Aluminium welding problem.

[toglhot]

Just hooked everything up for aluminium welding: Argon pressure set at at 8 lpm, wire is 5356, volts at 18, wire feed at 8.5, base metal cleaned with stainless brush, aluminium liner installed, earth is negative but weld wire globbing on base metal regardless of voltage, any ideas?

[Hawkeye]

8 lpm is 16.9 cfh. My last aluminum session gave me good results at 20 cfh (9.4 lpm), with a Miller 211, using a spool gun in spray transfer mode. You don't say what thickness of aluminum you were welding, or what welder you have. If the metal is heavier than your welder can handle, I would expect to see blobs. What stick-out are you using? Aluminum has to have a longer stick-out than steel, since it melts at a lower temperature. Don't want it melting onto the torch tip.

I am by no means an accomplished welder, especially with aluminum. I just happened to succeed in a recent project.