Thread: Going to give this a try

Hey guys

I'm going to try a spool gun welding aluminium running off a DC Arc Welder using a separate 24v laptop power supply to run the spool gun motor and a potentiometer to adjust the wire feed speed and the amp dial on the machine for amperage

any problems or questions?

after a huge neighbor dispute i decided to sell both my Mig/Spool gun and AC/DC TIG welders, neighbour threatened to steal our trail bikes from my shed

so i don't think anyone would want to steal a bunch of plastic and wires well hopefully not!

DC not really suitable to weld aluminium

Originally Posted by China

DC not really suitable to weld aluminium

It's done all the time, that's the main reason people run spool guns.

As for whether it will work, I expect it won't. An arc welder is a constant-current supply (you set the current) whereas a MIG welder is a constant-voltage supply (you set the volts), so it may not behave well at all. No harm it giving it a go though.

Originally Posted by RustyArc

It's done all the time, that's the main reason people run spool guns.

As for whether it will work, I expect it won't. An arc welder is a constant-current supply (you set the current) whereas a MIG welder is a constant-voltage supply (you set the volts), so it may not behave well at all. No harm it giving it a go though.

Ahh ok i thought the power coming out of the front terminals was DC power

i see spool guns are cheap on ebay now i may try to jerry rig something like the ReadyWelder2 and have a small inline tap at the gun to control argon on/off

Well I've learnt some thing new

Interested in the outcome here Gazza, keep us informed. There are a few videos on the web of people using ally spools without a gun.

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

Ahh ok i thought the power coming out of the front terminals was DC power

It is DC, but the voltage on those terminals is managed differently between an arc and a MIG welder.

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

after a huge neighbor dispute i decided to sell both my Mig/Spool gun and AC/DC TIG welders, neighbour threatened to steal our trail bikes from my shed !

OK, I'll bite - let's hear the story !

To have any chance of success, you will need good steady hands and a keen eye to preserve a constant arc length. Wire feed welding processes are possible off a constant current DC power source, but they utilise a voltage sensing wire feeder. These typically set you back more than the average basic mig welder. The voltage sensing ability allows them to regulate wire speed to compensate for the inevitable wobbles we all get while welding and breathing etc. Your proposed setup won't have that, so you will need to brace and be extra steady.
The results most probably won't be pretty, but they may be serviceable. Perhaps.

There is one way to make your spool gun 'voltage sensing': drive it off the welding power source! You may need to use a PWM speed controller rated at the power of your motor, but onve set, it will vary the feed speed according to your 'wobbles' (voltage changes).
My very cheap gasless transformer AC Mig welder does just that! IT has a rectified (since its drive motor is DC and a PWM regulator) to se the speed. It works surprisingly well.....
I'm interested in hearing your results!

I was going to jerry rig the spool gun to a cheap MIG welder from Ebay or Gumtree but i have change of plans now going to make a 3 phase generator and find some older machinery

i figured i can keep wasting my money and time on Chinese welders or make the converter and buy some older model quality gear like CIGWeld or WIA bigger machines 250-350A plus i will be able to run 3 phase lathes and other tools

the neighbour was a old friend who turned feral threatening my my nephew and saying he was going to steal our motor bikes, my 4 wheel drive and anything else i had and he was using a large motorcycle gang or group as i call them to help him out

my shed was later broken into my door was ripped off the hinges but nothing taking, lucky for me i had sold anything worth money in the shed before this happen other than my motor bike which has an alarm on it

we suspect this old friend has stolen one of our other motor bikes 2 years ago from our driveway and just 3 months ago he stole the person next door to his houses motor bike also, all these bikes are big motocross or road trail motorcycles so highly desirable to criminals

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

i figured i can keep wasting my money and time on Chinese welders or make the converter and buy some older model quality gear like CIGWeld or WIA bigger machines 250-350A plus i will be able to run 3 phase lathes and other tools

Gazza,
That's no good with the crime problems, but I think you're on the right track in buying an existing system. Prototypes and experimentation end up costing money.
Not sure about the generator idea though - fuel will always cost more than electricity and you will be buying 2 machines (generator + welder) instead of one good welder. Do you need 3 phase really? you can get a lot done with 240V. Do you need to be mobile? think about exhaust and noise and how likely your neighbours are likely to call the council when you start welding after hours.
Cheers
- Mick

Originally Posted by WelderMick

Gazza,
That's no good with the crime problems, but I think you're on the right track in buying an existing system. Prototypes and experimentation end up costing money.
Not sure about the generator idea though - fuel will always cost more than electricity and you will be buying 2 machines (generator + welder) instead of one good welder. Do you need 3 phase really? you can get a lot done with 240V. Do you need to be mobile? think about exhaust and noise and how likely your neighbours are likely to call the council when you start welding after hours.
Cheers
- Mick

Hey Mick, the most expensive part of the 3 phase generator has been purchased that was a 10hp induction motor at $120 it was a bargain the generator should only cost a few hundred dollars

the 3 phase induction motor turned into a generator will be powered with a electric motor hopefully to keep it whisper quiet but if need be i will power it with a petrol motor if i need more horse power

i looked at some of the older industrial machines and on the charts inside of the welders they said the machines can handle 1.6mm aluminium, i have a big job on hand a 4.3 meter aluminium boat that needs a new keel so i plan on welding in a new keel that is around 4 meters long

this is an old boat that if i use a 240v MIG and spool gun i might blow holes in it as they can only weld 3mm+ material this boat looks to be 1.5-2mm thickness so the 3 phase welders will come in handy

This is the project salvage haha

the keel is timber covered with a molded aluminium cap than its riveted to the hull, i plan on removing the whole keel and replacing it with angle aluminium 80x80x6mm than weld it the full length on both sides

1 week ago i purchased a wet sand blaster to remove all the paint too

Some may already know from my other thread, i didn't end up with a industrial MIG which i would have loved and there is still time to find one..

i ended up in a weird twist buying a old CIGweld Tradesman Transarc welder 230amp machine so that is the bonus i now have a industrial sized welder so it should be quality over the Chinese welders

and in that twist the seller mentioned he had a AC HF box so i nabbed that too

the HF box is 240v and the welder was wired for 415v single phase (3 wires) but convertible to 240v single phase so there lies the best deal, an industrial welder on single phase i was looking for and a quality brand

now I'm not sure if i posted this link but this is the only process i can find anywhere on the internet on how to replace the keel on a alloy boat

here is the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvVoheTe0mw

now for the question, the hull is 1.5mm possibly 2mm max in thickness and the new keel will be 6mm thick how do i go about welding thick to thin without blowing holes?

with this welder i don't have the 8-10 dials as i did on my AC/DC TIG so i only have AMP's and frequency (no foot peddle) so i should be able to dial it in well