Anyone have an Eastwood 175 MIG welder with spoolgun for aluminum

[WLB]

I need to do several jobs that require a good bit of aluminum welding and since my older Lincoln MIG won't take a spool gun I was going to trade it in for a newer model. I happened to see an ad for the Eastwood 175 MIG that came with a spoolgun at a price that was lower than what the difference a trade up would be. I read several reviews that seemed favorable, it has a 3 year warranty, and 60 day return for full refund so I ordered one. So far my son and I have been able to run about 5 inches of good weld and have ruined 5 tips. We have tried holding off the metal different lengths and nothing has given consistent results. Wire feed and voltage seems to be on the money. I haven't tried to weld steel with it. I bought it to be a dedicated aluminum welder.

Are there any tricks that I don't know about for using a spoolgun? At this point it is one step from being labeled chinese junk and sent back to Eastwood. One of the covers on the gauges was laying in the box but the gauge seems to be working ok.

For what its worth I built two complete oval track trucks, clipped another one, built two minibikes, and many other small projects with the Lincoln and am still on the original tip it came with.

 

[massacre]

Are you using pure Argon?
I would try turning heat down.

 

[WLB]

Yes, using pure Argon. We experimented with a range of heat and speed settings but nothing seems consistent. One time it works with a certain setting, the next time it does not. It may be time to use the gauges from my TIG welder to rule out bad gauges.

 

[bruces]

After verifying all the connections ,polarity,etc are correct ,I would just contact Eastwood and ask what they think .I know a few people with that welder and none have had any trouble .

 

[FOMOGO]

I agree with Bruces. I would be on the phone with them and tell them what it is doing and see what they want you to do. Although I don't have an Eastwood or know anybody with an Eastwood welder, I do have a big Miller Mig with a spool gun and if you set it by the Miller chart it will weld all you want with great consistency. And your machine should do exactly the same thing. I suspect there is some loose connection or a bad board that breaks down from heat with a little use and wont maintain the settings. It is worth a call to Eastwood about it. They are good about standing behind what they sell. Not nocking there welder but this has always been a fear of mine about these non Miller or Lincoln machines. I buy Blue (that's just me) and have never been disappointed. In the same breath there are lots of happy non Miller or Lincoln owners out there. And the machines are getting better and better with the more they make. Best of luck with getting it running right. You will enjoy it. And keep us posted as to what you learn.

 

[massacre]

I did have an Eastwood tig welder that went bad, eastwood was very helpful. They sent me a new machine no questions asked. I just had to ship the old one back (on their dime i might add).
Very positive experience dealing with them.

The new machine has worked flawlessly since replacement.

 

[David wulf]

I have a Eastwood AC-DC tig machine it's great on all metal . The 175 you have is not really big enough to do aluminum. My friend has a Miller 190 with a spool gun and he can do aluminum but barely.
Funny thing is with a tig machine you don't need as many amps . I do 1/8 th aluminum with 110 amps and back off once the puddle is started .
My advice send it back and get there 200 amp AC-DC tig machine .

 

[massacre]

I have a Eastwood AC-DC tig machine it's great on all metal . The 175 you have is not really big enough to do aluminum. My friend has a Miller 190 with a spool gun and he can do aluminum but barely.
Funny thing is with a tig machine you don't need as many amps . I do 1/8 th aluminum with 110 amps and back off once the puddle is started .
My advice send it back and get there 200 amp AC-DC tig machine .

Dave I think we are talking about the same welder. I keep the Eastwood at the house and have an HTP invertig 220 amp water cooled machine at the shop.
I find that I need more amps when welding aluminum on A/C than welding steel on D/C. But I guess that depends on a lot of factors lol.

 

[WLB]

FOMOGO, I think you may have found the problem. I had totally forgotten that when I bought the Lincoln MIG 15 or so years ago it started welding erratic after just a few days. The problem was a bad circuit board. It was replaced locally and has worked fine since.

David, the Eastwood can't be too small. All I've tried to do so far is just lay a decent bead on an 1/8th in thick piece:laugh::laugh: I have a 300 amp Miller AC-DC TIG but I want a MIG for aluminum also. You can't have too many welding options:laugh::laugh:

 

[David wulf]

Dave I think we are talking about the same welder. I keep the Eastwood at the house and have an HTP invertig 220 amp water cooled machine at the shop.
I find that I need more amps when welding aluminum on A/C than welding steel on D/C. But I guess that depends on a lot of factors lol.

You are correct about amps , when welding 1/8 th steel or thinner I'am usually on about 30 -40 amps and will burn though if not careful. Aluminum is tricky cause it takes more amps to get the puddle started because the aluminum dissipates heat so fast .

 

[FOMOGO]

Aluminum is tricky cause it takes more amps to get the puddle started because the aluminum dissipates heat so fast .

Dead on the money right there. That is why a foot peddle on a Tig machine is so nice. Put the heat to it to get it started and back off as you go to control the puddle.

But back to the original question. It is not uncommon for a board to be bad or go bad and these machines are like a car with a bad spark plug. It will still run but not up to par. I would think Eastwood would replace it without question. Keep us posted on what you learn.

I have a friend that welds for a living. He told me a long time ago that if you are building a box that the Mig gun was the way to weld aluminum. He builds a lot of oyster steamers and they are all aluminum and he welds them with a gun. He makes pretty welds with a gun too. I cant make pretty welds with my spool gun on my Miller 251 Mig but they are getting better. :anon.sml: