Miller Spoolmate

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orion_134

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I'm looking to purchase a Spoolmate for my Miller MIG and I am wondering if there are other things to buy while I'm at it. So far, I know that I'll need the spoolgun, some wire (what size...no idea), anything else? Does aluminum require the same argon shielding gas? I'll be welding 1/8" sheets, if that helps.

Thanks guys,
Jesse
 
I'd get some tips and you will want to use pure argon or helium for shielding. Your local shop should be a good help.
 
.035" wire, about a dozen tips or more until you learn how to hold the gun. Might want a longer ground cable, sometimes I wish mine was longer. Ask for lessons if they have a machine setup to run the gun. Ten minutes with someone who already knows how to do it wrong will shorten your learning curve a lot. Miller's web site also has some good reading info.

Jamie
 
all of the above and make sure your welds are really clean aluminum is not as forgiving of poor weld prep as steel
#-o ask me how i know

i would spend the money on a die grinder and a surface prep kit that has scotchbrite pads on it i think there like $20 for the kit. then run that over every weld seam at least 3" on each side of your bead and wipe it down with accetone or paint thinner.

the more prep work you put into your weld the better it will look and the easier it is to make a good bead
any body can drag a mig gun over a seam (i figured it out). the pro's get paid the big bucks because they do the prep work right.

just my 2 cents
 
Just make sure who your taking advice from is a known welder of aluminum of many years.

Other wise your going to spend your money on useless stuff. [-X

Alot of welders think they know how to weld aluminum,(new material & on the bench),but few can weld old aluminum without problems. #-o
 
Well there crazyman2 some of us on here are very experienced welders. I don't know who your boss pays to get your tanks filled but I don't think I have any considerable cost difference if I choose helium or argon. Shoot I may have even sold your company the equipment you make your living on if you are in Michigan. I just did a pontoon job for a millwright about a week ago.
 
Old or new is not much difference but I use a tig. Just make sure both surfaces are clean and oil free. Use a ss wire brush to clean the metals. Practice practice!
 
linehand said:
Well there crazyman2 some of us on here are very experienced welders. I don't know who your boss pays to get your tanks filled but I don't think I have any considerable cost difference if I choose helium or argon. Shoot I may have even sold your company the equipment you make your living on if you are in Michigan. I just did a pontoon job for a millwright about a week ago.

hmm,,,linehhand, you need to upgrade :D

OH... fix the ceiling fan mount!

2481468070051565062S500x500Q85.jpg


2801841390051565062S500x500Q85.jpg
 
Thanks for the tips guys, I never thought of asking the welding shop to show me. This place is a welding supply joint, not sure that they even do any welding in-house:/
 
If they have sales and a service section then they should have demo machines. GTS does a customer appreciation lunch every summer with all the toys powered up. Eat a hot dog and melt some metal, good times.
 
Someone told me that I should get tips one to two sizes larger than the wire I'm using because the wire expands and sticks. Any truth to this?
 
If you have the wire too close to the work on startup or the heat too high you can get burnback and melt the wire into the tip. That's why I'm running .035" now. It's much more forgiving than .030" The tip is what transfers the current into the wire so I would run it size on size, I've never heard about running it one size over. Tips aren't overly expensive but buy an extra 10pk when you go to the store.

Jamie
 

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