I'm new to welding and need help with my shops welder.

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I'm new to welding. I've never really been tought, just learned by watching shows like Monster Garage and American Chopper, and lots of practicing. I've been told that I weld very good.I started a new job a few months ago as a shop mechanic/manager and recently have been doing alot of welding. It's a Lincoln Electric wire feed welder. Not sure the model, I'll check tomorrow. I think it's had an abused life. It welds really good sometimes and then it goes to crap and the wire keeps getting stuck in the tip and it sputters cause the wire doesn't come out nicely. When I'm not welding the wire comes out perfect. Today I was welding off and on all day, but then towards the end of the day it just would not weld good at all. Just keeps sputtering and blowin sparks everywhere and burnin the crap outta me. It sucks! Any help would be appreciated. I might just convince the company to buy a new Miller welder. Every other time I've welded with a Miller, always works perfect. However all those times I've also been with someone who knows how to weld and they usually setup the welder for me.
Reply:Welcome.  Can you give us a little more information about your welding, wire, gas,and anything else you can.  We can tell you a lot, but it would help if you can provide a little more information.  John G.SMAW,GMAW,FCAW,GTAW,SAW,PAC/PAW/OFCand Shielding Gases.  There all here. :
Reply:I've only ever welded using a wire feed welder. Never with stick, gas, aluminum or anything else.
Reply:Check to make sure you are not out of gas (if this is a MIG setup)Does the "humming" sound of the machine sound different? I've had a bad connection on a transformer start sending way less voltage resulting in some really weird welding.
Reply:There are a few house keeping chores to tend too with your wire fed welder. Some use shielding gas in a bottle (mig) and some use wire only (flux core). There is in both cases the feeder mechanism which has a simple tension adjustment in the drive roll system. The "whip" which is the heavy cable leading to the gun has an inner liner which must be free of severe kinks. The contact tip must be free of spatter and slag that could interfere with the passing wire. There is voltage and wire speed adjustments that must be set for each application also. For gas shielded welding, there is a nozzle insulator within the nozzle that must be free from spatter blockages and the nozzle must be kept clear to avoid blocking gas flow and to prevent short circuiting at the nozzle and tip. You must also turn on the gas valve and adjust the gas flow.As the professor says, "Anybody can pull a trigger and make a bead, the trick is in setting up the machine to do the best possible job." Most machinery is well built, and may only need simple cleaning or adjustment of the controls.Mostly though, it just takes practice.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:Your first step is seeing exactly what welder you have. Then hit the manufacturers web site, download and read the manual. Your problem could be any one of a dozen or so possible reasons the unit isn't working. Being a good WeldOR is about knowing more than just how to stick 2 pieces of metal together. A military sharpshooter isn't just some guy they picked up off the street and handed him a rifle. He knows the specifications of the piece, he knows how to clean it and maintain it, he knows how it works best.  Check to see your model here: http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentseries.aspx?browse=101|241|A few reasons your welder might be working sub par: 1) bad work clamp2) bad or slipping feed mechanism3) dirty or worn tip 4) dirty, clogged or worn nozzle5) incorrect wire diameter for drive spool6) incorrect tension of drive...and on and on. This is where you download the operator manual: http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...ualsearch.aspxJohn -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I think its a MIG cause it uses a big bottle of gas.  It's the mixed gas, can't remember the kind exactly. What should the flow gauge say when the trigger is pressed?   I set voltage and speed according to the chart on the inside of the welder. I was told by a friend to try replacing the whip.
Reply:10 to 25 cfh will get you started.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:Thanks for the link MicroZone, I'll try that.
Reply:I recently had a problem with wire stalling and/or just simply refusing to come out every 15 secs or so.  It got aggravating, because all I was doing was playing with the tensioner, which turned out not to be the problem.  I then went and bought some tips for like 5.00 and threw one on, and presto!  No more wire problems, now it feeds and welds beautifully again!Have a Jeep Cherokee?  Click Here!
Reply:Did you change the contact tip....the small copper piece with a small hole through which the wire comes. Make sure you've got a good ground. Porosity     ( lots of tiny bubbles in the weld ) means a lack of shielding gas.
Reply:I did change the tip and that helped out but within 5 mins it was crappin out again.