Total NEWBIE!!! Needs help with SP250

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HELP!!!Just started welding with my "new" to me SP250 welder. I am experiencing a lot of spatter and the gun is "kicking" back at me. I changed the liner, wire, tip and nozzle tip. I am using 75/25 Argon/C02. It has a good ground. I am using .35 solid wire. My buddy was trying it out and he was getting a high weld (he's a pretty good welder). I can't figure it out and it's stopping me from getting started on my rockcrawler project. Has anyone experienced this? I really need your help. What can I do?Thank you in advance for your helpThe Iron Pig..
Reply:Well you're leaving something out, like what size of material you're practicing on, but the description sounds like a combination of wire stubbing and/or wire pinching off (exploding) in the puddle. First step, assuming the voltage is high enough, would be to turn the wire speed down a bit. Really tuff to tell. You might be high on wire speed or low on voltage. Depending on materials size you could be too low overall.Last edited by Sandy; 04-01-2009 at 12:39 AM.
Reply:I am using 3/16 material. My wire speed is around 300 with voltage at 15 ish.
Reply:Originally Posted by f4mdtwrI am using 3/16 material. My wire speed is around 300 with voltage at 15 ish.
Reply:Along with what was stated above, if your gun pushes back at you, then you have your wire feed rollers adjusted too tight, it should be set so that the wire feeds normally, but if you point the gun straight down at a flat surface and have the nozzle about 3/8" away and pull the trigger, when the wire contacts that surface, the rollers should slip enough on the wire to keep the gun from pushing back, but start feeding again once you raise the gun away from the surface.#1. If you don't like what I wrote, or if it offends you, then don't read it!#2. I am living life the way I see fit, if you don't like the way I'M living, tough sh**!
Reply:From the manual(s) :Low arc voltage : wire stubs into workHigh arc voltage :  arc is unstable (spatter)  Set voltage midway between high/low voltageWire speed (amperage) controls penetrationVoltage controls height and width of weld beadIf the gun is pushing back as you try to weld, the wire is stubbing into the workpiece and that means your voltage is too low.C25 means you are doing short circuit transfer.  Short circuit with 0.035 wire and C25 would generally be about 50-180 amps and 80-300 ipm WFS and you get/need 1.6 ipm/amp and a voltage of about 16-22V depending on the amperage/WFS being used.Lincoln says 0.035 solid L56 wire (ER70S-6) short circuit transfer with C25 parameters would be 250 ipm WFS and 20-21V for 175 amps.  And that is about as much amps as you can run through that wire size with that gas and still be in short circuit transfer.  If you try to push more WFS, you would be moving out of short circuit transfer and into globular (spatter mode  ) transfer.  If you push even more amps and volts (with a different gas), you would be into spray transfer mode.Your voltage is way too low for that WFS.  That's the stubbing part.Your WFS is a bit too high for the wire/gas/voltage/transfer-mode and you are also bumping into globular transfer.  That's the extra spatter part.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Since this machine is a used model, and its "New to you" go through all the connections at the machine, gun and ground clamp, make sure everything is clean and tight!You also didn't mention the condition of the metal you where trying to weld on, or if you are using flux or solid/gas wire, assuming that you are using the later, if your steel isn't clean and shiny, you might be experiencing a loss of contact at either or both the point at which your ground clamp is and or at the point of contact of the wire.Check that:You did mention you are using C25 #1. If you don't like what I wrote, or if it offends you, then don't read it!#2. I am living life the way I see fit, if you don't like the way I'M living, tough sh**!