I'm a booger welder

Tradarcher

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Creedmoor, NC
I can't seem to get the hang of this welding thing. Can't get the current or the wire speed right. Any advice from the self taught for the self taught?
 
what machine are you using?

Lincolin, Miller, Hobart?

what wire, gas, flux core?

Kevin
 
:nopics:

Seriously, post up... a picture can tell us alot.

Did you reverse the polarity from what it came with? (setup for flux-core)
 
the mig pak 100, being a 120v unit, are you using it on an extension cord ?

If so, how long? what wire size? For that welder, minimum of 12ga wire for 25 foot max run.

is the cord layed out or nested/rolled up ? Lay any extension cords out, no loops, and not a jumbled mess.

voltage drop can cause you to have some really weird symptoms.

Also, how loaded is the circut you are drawing from ?

And What Rich said, check the polarity of the machine, It'll tell you inside the door how to set it up.

Kevin
 
No extension cord. I know better. Using a regular 15 amp garage circuit that also has 2 florescent lights on it. Haven't tripped a breaker yet. Seems like I am either blowing through thin metal or splattering pieces of wire.
 
fresh tip on the gun also? does it feed smoothly, even when you put a little resistance on it? I'm guessing you're running .025 or .030 wire?
 
I've only been welding for a couple months, on a buddies 220 Mac welder (Miller in disguise). I seem to be picking it up pretty quick, but I attribute a lot of that to the machine!

question... what does an extension cord do that would mess it up? I'm guessing there is some sort of current drop or something, but I've never heard this before.

brent
 
mbalbritton said:
I've only been welding for a couple months, on a buddies 220 Mac welder (Miller in disguise). I seem to be picking it up pretty quick, but I attribute a lot of that to the machine!

question... what does an extension cord do that would mess it up? I'm guessing there is some sort of current drop or something, but I've never heard this before.

brent
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You get pretty sizeable voltage drop over a long run of cord. This is made worse by using too small of a wire guage and/or too long of a cord. As Kevin suggested, 12g is as small as you'd want to go, and I'd say no longer than 20 feet. After that the voltage drop would be more noticeable. (Here's a good calculator: http://www.electrician.com/vd_calculator.html )

I just finished putting in a circuit in my garage for the welder. It's a dedicated 20amp circuit with 20a receptacle... nothing but the welder will be run on it. I'm planning on making an extension cord out of 10-3 that will be about 12 feet long, so I can get the welder to the end of the garage if need be.
 
It's been my experience with those 110 machines to just set it on max amps and put your wire feed setting around halfway and compensate with your welding motion. Also, they seem to work better with the smaller diameter wire (I think .023 or .025) since they don't have the oomph. This will usually get you started. All the previous info. is excellant.

I'll add grind your surfaces really clean since those don't burn thru surface rust/primer as good.
 
Kevin Lawler said:
Seems like I am either blowing through thin metal or splattering pieces of wire.
Click to expand...

From what I understand this to be, sounds like you need to turn your wire speed down.

What is the range on your wire speed/voltage, and what do you have them set at for a particular thickness?

Many welders have charts under the lid as a reference to what settings you should use.
 
ya definitly cut your wire speed down, any hose obstructions can cause it to be jerky. Try free spooling some wire and listen to how it feeds. Also make sure your wire spool isnt binding or caught up..

How thin of material ? sheet metal can be difficult in general. You may need to pulse it on-off-on-off etc. off when its about to burn through, on just as it cools dull red.... This is good for pretty welds (sheet metal) but not for strength -mike
 
kilby said:
You get pretty sizeable voltage drop over a long run of cord. This is made worse by using too small of a wire guage and/or too long of a cord. As Kevin suggested, 12g is as small as you'd want to go, and I'd say no longer than 20 feet. After that the voltage drop would be more noticeable. (Here's a good calculator: http://www.electrician.com/vd_calculator.html )

I just finished putting in a circuit in my garage for the welder. It's a dedicated 20amp circuit with 20a receptacle... nothing but the welder will be run on it. I'm planning on making an extension cord out of 10-3 that will be about 12 feet long, so I can get the welder to the end of the garage if need be.
Click to expand...



so in other words, you loose to much juice over a length of extension cord...... which would also lead me to believe that I can't run an extension cord from hoome to URE and expect good results when I try to weld something I broke right? :gitrdun:
 
mbalbritton said:
question... what does an extension cord do that would mess it up? I'm guessing there is some sort of current drop or something, but I've never heard this before.

brent
Click to expand...

