tip glows red

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hey everyonr i am new to the forum.  got a question about mig welding.  im a mechanic and our welder at work is a air liquid m130.  from time to time the tip of the welding gun glows red and the wire gets melted the the tip.  are we doing something wrong or could there be a problem with the welder itself.  also i am looking for a small 110v welder myself for at home.  what is your thoughts on the lincoln 140HD.  it has the aluminium drive inside not plastic.  let me know thanks
Reply:if i was going to go with the 140 lincoln model machine i would go with the 140c NOT the "HD" modelMiller Xmt 350Lincoln Ln-25Ahp 200xSmith Gas Mixer AR/HTig is my Kung FuThrowing down dimes and weaving aboutInstagram http://instagram.com/[email protected]
Reply:Is your cup clear of spatter or tip contacting cup?  Also check wire speed, could be too low, or liner kinked or twisted hindering feed. Make sure liner is lead is straight as possible, even the position of  the gun causes problems.
Reply:All of the above, plus are you running enough gas? And do you have the cup on?  Some folks remove the cup for flux core (me) and might not think to replace it for bare wire.  The gas not only shields, it cools the tip to some extent too so you gotta have enough and it has to envelope the tip to provide any cooling.  I am not sure why I am thinking this, but is your tip fully seated or does it need replacing? Clogged?
Reply:If your beads are good and there is no porosity then my guess is you are running too much amperage for the rating of the gun.  The amperage is controled by the wire feed speed.  The faster the wire comes out the higher the amperage.   Also guns should be derated if you are using a mixed gas.  For example a 300 amp gun will run 300 amps using carbon dioxide shielding.  If you use a mixed gas ( argon/CO2) then you can only run 200 amps on a continuous basis. (100 percent duty cycle)
Reply:what is the difference from the retail welders from lincoln to the ones you would buy from lincoln.  i have noticed that some of them have a plastic drive assembly.  the hd model at home depot has the aluminum drive.  is the only difference the drive assembly.  i am not a professional welder and i dont plan on using the welder everyday,  but i still want quality.  i read somewhere that the dials on the front are are not infinite well the wire speed is but not the amps.  if anyone has anymore info on the difference between the welders that would be helpful.  i have been told to make sure that the welder does have the aluminum drive.  and thanks for the feed back about the glowing tip i think that the tip wasnt on all the way it was loose and i will try speeding up the wire speed.
Reply:"jasonion" save up your money till you can afford a "good machine" or buy it used BUT do not buy a 120 volt machine... it will never be good enough to be able to do what you need. Buy a big brand name and so if you want to sell it later it will still be worth something. And buy bigger than you think you will ever need, so you can do what ever you want. A 120 volt machine is only good for sheetmetal. The first time you want to fix a trailer or stick some angle  together you need a new machine.Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:"don't buy a 120V machine"....f*** that.  I've made many thousands of dollars with my little Lincoln.  Get the one with variable voltage adjustment, not the tapped voltage adjustment.  If you are doing sheetmetal, run it in GMAW mode.  If you are doing anything heavier, up to 3/16", run it in FCAW mode.  Personally , I haven't run solid wire through mine for about six years, but with fluxcore it rocks.  Don't waste time with anything but the Lincoln NR-211 MP wire.  Make sure you have it hooked up to a proper circuit (25 amps) and let er rip.   Also, depending on your location, take a one week GMAW class at Lincoln Electric in Euclid, Ohio.  You will be able to use several machines, learn a ****load, and you can buy a machine at factory cost when you are done.  I did that when I learned GTAW.  Spent around $500 on the class, and saved $1200 on the machine.Last edited by bebo; 06-05-2012 at 12:58 PM.Reason: add content