MIG Pop pop pop

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More often than not, when I got to start a bead while using the GMAW process, I do not get a nice smooth start, instead I get a pop pop pop, then a smooth bead starts.This only happens with GMAW and not FCAW. I have double/triple checked my ground and am sure there are no issues with my wire feeder.Like I said, I never have this issue with FCAW, but very frequently with GMAW.Any advice to remedy this would be appreciated.Miller 302GMIller 12RC SuitecaseMIller 30A spoolgunHF-251D-1WP17 Tig torchSmith HD torchHypertherm 45Jet drill pressHF 7X12 wet cut horizontal band sawPlasmacam CNC table
Reply:Cut the little ball off the end of the wire before your next start.Also make sure you have a secure ground connection on your workpiece.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:Good ground and make sure you're not welding on dirty or rusty material."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Could it be that the gas line is not propertly purged at the beginning of the bead? I have experienced that uneven starts even clipping the ball at the end and having clean material and a good ground.Mikel
Reply:Yeah, I have tried this stuff. I even cleaned the mill scale off where I was going to weld and it still happens.It's something I've been living with and am able to work around, but it's kinda a pain in the ***.Like I said, I can keep everything the same and if I switch over to FCAW, I never have these problems. I have removed my ground clamp from the variables by clamping the work lead open end directly to a shiny steel spot on my welding table.I was reading through the miller documentation for the TB302 and they say to ground the machine to the truck frame and I did not do this. Could that be causing this problem?I'll capture some video, maybe someone here will see something that may be causing this.Thanks for the responses.RussMiller 302GMIller 12RC SuitecaseMIller 30A spoolgunHF-251D-1WP17 Tig torchSmith HD torchHypertherm 45Jet drill pressHF 7X12 wet cut horizontal band sawPlasmacam CNC table
Reply:Check your settings, are they hot enough? Too much wire speed?"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:are you swapping polarity when you swap processes?tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:I agree with Mikel-24....Pay attention to your gas regulator. I encountered similar trouble with the past 2 machines I bought. Millers, came with Smith regulators. The regulator, when idle, would allow out put pressure to creep up, causing crappy starts, then level out once set output pressure was regained. Run a few beads, set gun down an watch reg out put pressure. if it creeps up, thats your problem.Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:Is the 302G starting out at low idle?  If so, it's a result of the lower OCV until the engine gets up to speed.My Bobcat / wirefeeder does the same thing unless the unit is up to speed first.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:I would have posted this link before but I had to reset my youtube email and password first.Clip is a little long as it was a wire feeder test for another member but is this what it's doing?[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nkBFWRvu9I[/ame]Hear the engine drop down to idle and then speed up to weld speed as the the pop, pop, pop goes away?  It doesn't do this if the engine is already up to weld speed because the OCV is higher at weld speed.Last edited by duaneb55; 10-28-2011 at 12:21 PM.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:You need to answer some more questions first. What are you welding with (spoolgun, feeder, mig machine plugged into the ac output)? Is the machine at idle?, What size wire, how many volts, wire feed speed, thickness of metal, type of gas? Give us some information to go on first.
Reply:Sounds like a gas delivery issue to me. On a second bead made just after the first, does it "pop" too? Quite often at school starting a bead resulted in a "bang" and complete burnback of wire to the contact tip. Often enough to be annoying but not often enough to get a real diagnosis (yes I always start with a sharp wire and clean metal). Guess MIG is known for "cold" starts.XMT304 (school)SP125+ (home)HF 4x6 BandsawGood judgement comes from experience and much of that comes from bad judgement.
Reply:Probably need to change your settings?