Please help with Flux Core question

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Hey guys, I've been welding for years.  I use a Lincoln AC225 Stick at work roughly 5hrs a week.  At home I have Hobart Handler Mig.  HOWEVER... I recently purchased a Northern Industrial (Northern Tool) Flux Core 125... the 110v Flux Core Welder.  I chose this because of it's spectacular reviews online, and I very often need something touched up at the race track where dragging my 220v mig is unsuitable.  Now... My problem.When I am welding, it seems like about every 1-2 seconds, the thing will extremely briefly lose power or something.  It is like the wire will "push" the gun back for a split second... and once it starts I have to release the trigger and start over to get it to stop.  It sounds like a feeding issue, but when I run it  without welding it feeds fine, even if I put pressure on the wire with my fingers.  I once welded cast steel with my MIG and it did this same thing... I believe because the cast was so porous it was difficult to keep a good connection.  What do you think the problem is?  And... when it starts jumping, if I am welding something thin "exhaust pipe" it will blow holes in it because I am pushing the gun closer as the wire is pushing it back at me, so when it connects while im pushing it is like double wire feed speed.  Understand what I mean?
Reply:Could it be a ground problem making you lose the circuit?I replaced my ground clamp on my Harbor Freight 90 amp flux core with a better ground clamp made by Lincoln Electric,made a world of difference.Last edited by dugndeep; 01-17-2012 at 12:21 PM.Maxus Pro-125 MigChicago Electric 90 amp DC flux-coreLincoln Electric AC 225 tombstoneO/A torchM/O mini-torch10 acres of flatland15 acres of holler
Reply:Hello blr3a, I would second a look at your ground. Besides that, try reducing your wire speed slightly. Sometimes when the wire speed is a tad bit high it will "stub out" momentarily and the arc will extinguish. If you do not let off of the trigger does it try to weld again after a moment? If so that is a pretty good indicator to reduce wire speed just a tad. Good luck and best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:Thanks for the reply.  Allan, it near instantly starts welding again.  I can hold the trigger down through the entire process and it will weld, however there is no chance of welding a thin material in this manner.  "Stub out" is the best description I have heard for it yet.  When it does it I can hear the welder "bog" down, and if I hold the trigger down it sounds like a race car with a sever misfire.  Like a rapid zzz zzz zzz zzz.... as opposed to a sustained sizzle.  Kind of make sense? Its difficult to explain, sorry if it sounds immature, I'm just trying to figure out the problem.  I have noticed it is much worse at high wire feed speeds, however it occurs at all speeds on all metals I have tried to weld.  Possible ground clamp replacement sounds to me like probable cause.
Reply:And... should I replace the wire and the clamp or just put a new clamp on the original wire?
Reply:Just the clamp, the wire is probably fine.
Reply:If your tip is bad,they sometimes will start to seize,when they get hot.
Reply:Hello blr3a, when you consider your ground clamp, take a close look at the jaws or contact area on it. If it is badly corroded or excessively contaminated from arcing then a good cleaning or replacement of the clamp might be in order. Also, consider the condition of the spring or other method that the clamp uses to hold itself in place, it should be able to get a good firm grip onto whatever material you are attempting to weld. As a general rule, try to always ensure that the point that you attach the ground will provide good contact, in other words: no paint, excessive rust, dirt, or other contaminants or coatings that could interfere with good contact. The cable itself should be inspected for fraying, cuts, or other issues that could reduce it's ability to transfer power. If you can say that it has some of the issues that I just mentioned in the previous sentence then you may need to change that out. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:Maybe take your clamp and clean it off good and than clamp it close to the edge of a piece of metal and then take a C-clamp and clamp it on your jaws of your ground clamp,with just a little more pressure to help the clamp get a better bite and then see if it still does it.Maxus Pro-125 MigChicago Electric 90 amp DC flux-coreLincoln Electric AC 225 tombstoneO/A torchM/O mini-torch10 acres of flatland15 acres of holler
Reply:A temporary fix (that can be permanent) is to take the wire off of the clamp and use the clamp to clamp the bare wire to the work. That will diagnose if the problem is a good or bad clamp.
Reply:Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions! Tomorrow I will take the clamp off am clamp the bare wire to a good clean contact area and see if that helps. I do remember there is one screw that holds the wire to the clamp, and that screw gets so hot it has melted the rubber covering on the grip of the clamp, however the wire nor the clamp itself seems excessively hot. Could this indicate a poor conducting clamp? I have tried new tips on the gun to no success. The clamp doesn't have excessive wear or corrosion as the welder is very new, however it is thin and feels cheap.
Reply:My welder does this when the wire speed is to fast. Even on the high setting i cant run the speed of the wire no faster than 7.   weld on some scrap til you figure it out.  cant be more than 1-3 things.