The longer the wire the more resistance it has. This will cause a votage drop at the welder. and lower voltage means less current for the welding. I had real bad connection in my power plug and it welded like crap. I fix it and now my weld look sweet.(I have a weldpack 100 with flux core .35)
 
Buy some heavy guage wire #6 and a 50' garden hose run the wire down the hose.
Add a 50amp plug and socket and you have one heavy duty extension.

:smokin:
 
I've got the Lincolin 135 and mine welds for a while really good and then it just stops & then comes back on again. Is it not getting enough juice? It's just a 110 type plug. What do you guys think?
 
spraypaintman said:
I've got the Lincolin 135 and mine welds for a while really good and then it just stops & then comes back on again. Is it not getting enough juice? It's just a 110 type plug. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
What's the duty cycle on the welder? Being 110V I would think low, not built to weld non stop.
 
http://home.earthlink.net/~kevin_lawler/weld.jpg

I was welding a 2 foot extension to a ladder style treestand. It's 1" square tube with a fairly thin wall. The polarity is correct. I think I know what the problem was. All these things together probably combined to create these booger welds.
1. I was outa gas. :lol:
2. The metal was covered in a heavy duty powder coat and I didn't grind off enough hence the non-meniscal look of the weld. I thought it would burn it off. It did burn but all it did was flame.
3. I think my wire speed was too high.
4. I was using a non auto-darkening helmet.
 
Out of gas=bad, bad welds. Get some gas, unimix, CO2/ARgon mix.
No, don't burn powder coating, grind it, and at least 1" or more from the weld. Dirty metal is part of the problem, those holes in the weld, it's popping and going thru your molten metal. Also, any grease, clean off with acetone, I get better welds on tube that way. Don't use brake cleaner.
Wire speed also depends on your speed, everyone set's it different.
Auto darking helps, but that's not your problem.

Also, when you start, make sure you have a good pool there before moving, don't just strike the arc and start moving immediately.
 
An auto darkening helmet would help me get started better. Half my problem was getting started. An auto helmet would keep me from moving the gun when I dropped the lid and put my other hand on it to steady with.
 
Just had to chime in here as welding is something I love to do. Length of your extension is not as important as the wire size. I have a 50' extension of #6 wire/cable. It's a python to move, but never a problem using all 30% of my duty cycle. speed of wire feed, size of wire, and heat the machine can generate are all factors. NEVER weld something dirty, painted, greasy, or rusty. What ever you are trying to burn through, becomes part of your weld. None of the above mentioned are as strong as the metal you are putting in. when welding thin stuff I always do many many tacks, until they are touching. then, I go back over it all with a pattern to make it look as if if was a single pass. This will get you the penatration you need, and look decent too. If you care to drive up my way some Saturday, I would be happy to help you out. For me it's hard sometimes when someone tells me, a lot easier when I see it done.
Chip
 
Spray Paint Man, you're welder is overheating, it has a thermostat mounted next to the coil to keep you from burning it up. That's why it shuts off , cools, cuts on. You can cheat this a little by parking a fan next to it and blowing thru the vents on the intake side.

Yes, get all that powder coating ground back. That's nothing but plastic you're breathing in while it's burning.

Also, I'd say loosed up the tensioners on the side of your helment if it's not an auto lens. You should just flip your head to get it down, not reach up and grab it.

Cool?
 
SSWaters said:
Spray Paint Man, you're welder is overheating, it has a thermostat mounted next to the coil to keep you from burning it up. That's why it shuts off , cools, cuts on.

Cool?
Click to expand...

And keep in mind, the more it trips the weaker it gets and then tripp sooner the next time, eventually, the thermal protection breaker will not work at all, nor will the welder. Food for thought.

My redneck setup, I have a Lincolin Mig pak15 ( Eastwood version of the 100) a plazma cutter and air compressor.

i have run a 10-4 cord from my house to the shed with a breaker panel in the shed. ( grounded at both ends and the panel is grounded as well, has been inspected by electrician )

I have seperate dedicated circuts for the welder/plasma and the compressor. (

Can't use the welder and plasma cutter at the same time ( not that talanted) , but since the compressor and cutter are on seperate legs, I can use them together in 120v mode. sucks to cut thick stuff, but I can get the job done, take some patience and time.

Someday i'll get rich and not so famous and build a garage and have a real power setup.
 
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