No, you need AC with high frequency.

 

Without a high frequency box I don't see how you could TIG aluminum on AC. It's possible to TIG aluminum with DC (I've only read about it) but I'm not even sure you could manage tacks on something like fuel cell panels.

 

It's possible to TIG aluminum with DC (I've only read about it)

Doing DC TIG requires pure helium gas. Argon won't get it done.

 

If only tacking load the aluminum in the machine and see if it won't mig some tacks if the liner size is adequate and you have tips for it or drill out the ones you have to fit the aluminum.

May be able to get tacks out of it. Use straight argon.

 

LOL. What an idiot. See my comment from 2 days ago and the read the comment section of that video for proof.

I’m talking about the guy in the video, not you OP.

And danielplace has it right, just go buy a roll of aluminum wire and run in your machine. It’ll be less complicated and you’ll almost assuredly get better results than cobbling some mess together like was done in the video.

You didn’t mention what grade or thickness you’re planning on using, but I’d recommended trying ER5356 first, as it’s a stiffer wire and more likely to feed without birdnesting with a standard MIG liner. Keep your lead and gun as straight as possible, as that’ll further reduce the chances of birdnesting. You might also have to loosen your drive rollers a bit. Clean the spots your going to tack very well, as you’ll be running DCEP and won’t have any cleaning action like you would with an AC TIG machine. Turn the gas up and keep a pretty long stick out, longer than you do for steel.

FWIW TIG welding requires a Constant Current power source, a MIG machine is Constant Voltage, unless it’s a Multi-Process machine like in the video. Fronius is a legitimate top of the line machine to begin with, and on the model he’s using you’re able to set Voltage, Current and Wire Speed independently, where as most machines hobbyist use only have 4-6 taps to set current and voltage is adjusted concurrently with wire speed, it’s all baked in, and all of which he failed to mention.

In short, can it be done? With steel, yes. But then you can also melt two pieces of metal together with a stick lead and a couple of batteries, but certainly not the best method. It’ll be easier and possibly cheaper to buy a roll of aluminum wire and run in your machine, and you’ll most likely have better results. And you won’t need AC, aluminum can be welded, correctly, with MIG on DCEP.

 

LOL. What an idiot. See my comment from 2 days ago and the read the comment section of that video for proof.

I’m talking about the guy in the video, not you OP.

After about 60 seconds and seeing the guy's hair... I was out.

 

Makes about as much sense as putting a snow plow on a 55 Chevy sedan.
What a maroon.

 

Ummmmm.... just sayin' :laugh:

I know.... it's a 57'

 

Ummmmm.... just sayin' :laugh:

View attachment 1722256

View attachment 1722257

I know.... it's a 57'

Those are cool,
This is like trying to tig weld with a mig welder:dizzy:,
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...824908245289&mid=11552228DD37853360BC11552228DD37853360BC&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...3189&ck=80F914F7DC54E3AD1C51F4030BBFC955&selectedIndex=4&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0

 

If your going to have somebody else weld it, just use clamps, and painters masking tape together to fit it up. You might just create more work for the hired welder trying to grind back your tack welds, and any contamination. Take the aluminum scraps from the project and practice with your machine on something non-critical like a hanger for grinders, or air hoses, maybe a tool tote. With a little bit of practice you can make some decent aluminum mig welds, but a fuel cell wouldn't be a good beginner project.

My Snap On mig welder lists attachments for specially adapted tig torch that runs of the 4 bottom heat settings for joining steel. It expressly says it won't do Aluminum.

The guy on the video has other ones where he uses his tig torch as an electrode holder(stimger) to stick weld. He does a lot of oddball stuff like that , I guess you might call them welding hacks.

What machine do you have, or plan to use for this project ?
Maybe post up pic's

Good luck with your project
HTH

 

I will be just clamping and taping it, priced out a argon tank and liner/roll of wire and not worth the expenses for just a few tack welds. Thanks for the input someday ill try to save for an actual tig welder haha

 

& a Myers no less!

No way I'd put a Myers on a Chevy sedan from the mid 50s. It'd HAVE to be a Fisher!


I drive past garage doors painted each panel a different color. I see stone walls each rock a different color. I can't help thinking "Yup, retired too early."

