How to choose Aluminum Welding Wire

Author: admin / 2023-06-08

In addition to having a quality welding machine, you'll need the right MIG (GMAW) welding wire for your job. Most all-in-one MIG welders will do the trick for general aluminum welding, but it's also a good idea to complement your machine with a spool gun for better results on larger jobs or on thicker material. A spool gun, like the Millermatic(tm) 100 or Spoolmatic(tm) series, puts a 4-inch (1-pound) spool of aluminum wire on your gun and eliminates the problems associated with pushing soft aluminum wire 10 or 15 feet through your drive rolls. This will prevent the wire from tangling up in the drive roll and pulling through your contact tip to cause an "artificial" weld known as birdnesting.

You'll also want to choose an appropriate aluminum welding electrode and connect a canister of pure argon gas for shielding. You'll find a wide variety of aluminum MIG welding electrodes from different manufacturers, but ER 4043 and ER 5356 are ideal for most jobs. These two alloy types will work with most aluminum base metals, including 5000-series and 5086.

When welding aluminum, you need to use a relatively low current setting. Higher amperages can produce excessive spatter and create burn holes in the weld puddle. In addition, you'll need to tilt the nozzle approximately 10-15 degrees away from the base metal you're working on. This will allow the arc to push a bead of molten aluminum ahead of it and help avoid warping or distortion as the weld cools.

Another challenge when welding aluminum is that this soft metal conducts heat quickly, so you'll have a narrow window of temperature workability to keep from burning through the puddle or causing pores in the weld. The resulting pores can lead to joint failure and rust.

To prevent this, you should clean the surfaces you're going to weld before starting your welding job. Use a stainless steel brush designed for aluminum to remove any existing oxidation from the surface. Then rinse the aluminum and dry it thoroughly to prevent any moisture from contaminating the weld area. If you're planning to store the aluminum for a few days, cover it with plastic to keep dirt and grit out.

ER5356 Aluminum Welding Wire
5356 is about 5% Magnesium Aluminum filler metal which has high strength, high corrosion resistance and matches the color well with the parent metal after anodizing, recommended for welding casting and forging Al-Mg alloys with maximum 5% Magnesium and parts of wrought alloy of 5000 series, 6000 series, 7000 series, such as 5050, 5052, 5083, 5456, 6005A, 6061,6063,6082,7005 etc.

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