Welding Aluminum - Questions/Tips

[bobcowan]

Do you need to use gas? What gas do you use?

I don't use gas with my MIG welder, but I can. I know on steel you get a cleaner weld, but so far I havn't wanted or needed to mess with gas.

[Paul F]

Originally Posted by bobcowan

Do you need to use gas? What gas do you use?

I don't use gas with my MIG welder, but I can. I know on steel you get a cleaner weld, but so far I havn't wanted or needed to mess with gas.

Metal Inert Gas - that is MIG. By definition, MIG is a process that uses gas. If you are using a MIG welder without gas, you are using wire with flux in it and that is called arc welding. You are stick-welding with a MIG welder. It's just that the stick is now very small and is now a wire instead of a stick.

Gas is much cleaner as it has no flux getting around the weld.

If you are welding without gas or flux, you probably are experiencing really bad results.