On 3/16/06, Chas. Schlismann <racegt6@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Mark Andy <mark@sccaprepared.com> wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> Related to this, for those of you that have been there and done that...
>
> Two questions.
>
> #1, can a spool gun be fitted to my Lincoln SP-175 plus suitcase mig?
>
> #2, will a spool gun weld acceptably for non-pretty / non-critical things
> like trailer cabinets, etc.? Do you need to use a different gas than the
> normal 75/25 Ar/CO2 (if I remember that correctly...)? How's the quality
> of the weld from AL MIG compare to AL TIG?
> Thanks!
> Mark
>
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>
>
> Howdy Mark,
> #2 First: Use straight Argon for Al. A little He doesn't hurt. Prep your Al
>by cleaning w/a stainless brush that is dedicated to aluminum to remove oils
>and oxide. I wipe w/a fast drying solvent and carefully brush off the
>oxidation on the Al. Don't use an agressive abrasive; you can see the aluminum
>oxide clean up. It is often suggested to preheat the aluminum, but I've done
>well skipping this step so long as the metal is approx. 70* F +.
>
> Yes, done right, aluminum mig can rival tig so far as quality. Practice and
>you'll also find bead appearance more than ok.
>
> Re #1: I don't know if a spool gun will fit up to your machine. A good
>welding supply shop may be be able to answer this question, but good luck.
>I've found that a lot of my Chicago area shops either have have welding
>engineers that know nothing but part numbers or old timers that have not kept
>up. Lincoln has a web site that supposedly will answer questions but I've
>never gotten a reply to my queries. Mebbe 'phone them.
>
I'd have thought that's a big enough machine for lincoln to offer a
spool for. In any event, third parties can do so. It's not a hugely
complicated mechanism.
I think HTP will sell you a spool gun that fits anything you've got.
--
David Scheidt
dmscheidt@gmail.com
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