This is a solution to the pesky problem when welding with aluminum wire of the tip wanting to weld itself to the end of the tip, This will virtually eliminate that problem.



Cut away half of the tip approxiametly 1/8 inch back from the end as shown. This picture is of my spoolmate tip.

gone

??

Is there a particular explanation for why this works? I only used a mig with Al wire once and promptly screwed up everything. Does that help any with steel wire?

have no idea why it works, but it does.

don't know if it works with steel wire or not, never tried it.

Outstanding idea! I think it works because the wire doesn't weld itself to the end but has a place to break away.

I bet the only reason they are not made that way is beacuse they wouldn't sell as many tips

Id like to ressurect this old thread......

.....Im about to start mig welding some aluminum,spool guns arent that common in the UK so I will be using my 200 amp MIG through the regular torch.Since the picture from the OP has long gone,can anyone describe this theory to me?

Sounds like 1/2 of the diameter is removed about 1/8" back forming a step.

I never had that problem, then again I was spray arcing .0625" alum. I had to be careful on one job not to blow through the 5/8" thick top plate. Make sure that you have a good teflon liner for the wire to pass through, keep the liner as straight as possible to avoid any extra friction (no loops, or sharp bends, and a good clean tip.

If you haven't heard of spray arc, it is where there is enough arc density to carry the molten metal to the puddle without the wire touching the part. You basically crank the heat up, and start cutting the wire speed down till it is literally just humming along. The wire is melted about halfway to the part, and there is very little if any splatter. It is actually a nice way to mig weld aluminum.

Sounds like 1/2 of the diameter is removed about 1/8" back forming a step.

I never had that problem, then again I was spray arcing .0625" alum. I had to be careful on one job not to blow through the 5/8" thick top plate. Make sure that you have a good teflon liner for the wire to pass through, keep the liner as straight as possible to avoid any extra friction (no loops, or sharp bends, and a good clean tip.

If you haven't heard of spray arc, it is where there is enough arc density to carry the molten metal to the puddle without the wire touching the part. You basically crank the heat up, and start cutting the wire speed down till it is literally just humming along. The wire is melted about halfway to the part, and there is very little if any splatter. It is actually a nice way to mig weld aluminum.

If you want a full penetration,X-ray quality weld with no chance of cold lap and don`t have a pulse unit then it`s about the only way to weld aluminum.
Most of the aluminum we welded had to be pre-heated and once the pre-heat was where it needed to be things jumped up to spray transfer mode.

Want a real treat?Try welding heavy cross section steel in spray transfer with an air cooled torch.That will test your ability to withstand heat.Your equipment`s ability too.

This is a solution to the pesky problem when welding with aluminum wire of the tip wanting to weld itself to the end of the tip, This will virtually eliminate that problem.





Cut away half of the tip approxiametly 1/8 inch back from the end as shown. This picture is of my spoolmate tip.

Most major welding manufactors of mig guns have nozzle lengths that vary for all the mig guns they make. From 1/8" extended, flush and 1/8" recessed. Tweco's have a 3 postion cup you move back and forth. So you do not have to cut the tip. You are right on though when mig welding aluminum and high amperage mig and flux core welding you should use a 1/8" recessed If you have a machine that has post flow it also helps with keeping the tip cool.

In addition to the info above, a pistol grip gun, with no goose neck will help feed the soft aluminum wire. I would not hesitate to try Junior's solution of cutting half of the first 1/8" of the tip away, especialy when NOT usuing a spool-on gun. I am pretty sure I have since seen this mod on factory tips somewhere.

I have used on of those spool guns a lot.. . on a good day it was a pain .. on a bad day... I went and did other things ... but if you grind the tip flat that seemed to help, and running a lot of gas and slightly higher wire speed to keep the arc away from the tip!! helped a lot... my biggest issue was the wire popping on the initial arc, if you have the gun far enough away that the wire doesn't fuse to the tip, holding a good arc is relatively easy... good luck... aluminium welding will test your patience.. oh and if you need to run another bead over one already laid, brush the black soot off first, it will make your life better...

is this the same thing?
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/articles/index?page=articles10.html
Phil

is this the same thing?
http://www.millerwelds.com/resources/articles/index?page=articles10.html
Phil

Don't think so Phil. Have seem a few cut down ones. Seemed like they clamped the tip in a vise and milled 1/8
back and 1/8 down. Used to do alum spool gun welding with an old Arco gun get the heat, gas right and set the wire feed and pressure to give ya a curley pig tail.
Ken.