UNIMIG VIPER 185 KUMJRVM185 MIG/TIG/Stick Welder Questions & Answers
VerifiedMPN: KUMJRVM185
Hi my name is Phil. I've just purchased the 185 unimig. Can you please tell me if I can tig weld aluminium on this machine. If so could you please send a link of a video showing me how to set up for tig aluminium. Thankyou. Phil.
You can't tig weld aluminium with this welder.... You can get a spool gun and mig weld it though
Hi Phil, you will need a spool gun for this which Unimig can sell you. Please have a look at this link and video. external link
Thanks fella's. Spool gun it is .
Just one last thing, is this the spool gun for the 185 unimig. It's the 150amp spool gun. PLSP150A, priced at $679. Thanks fella's.
I do have 1 final question. So at different stages I'm wanting to do some mig weld on aluminium, on stainless steel and on mild steel. Can I use the one type of gas for all three. Remembering if it makes any difference, that I will be welding small projects for around my home and also hobbies pieces. Thankyou.
Can I use it with aluminium wire 1.6mm? I'd like to use it with 1.6mm. If not possible can I use it with 1.2mm wire? Do I need anything special? What length of MIG torch 3 or 4 meters it comes with?
Hi Alex. Im sorry but I dont do aluminium welding. This is a link suggested setup for AL welding. external link If I was you I would invest in a spool gun as its pretty much designed for the soft core to feed the filler over a short distance also it makes it very quick to swap back to steel mig welding. The MIG gun supplied is an SP15 4M length. Here is the unimig link for the 185 manual.
external link
Hope this helps a bit.
Do you have to buy the spool gun to weld aluminium or can the regular wire feeder in the unit suffice ?
Hi Guy, for welding with aluminum wire, it's advisable to use a spool gun due to the soft nature of aluminum which can lead to feeding problems. If you'd prefer to use a MIG gun, we strongly recommend opting for a 3M torch and ensuring it remains straight at all times. Make sure to equip it with a Teflon liner and U-grooved drive rollers for optimal performance. Additionally, a 1.2mm aluminum wire is recommended as it tends to feed more efficiently.
Great answer/reply ! Many thanks for the follow up. :)
Hi there, working with a few boilys now and old mate asked if my 185bis a scratch start for tig? Can't seem to find any info and tbh I didn't know what he meant. He explained it to me. I haven't done any tig as of yet, just might with gas and happy with machine so far Cheers in advance
Hi Nick, the VIPER 185 is a Lift-Arc TIG machine. Here's a guide on how to set it up: external link
How well does it perform welding aluminium..
Hi Phil! Absolutely, this unit performs great with aluminum. However, for optimal results and smoother feeding, we highly recommend the use of a spool gun while welding aluminum. You will want to consider our spool gun model, PLSP150A, which is designed to complement the Viper 185.
All these positive reviews that are great to read on the Unimig Viper 185, are you guys using gasless or gas Im seriously considering the purchase of one.
Hi Moro, it works great in both modes!
I've only used gas
What generator recommended UNIMIG viper 185 ?
Hi James, we recommend at least a 10kVA generator for the VIPER 185.
Hi Gents Bought a unimig viper 185 a little while ago, welding with gas, my God what a machine lays down the best welds. Switched over to mig aluminium teflon linner, new tip, new roller, Argon gas, 5356 wire. Spent a little time laying beads down on 2mm plate, used the setting in the door of the machine wire sp 10 volts 17 Blowing holes everywhere, found the best setting for flat butt join w 6 v 13.5 My question to the crowd is what settings are you using. Struggling to get a nice bead on A T joint. I am so surprised at how easy ali mig is, well happy. Steve Ps Thanks for the replies
How does the 185 viper go with alloy for small boat repairs undecided on this unit or 200 razor ac/dc tig
What is the maximum thickness of aluminium that this machine can successfully weld
Hello there, the Viper 185 can do about 5mm fillet joint, and 8mm butt joint on Aluminium. Let us know if you have any additional questions, thanks for reaching out.
Why won't the 4t work mark
Hi Mark, this machine is only designed for 2T mode there isn't a 4T mode for the Viper 185
Can I use 1.2mm gasless wire in the viper 185?
Hi Nick, the thickest gasless wire you will be able to run on the VIPER 185 is 0.9mm. 1.2mm requires a higher output, you'd be looking at a 250A machine, such as the RAZOR 250.
Just got the unimig viper 185 mig Tig and stick welder with the lift Tig torch. Is it possible to use a HF Tig torch on this machine?
Hi Ashley, the VIPER 185 will only work with a lift arc style TIG torch, not a HF TIG Torch.
What output and type 240V petrol generator would be required for operation of the KUMJRVM185?
Hi Mark, we recommend at least a 10kVA generator for the VIPER 185
Hi there, Unimig 185 that worked two weeks ago - now can't get an arc, even to earth clamp. All switches appear fine, have reseated earth and work lead
I suggest you contact Unimig their staff are most helpful and informative it may well be an easy fix or a component failure that would be covered under warranty.
i am trying to mig stainless and have set the machine up as per recommendation but cannot get the weld to stop splattering even if i muck around with the speed and voltage i have a ally liner in and am using straight argon is that a problem
Hi Dennis, for stainless steel you'll need an Argon-C02 mix not pure argon.
My viper 185 wire drive stops feeding for no apparent reason. the wire is not stuck or jammed and I can hear the switch working when the trigger is depressed, but the drive does not turn.
Hi Warick, you'd be best to contact our service team about this, they'll be able to help you with this. Give (02) 9780 4200 a call, and select service (Option 2), or you can email service@unimig.com.au
Thanks mate, will do.
In one of the previous question you recommended changing the torch liner for an aluminium one to feed aluminium wire through the supplied mig torch. Do recommend a liner that goes through the whole lead or torch only? Once it's changed can you keep that liner for steel or is there one that can do both?
Hey Andrew if you wanted to run aluminium wire through your torch you need to first remove the steel liner previously installed in the torch and replace it with the aluminium liner. You can store away your steel liner until you need to weld steel again. It’s recommended to get a spool gun in this case if you constantly swap between steel and aluminium welding for time saving reasons.
Thanks for that. Can tou recommend a part number
For the VIPER 185, there are two liner options depending on your wire diameter:
TLB4M - Aluminium 0.6-0.8mm TLR4M - Aluminium 0.9-1.2mm
Hi I do a lot of stick welding I was wondering what is the best small enough welder that I can carry with me ?
Hi Debby, We have a few options to suit, in terms of something purely lightweight and easy to carry I'd recommend either the RAZOR ARC 140 or RAZOR ARC 180 depending on how much power you need. You can find all of our portable stick welders here: external link
Is it possible to weld steel mig on this welder? I have welded ally with it. But it keeps cutting out. Even with tacking
Hi Luke. Yes, you certainly can. For MIG you can weld Aluminium, Steel and Stainless Steel.
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