New to welding :-)

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Yeah, I know...here comes another novice. I've had my new Lincoln for about two weeks and in the process of restoring 6 cars. Obviously I need to weld something occasionally. All was well until about an hour ago when the wire decided not to feed. I searched and found a similar question, but I checked the adjustment and made sure the reel was free and the wire wasn't askew, tangled, etc. Any helpful thoughts will be appreciated.Mickey
Reply:Did it stick to the contact tip? Grab the end of the wire with pliers and give it a little tug.
Reply:Welcome imnezrider. If the wire is not stuck to the tip, watch the drive roller as you pull the trigger. You should see it turn even if it does not feed wire. If this is the case the drive roller might need to be tightened. If the roller does not turn then there is a problem in the gun or the circutry that triggers the drive.
Reply:Thanks much for the quick response. Funny you should ask...I just went out to check that very thing. I could not see the wire. Was it covered with welding material? Anyhow, I accidentally did your plier thing. It didn't want to budge, but when I tried to weld again it worked. Here's another question. Should the wire feed when just pulling the "trigger" without touching anything? Mine only does it very occasionally. I get the feeling it's not feeding fast enough when trying to lay a bead in...lots of arching, but little or no bead??
Reply:When you pull the trigger the wire should automatically start coming out of the nozzle. If it's coming out sparadically it might be binding somewhere like the liner for instance. It could also be any one of the other suggestions already posted by other members for your question. Good luck.
Reply:Originally Posted by imnezriderShould the wire feed when just pulling the "trigger" without touching anything? Mine only does it very occasionally.
Reply:Originally Posted by imnezriderThanks much for the quick response. Funny you should ask...I just went out to check that very thing. I could not see the wire. Was it covered with welding material? Anyhow, I accidentally did your plier thing. It didn't want to budge, but when I tried to weld again it worked. Here's another question. Should the wire feed when just pulling the "trigger" without touching anything? Mine only does it very occasionally. I get the feeling it's not feeding fast enough when trying to lay a bead in...lots of arching, but little or no bead??
Reply:do you hear the feed motor trying to turn the reel? if not, it's an electrical problem, if you can hear the motor check the tip to make sure your wire isn't frozen there, if necessary, remove the tip. the other thing I have encountered is birds nest at the feed end of the mig gun, inside the machine, where your wire goes throught the rollers and inside the liner, sometimes the liner has a gap there and you end up with wire all balled up.that's my two centsGuy_48Welding is an art......Millermatic 252Lincoln SP175PlusLincoln 225 AC/DC
Reply:Originally Posted by DSW The wire should feed when you pull the trigger and the machine is on.I think that you probably need to speed it up. Hmmm...don't guess I knowhow to adjust that. I'll find out. Thanks everyone...
Reply:Lets start over. What machine do you have? I know its a lincoln but what model? Flux core or mig with gas? The more info we can get on how you have the machine set up the better we can answer your questions and skip guessing at every posible problem.There should be a knob on the machine that adjusts the wire speed. There may also be a knob that adjusts the power settings.A pict of the machine showing the front with the setting can also help.Just trying to help you as much as posible without overloading you with useless info.
Reply:Yeah, I know, here goes some more "advice"!Even in school, there comes a point when we need to be shown how!Is there someone you know that could show you?Last edited by tanglediver; 04-17-2008 at 12:48 AM.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:make sure th e wingnut holding the wire spool isnt too tight for the mechanism to make it turn, and i think the new small lincolns have  0-10 wire speed, mild steel is lots slower than aluminum, 2 or 3 should get close for mild steel
Reply:Try putting in a new tip and see if your problem doesn't go away.  Sounds like you've burned the wire back into the tip a few times, deforming the end, which causes the wire to not want to feed through the tip smoothly.  Drive wheel tensions don't normally change by themselves, so if it was feeding smooth before and now it's not and you've burned it back into the tip, it's probly the tip causing the problem.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Thanks to all of you! After reading all the suggestions and fumbling around, I'm back in business. Now I can get back to something productive....
Reply:Great!  Glad we could help!  So what was it??MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I had this happen once on my Miller.........very annoying.  It turned out I had some rough spots on the (cheapo) wire, and it would occasionally stick up in the tip.  I ended up really cinching down on the tensioner wheel that feeds the wire and after HOURS of trying other things......wham-o, I had feed again!  Lesson learned:  now I buy the Hobart stuff lol!OH, and welcome to the forums, it's a really cool place here .Have a Jeep Cherokee?  Click Here!
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33Great!  Glad we could help!  So what was it??
Reply:Be sure and clean your ground as well as you clean your weld area. Its all part of the same circiut. Rust and paint will insulate the ground and cause problems. I usually grind a clean spot for a ground. If you ground to the table be sure that you have good contact between the table and the workpiece. Many like to tack to the table as it keeps things from moving and ensures a good ground.