Aluminum spoolmate tips
- Thread starter gbfan10
- Start date
What spool gun do you have? You can't use standard miller mig gun tips on the spool gun without conversion, but they are easy to convert. You have to shorten, and re thread the spool gun barrel for the larger, longer mig gun tips. It works well in the end and you can use the cheaper more common standard gun tips, and not experience the issues you are having.
If you have a lathe it is not hard. You might be able to do it with a drill press, but use caution. I've done a few they are real quick in the lathe. IIRC the miller tips are 1/4-28 thread. But please check me on that before you tap. I can't remember if the lincoln or miller tips are metric. One is metric and one is standard
If you have a lathe it is not hard. You might be able to do it with a drill press, but use caution. I've done a few they are real quick in the lathe. IIRC the miller tips are 1/4-28 thread. But please check me on that before you tap. I can't remember if the lincoln or miller tips are metric. One is metric and one is standard
sberry
Banned
Cool beans, good to know. I was on my last tip.
toolman1967
Well-known member
I went to my local Airgas and they ordered the tips for me but I am going to tap the barrel for the stronger standard tips. Great idea!!
Tim the Toolman
Tim the Toolman
What spoolgun you running sberry? I know this will work for the 3xxx series and similar guns. Not sure if it will work with the smaller newer guns designed for the smaller welders. Hence I asked what spoolmate the OP has.
Another thing with the standard tips, if you have sticking issues with the wire, you may want to go up a size or slightly drill out the standard mig gun tip. Since aluminum has a high thermal expansion, it can swell up and cause feeding issues if the tip is not of proper size or misaligned, hence the lathe is really the way to go to make sure it is concentric with the rest of the barrel.
This conversion (re tapping) also works on most of the off shore little mig welders. I've done a few for folks that have the HF and like boxes with harder to find tips.
Another thing with the standard tips, if you have sticking issues with the wire, you may want to go up a size or slightly drill out the standard mig gun tip. Since aluminum has a high thermal expansion, it can swell up and cause feeding issues if the tip is not of proper size or misaligned, hence the lathe is really the way to go to make sure it is concentric with the rest of the barrel.
This conversion (re tapping) also works on most of the off shore little mig welders. I've done a few for folks that have the HF and like boxes with harder to find tips.
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sberry
Banned
I think it should be the miller equivalent to the 3035, since the HH210 is hobarts equivalent to the MM210. In that case you should be fine. I just haven't had the "opportunity" to work with the newer, smaller, cheaper spool guns. I think they are called the Spoolmate 100 series
sberry
Banned
My expertise is not in alum but was doing a job when a bud came in and said,, let me take a spin. His opin was that it was very good. It has retired my tig. The hose rotted off it, fixed but haven't used it since, several years as I recall. The mig is so speedy and convenient that the tig became a machine rack.
