Millermatic 210 Wire Feed Pauses/Stops

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Short Verison: See Wire Feed Problem in YouTube Video belowI bought a Millermatic 210 MIG new from cyberweld in 2006 and have put a small amount of time on it since.  It has sat in storage at different points since then for a year or two here and there.  If I had to guess, I would estimate it has less than 100hrs of Arc on Time, probably even less than 100hrs of just Power Switch on Time.The last big project I used the machine for was MIG welding a fabrication table I made this time last year.  Building the fabrication table involved using it to MIG a lot of 2"x2"x11ga (.120in wall) square tube together to make the tabe frame.  During that work I noticed a recurring problem.  I did not stop to try and diagnose the problem and repair it during that project, but I made a mental note that I would have to do so before the next project.The problem was that while I had the trigger pulled and was laying down a weld bead, the MIG wire would occasionally stop feeding and the end of the wire would ball up and almost melt "upwards" towards the MIG torch, then eventually the wire would start feeding again or I would release/re-press the trigger and it would start feeding.I have an upcoming MIG welding project and I want to fix the machine before starting.  While writing this post, I realized I needed to refresh my memory of the problem and pulled out the machine and did a quick test weld to recreate the problem.  I first did a test weld on a flat steel stock and quickly recreated the problem, although it seemed a bit worse than I remember it a year ago.  I then checked to see if the wire feed problem was independent of me actually laying a bead down.  I tired free-feeding the wire out the torch in the middle of the air and still observed the problem.  I realized I could setup a video camera looking at the drive reel inside the machine, document the problem on film and post a YouTube video here on the forum showing the problem.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEPQomH3wTE[/ame]The machine did not use to do this before last year (at least to the best of my memory - I think I would have remembered behavior like this).  I noticed the the .035in wire spool is slightly undone.  It looks like there are a couple of loops that are sitting wider/looser than the compressed/tight loops of the spool.  I have not tried adjusting or changing anything yet, I wanted to post this video to the experts first.  I will probably try diagnosing some things myself but if anyone can point me in the right direction or tell me based on their experience what the problem is, I would appreciate it.  I have used different MIG machines at various shops, but I never had to do anything under the hood of the machine.  This is the only one I have have had to service and repair, so I don't have experience in service/repairing MIG machines.
Reply:In the vid the drive rollers never stop or slow down. Make sure the tension on the rollers and spool are correct. Also, If it's been sitting in storage for some time you need to make sure there's no corrosion on the wire. If all that is good, I would look towards the liner/tip for problems.If the rollers were stuttering, I'de be worried.NickESAB CaddyTig 2200iPowermax 45MM140 (Sold)
Reply:The creaky sounding spool hub, has me suspecting you have way to much spool hub tension.ESAB Migmaster 250 Hobart Ironman 230Multimatic 215TWECO Fabricator 181i & 211iHH125EZ - nice little fluxcore only unitMaxstar 150 STH - very nice
Reply:Check your drive spools and clean them.  Check the spool tension and also make sure your wire isn't rusty.  I would suggest pulling the liner and cleaning it and also getting some wire lube.  I have had good luck taking a piece of green scotchbright putting some wire lube on it and then use a binder clip to clamp it on the wire
Reply:Originally Posted by DanThe creaky sounding spool hub, has me suspecting you have way to much spool hub tension.
Reply:Seems like the above said with wire tension, but dont rule out a spool of rusty wire from sitting. The drive rollers spinning without the wire feeding could just be wiping off the rust. I would start off with a new spool of wire.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:blow the liner clean with an air gun after you pull the wire.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet
Reply:http://www.millerwelds.com/om/o1325r_mil.pdfGo to section 4.13There's even a little picture of how to set the Wire tension while pushing the wire against a piece of wood.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Are the rollers matched to the wire size? The rollers are reversible with two different sizes.I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Thank you all for the help and responses.  I will most likely get my first chance to look at it and check these things this coming Saturday, if not earlier.
Reply:Just watch the spool lock in the video and you will see what is wrong.
Reply:good eye yeller that will fix it
Reply:Thank you all for your help.  The problem appears to have been spool hub tension - as many of you had already figured out.  In fixing this problem I learned more about the machine and began to make sense of what you were talking about.  It is now fixed.