a few years ago , worked fairly well but the lead was way to short . gave it to my brother he still uses it . the spool gun was touchy on speed control and made sorta cheap but worked

[performance]

To do this without a spool gun you will need:

1) Teflon liner, aluminum tips (oversized standard tips to accomodate the "swell" of the Al when heated.)
2) Pure Argon
3) 5356 Al, a harder wire, for better feeding through the standard gun

Currently the 200mts does NOT have spool gun capability...it is designed to work synergically, and thus it must use the standard gun.

[Brian Ski]

To do this without a spool gun you will need:

1) Teflon liner, aluminum tips (oversized standard tips to accomodate the "swell" of the Al when heated.)
2) Pure Argon
3) 5356 Al, a harder wire, for better feeding through the standard gun

Well I used the liner and drilled out the tips larger... Did run straight Argon... Not sure what wire I was using. Maybe someday... Or use a TIG...

[Rodsmachineshop]

U-Groove Rollers here the kits everlast list http://www.everlastgenerators.com/Mi...Alloy-Kits.php and run tip one size bigger with aluminum so like with .030 wire you run a .035 tip