Hobart 210 Running Aluminum without Spool Gun

[diesel85]

I've done a little bit of aluminum work using someone else's welder, but I need to do some aluminum fab at my place.

Has anyone ever run aluminum wire through a Hobart 210 without the spool gun?

I was going to run some 0.35 do some light 3/16" fab work.

A welding bud told me it would be just fine, along with other online research. Figured I'd ask anyways.

I guess I could try and see what happens as I'm only buying a small roll, worst case scenario it doesn't feed right.

Oh, and I love my 210, I've put it through its paces and never once has it given up.

 

[5030]

I have a pair of older Hobart 210 transformer welders and we run the bags out of them almost daily and never a hiccup from either. We pay no attention to the duty cycle as a rule as well. They both have very good internal fans, noisy, but keep the innards cool.


You can run aluminum wire without a spool gun, however, you will experience issues with the wire hanging up in the gun liner as it's soft and very prone to sticking in the spring like liner, something we don't do. If we run aluminum, it's with a TIG machine and aluminum filler wire.

I like the 210's simply because they just make the amperage grade for globular transfer which is my preferred method for MIG welding heavy gage steel. We have to run them wide open to do that.

 

[5030]

You will need straight Argon shielding gas versus the 75-25 or tri mix you use for ferrous metals.

 

[diesel85]

I have a pair of older Hobart 210 transformer welders and we run the bags out of them almost daily and never a hiccup from either. We pay no attention to the duty cycle as a rule as well. They both have very good internal fans, noisy, but keep the innards cool.


You can run aluminum wire without a spool gun, however, you will experience issues with the wire hanging up in the gun liner as it's soft and very prone to sticking in the spring like liner, something we don't do. If we run aluminum, it's with a TIG machine and aluminum filler wire.

I like the 210's simply because they just make the amperage grade for globular transfer which is my preferred method for MIG welding heavy gage steel. We have to run them wide open to do that.

Gotcha. I'll just get the spool runner then. I've even had 0.30 flux core stuck in the spring liner under abuse.

Yeah, my 210 is the traditional transformer welder, a nice heavy suitcase as I like to call it. Stays on a cart most of the time.

Hard to make that guy overheat even doing insane things.

You will need straight Argon shielding gas versus the 75-25 or tri mix you use for ferrous metals.

I'll have to get some straight Argon, was going to get that and aluminum wire when I go get it. Guess I'll add a spool gun. Good addition to my 210 anyways.

 

[5030]

I will always prefer a transformer machine to MIG weld with, over an IGBT machine. I use my Lincoln engine drive when air/arc gouging as well. IGBT machines cannot stand the high amperage output and intermittent arc the gouging torch produces and will quickly destroy any IGBT solid state machine. I've found from experience that arc gouging removal of welds is a lot better than grinding and quicker as well. I do it outside as like plasma cutting, gouging is messy.

 

[5030]

Gotcha. I'll just get the spool runner then. I've even had 0.30 flux core stuck in the spring liner under abuse.

Yeah, my 210 is the traditional transformer welder, a nice heavy suitcase as I like to call it. Stays on a cart most of the time.

Hard to make that guy overheat even doing insane things.



I'll have to get some straight Argon, was going to get that and aluminum wire when I go get it. Guess I'll add a spool gun. Good addition to my 210 anyways.

All of our welders reside on carts that have storage underneath or in the case of the TIG machine which has a dedicated Everlast water cooler, on a Vulcan roll around cabinet. I really like the Vulcan cabinet as it not only has ample top room for the TIG machine as well as the water cooler, I can fit one of the plasma cutters on the top as well and I 'store' all my 'junk' in the drawers underneath including 2 welding hoods.

Ir wasn't cheap (even for HF) but it's a very well built roll around cabinet and actually has storage room for 3 120 cubic foot gas bottles. I keep an argon bottle as well as a 75-25 bottle and a CO2 bottle on it all the time. The finish on the cabinet is better than the finish on my car.

 

[oldtimer 66]

Here is some info from Lincoln. https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en/Products/le-na-magnumpropushgun. I thought a long time ago I purchased a special liner for my mig gun for aluminum. It was some type of plastic tubing with a brass end pc. I don't know where it is now. I purchased the Lincoln spool gun, the Magnum Pro 250 XL. I don't remember paying the price that they want now. Wow it is pricey.

 

[diesel85]

All of our welders reside on carts that have storage underneath or in the case of the TIG machine which has a dedicated Everlast water cooler, on a Vulcan roll around cabinet. I really like the Vulcan cabinet as it not only has ample top room for the TIG machine as well as the water cooler, I can fit one of the plasma cutters on the top as well and I 'store' all my 'junk' in the drawers underneath including 2 welding hoods.

Ir wasn't cheap (even for HF) but it's a very well built roll around cabinet and actually has storage room for 3 120 cubic foot gas bottles. I keep an argon bottle as well as a 75-25 bottle and a CO2 bottle on it all the time. The finish on the cabinet is better than the finish on my car.

I have a single tank cart as it's nicer to swing around in tight quarters and it doesn't take up much space in the shop.

What I love about the 210 is the fact I can run it on 120v for smaller odd jobs, or if I need to go to a friends house to do a small repair job. 99% of the time I just got it hooked up to 240v and leave it that way. I even use it on my portable genset at 240v and its excellent. Repaired an entire length of 300' of metal pipe fence. Had it on the back of my truck and rolled the truck as I continued down the path. It was great.

 

[diesel85]

Here is some info from Lincoln. https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en/Products/le-na-magnumpropushgun. I thought a long time ago I purchased a special liner for my mig gun for aluminum. It was some type of plastic tubing with a brass end pc. I don't know where it is now. I purchased the Lincoln spool gun, the Magnum Pro 250 XL. I don't remember paying the price that they want now. Wow it is pricey.

Looks interesting, but yeah pricey.

I don't usually do a whole lot of aluminum welding, but when I do, it would be nice to do it on site or if it is something I can't haul with me.

 

[5030]

Everything is pricey today.... Do keep in mind that the liner itself transfers the amperage to the wire and not the tip, something prople don't realize and because I'm inherently cheap, I have no issue enlarging tips with wire size drills when I need more wire clearance. I've seen the lined liners before, never purchased one however and no spool gun here simply because aluminum is TIG territory. I see you can drop a bundle on a good push spool gun but are still limited in spool size.

I tend to buy most of my consumables as well as filled welding bottles from Weldfabulous in Minnesota. Nice folks and carry the complete line of Lincoln as well as ESAB welders, CK Worldwide TIG torches and consunmables and Hougen annular cutters as well.

All my owned bottles came from them, all shipped full and all new bottles. Kind of particular about gas bottles anyway. I don't like beat up rental / exchange bottles and my local welding supply outlet is also a compressor station and they fill them for me.