Welding

[kawdude]

Is there anyway to weld aluminum without a TIG.  Seems like I read somewhere that it could be done with Oxy/acet rig.  Anyone know?

[Paul]

Isn't heliarc aluminum welding with a stick?

[kawdude]

I've heard that term but have no idea what that means.  I'm clueless on this subject.  I got stick welder, torch and MIG but thinking about buying a cheap tig if I can't get the job done with the other 3.

[mikesmith]

To make a strong clean weld you need a TIG welder,and when it comes to aluminum the more you pay for one the better,get a miller.My 2 cents.

[Rick]

If it's not high structure stress, you can use a MIG.  You can either spool up aluminum wire or purchase a spool gun and run argon as your shielding gas.  Works well on heavier material, but takes practice on light material.  However, TIG is always best for high stress applications.  

As a note, I do not have a TIG, and have only had one application where a MIG was not up to the task.  Paid a few bucks and had someone else TIG weld the part.

Rick

[kawdude]

I read somewhere that you must use the spool gun.  The aluminum cannot be pushed thru the hose.  Has anyone tried this?

[mikesmith]

Theres a liner you get to make the wire feed through easier and you have to keep the cable flat or itll kink the wire.Not the best set up,but it works.A spool gun allows you to have more freedom in your welding positions,but is heavy and a little harder to hold/control.