If you have that skill, that much money, build something functional.

 

Ok.... Is this better

 

If that's got a Hemi in it, that would be my dream car.... might not keep the blade on it though, Hemi already makes it front heavy...

 

For $40 on Ebay you can get a 9,17 or 26 series tig torch. If you really need to DC tig with your mig unit here is what we used to do before the DC little tig welders came out. Get your torch, screw it into a 105Z57 adaptor on one end and gas hose on the other goes to regulator. Make a 1' #4 cable with lug on both ends. One end bolts to the ring eye of the 105Z57 and the other to the negative side on the welder. ( can use Dinse too ) Make a short jumper to jump the torch trigger switch. This will close the contactor. Turn wire speed to 0. You are ready to scratch start tig with the mig machine. Much less cumbersome that trying to do the mig gun thing. Or for $100 you can buy a lift start little inverter.

 

 

Yes I have tried it. Slag covers the pool. I had to plunge the filler through the 2400 degree F slag to get to the 1200 degree liquid. It sort of works. AC works better, Square wave AC works better still.

 

The guy in the video is Justin from TFS, very experienced tig welder, and this video is something like an experiment, not an actual solution to get the job done.
There are some problems that may occur if you want to weld aluminum.
1. Scratch start and AC don't go very well together.
2.MIG gun is way too heavy to keep it stabile enough so you can do even a tack weld.
3.There is no down slope, so you will definitely get fisheye/crater on every single tack (and it will crack).
4. You can weld aluminum on DC using helium, but you should deal with thicker base metal, otherwise you'll blow a big hole.
5. If you haven't welded aluminum with 18 water cooled torch (the heaviest), and if you don't know how to weld aluminum on DC using helium, don't even consider this method. My advise is don't consider it at all. Try to find, or borrow oxy-acetylene, and I'm sure you'll do a better job on tracking those parts.
Best regards.

 

He might be an experienced welder on certain processes, but I don’t think very experienced is an accurate description or that he’s anywhere near as experienced as he thinks he is. He out of his wheelhouse on this one for sure. In the comment section someone pointed out that he was using a multi-process machine and could have been using CC instead of CV, to which he replied “Make’s absolutely no difference.......”. Any welder that doesn’t know the difference between the two is either self taught or has only used certain processes, and is unfamiliar with the basic differences between the two.

As far as it being only for an experiment, you wouldn’t know that from the video, his comments, or the other comments on the video. There are multiple examples of people saying everything from this guys Einstein to they’re converting their MIGs, ,going to use this on aluminum, one guy even said he ordered a TIG torch and foot pedal for his MIG welder. And just like that, hundreds of 115V MIGs cried out in agony. Thankfully OP was smart enough to seek advice before modifying his.

I’m not being uncharitable or saying the guy isn’t a competent welder on a process or two, but he’s out of his depth here and failing at Weld 101, not only that he’s encouraging others to follow suit, like OP of this thread. Cobbling together some mess for those sweet clicks or views and convincing others to follow suit and cobble their stuff together when the machine they have is already capable of not only the process he showed, but on processes like aluminum he didn’t show, where their machine would work unaltered and not work altered, is bad form.

Ever notice everyone and their brother these days are Master Mechanics. Master Fabricators, Master Welders? The same sort of folks that fall for that BS on YouTube and TV shows are the same types that are going to hack their machines into either something totally unusable or botched at best on this guys advice, I just find that unpalatable.

 

I lusted for "Heliarc". As a child GE was secret, a guarded factory. I never knew why. They made components for jet engines. Half the workers in the area worked there. Few knew what they were making. My neighbor ran a hot shear. He cut precisely measured gobs of titanium. Didn't have a question what they were used for.

At this factory no one was allowed in, certainly no one was allowed to ask questions.

Nonetheless, information leaked. I knew of Heliarc Welding. I knew they could restore aluminum to new. They could fabricate aluminum from geometric stock.

I was obsessed!

By the time this information was available to me, there was no helium to be had. Now, helium is a little used element. Now it's argon. Yes, I've tried helium. I'll compare it to cocaine for welders. WOW!!!