Newbie Issues & moronic questions (Electrical ??)

admin

Hi,I finally got a chance to fire up my newly acquired Weld-Pak 100 (used) with new gas kit. (Argon 75)Very little success. Big disappointments.Just screwing around, welding a few test pieces. Welder did a lot of popping and sputtering, but not much penetration or welds. Wire got red hot and balled at end more than anything else. A few times red hot wire would just drop off.Questions:Aside from the poisonous gas issue, does galvanized metal present issues that would affect the weld (conductivity ,etc)?  Would sanding surface of galv metal eliminate problems?How large a role does the Amperage supplied to the welder play in the whole scheme of things?? Would the welder cause the breaker to trip, or would effectiveness of welder decline with insufficient voltage (w/out tripping breaker)?Does 20 feet of extension cord (good, thick & heavy)sound like too much length?Any advice would b greatly appreciated.
Reply:yes you should remove the galv. before welding if you can.a large role. the machine needs around 20amps (according to the link i provided below). welder effectiveness will decline if not fed enough power.20' shouldnt cause your problemsmake sure your workpiece is clean with a good ground. try upping the power and wire speed (play around with the settings). http://content.lincolnelectric.com/p...ture/e7200.pdf ill try and find a pdf of the users guide when i get home, if you dont have one already.
Reply:Breaker in electrical panel says 20 AMP. 20 feet of electrical ext. cord. Another stupid question:How important is it for wire to run through middle of nozzle?Mine is quite off-center, almost touching edge of nozzle. Important??Any fixes? At this point, a sledgehammer is looking like the best option...
Reply:Providing you've got more metal to work with, start with the volts turned up too high and with a fast wire speed (both higher than the recommendations on the lid chart) and back down your settings until you see a decent weld.   From your description, it sounds like both your volts and wire speed were too low.     Check your extension cord to be sure it's at least 12 gauge wire.   If possible, find a #10 cord (or a shorter #12) to see if the welder performs better.The copper gas nozzle is electrically isolated from the electrode tip so having the tip be off center should not affect the weld electrically, but it would be best to carefully "nudge" the electrode tip back to the correct position.There are no small projects
Reply:For that welder, it doesn't need to be "atleast" 12AWG, but I would recommend it.  Anything larger would suffer from the law of diminishing returns.  You might also check the line voltage with a volt meter, if you know how to do that.  That won't give you a true understanding of voltage drop at a high current level, but you might detect a low voltage condition.  I've used an MM135 pretty extensively and moving to a shorter, heavier extension cord made a big difference on that machine when I was running it near the upper limits of its capacity.It sounds like you have a few different issues here.  The first of which is that it's very difficult to get a good weld on galvanized material without first removing the coating.  Even still, it takes a bit more heat to achieve penetration and your welder doesn't have much headroom anyway.  The 120VAC MIG units are handy, but with so little headroom, they make good prep even more critical.  It's unfortunate that they're used as a "beginner" welder for most.I am concerned by your statement that the wire is not running through the middle of the nozzle.  If that's the case, then something might definitely be awry.  Can you take a photo and post it?  The nozzle should be clean and properly seated on the gun and the tip should be in good condition, also clean, centered in the nozzle, and slightly recessed.How much experience do you have MIG welding?  If you haven't done it before, I can write out some tips for dialing in the welder and getting decent results.  If you're just starting out, welding galvanized isn't going to be the most educational experience, though it could be deadly.  I assume that you're taking some safety precautions.  You should have good ventilation and be wearing an approved respirator.-Heath
Reply:Try all that has been mentioned . PUT in A  NEW WELDING  TIP . the center hole should be perfectly round and almost snug on the wire , other wise you are not getting much power to the wire .[SIZE="5"Yardbird"
Reply:Hi laldog,All of the advice above is very good, but I can’t help being concerned about the fact that the machine is used.  Do you know the machine was in good working order when you acquired it? Does the machine appear in good condition, or is it a bit beat-up?I would start by checking the drive roll, tip, and liner size.  They should match the wire you are using.  Check the drive roll tension too; the manual should state how it should be set.If you don’t have one, contact Lincoln for an operator’s manual.  I tried to link to one, but Lincoln’s web site (www.lincolnelectric.com) is misbehaving right now.If the machine appears to have been used harshly, check the gun and cable assembly carefully.   If someone has been pulling the machine around by the cable, there is a reasonable chance that there are poor connections in the gun cable assembly.Don't be too quick to drag out that sledge hammer!  When these machines are in good working order and setup correctly, they can do a really nice job.Good luck,Bob
Reply:I'm by no means an experienced welder...but it sounds like the tip is over sized...I know my welder came with .024 and .030 tips...make sure it's the right sized tip for the wire.  MM175 MIGCutmaster 38 PlasmaCraftsman 30gal compressor4x6 HF bandsaw1hp HF floor drill pressRyobi Cutoff SawAssorted grindersNot enough time
Reply:I feel soooo stupid.Thank you all for your replies. It's hard to do any weding when FORGET TO PUT IN THE WELDING TIP!!!That was it. Of course I'm still a ways from quality welds, but it's a start.Thank you all very much.
Reply:WOW I feel good now!    In a world of expert welders and I was able to identify a problem!  lol  I guess since you and I are on the same level I could identify with your problem...lol  Glad your back on track...and keep on practicing.MM175 MIGCutmaster 38 PlasmaCraftsman 30gal compressor4x6 HF bandsaw1hp HF floor drill pressRyobi Cutoff SawAssorted grindersNot enough time
Reply:Originally Posted by laldogI feel soooo stupid.Thank you all for your replies. It's hard to do any weding when FORGET TO PUT IN THE WELDING TIP!!!That was it. Of course I'm still a ways from quality welds, but it's a start.Thank you all very much.