mig 100 welder hf

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You guys that use the hf mig-100 for chicago electric.When setting the tension one the adjuster how much tension do you set these at.I'm use to stick old school not the mig.If i turn the feed down to 0 it still runs is that to much tension the manual don't tell you much.
Reply:My rule of thumb is adjust it till it stops constantly sticking to tip.Even set correctly you will have to occasionaly smack the tip of your gun(usualy against anything handy...i.e. workpeice or floor)to free up your wire.Basicaly u want your rollers to be just loose enough so that if and when(and it will happen occasionaly)ur wire attaches itself tight to ur tip that the rollers slip and do not kink ur wire in the liner..If ur new to welding then this will happen more often but if its continuous either ur feed is to low,ur tension is to low,or ur tip is in need of replacing.side note...if u grasp the wire in ur fingers u should not be able to stop the feed(for petes sake be careful if ya test this...feed rollers will make ya wanna puke or go to the hospital if u get ur fingers into em)!!@!!!By the way what part of PA are ya from?...I,m originaly from Juniata county(cross keys , about 60 miles sw of lewistown)my family is still living there around lancaster and coatesville.
Reply:lancas city
Reply:lancaster city
Reply:the adjustment is truned the whole way down so i back it out and try the finger thing
Reply:who makes these welders is it a local or overseas
Reply:Good Afternoon. I purchased one of these welders as well. I'm having a problem with the wire being energized while the trigger is not being pressed. My friend, who is a professional welder, told me that it shouldn't be like that. I disassembled the trigger, but could not find anything wrong there. I checked inside the welder, but everything appeared connected. Any help would be appreciated.I did manage to repair a broken hoe with the welder as it is. It was the first thing I have ever welded, and it felt great!Thanks for the forum.
Reply:Good Afternoon. I purchased one of these welders as well. I'm having a problem with the wire being energized while the trigger is not being pressed. My friend, who is a professional welder, told me that it shouldn't be like that. I disassembled the trigger, but could not find anything wrong there. I checked inside the welder, but everything appeared connected. Any help would be appreciated.
Reply:This is true. It will be always hot. Some Century and other flux wire welders are always hot. Don't know why, but I was told that its an arc welder that uses wire, nothing more. Since ac welders are always hot, these would be too....Just a guess as to why
Reply:By leaving the wire hot all the time they save the cost of a CONTACTOR or big relay if you like.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:question guys i just started useing this welder more nice weather putting in new 1/4 panels and wheelhouse in my chevelle.Now not sure if it's the aftermarket metal or if i don't have the feed set right i have it set on 4 and the welder set on min.It still burns throught or i drilled my spot weld holes to big.Whats the best size to drill a spot weld hole.
Reply:Hi Chevelle;You will likely not want to here this but Flux core welders penetrate deeper that true MIG welders.    Combine that with poor control and burn thrus will be hard to get away from.As others have pointed out the electrically hot wire is the direct result of a cheap design.   It is up to you to decide if that is a problem.    In theory aMIG welder controls output voltage and should not allow the voltage to rise at the tip.   It is up to you if you want to rely on that design concept or not.As to your other burn through problems that could be a number of things.   When spot welding the two pieces have to be in good contact to get the right effect.  You also need to be qiuck on the trigger.   In the end though you probably will need a welder with better control.Dave
Reply:Ok now what would be a better choice say under 500.00 for 115v with adjustable amps
Reply:A Miller 135 will likely put you a little over $500, maybe topping out at $600, but I would look on line for a discounter.   Be careful online though as I've seen tools go for more than what I can get them locally.    Lincoln also has a 120 volt machine.    Personally I'd go with a 220 volt machine but can't really say you would need it for what you are doing.   Do be careful though and make sure you are getting a varaible "tap" machine as Lincoln has both variable and incremental tapped machines.    Even then the Lincolns offer more capability, on its tapped machine, then what you wuold see on an import.The only small MIG that I have experience with are Lincolns, and limited at that so I can't comment on other brands though there are comparable units avialable.    I do know a guy that does hot rods and has done some really nice work with a MillerMatic 135.   Very nice actually, he drives his rods to work.   So you should be able to do what you want on a 120 volt machine.    I suggest the 220 volt machines just to give yourself a little exra capability, but they are another couple of hundred more.By the way on a MIG you are adjusting voltage and wire feed speed.   This is different then what happens on a stick welder where you adjust amps.    If you lower the wire feed speed you impact the current going into the metal.    MIG's are comonly referred to as being constant voltage (CV) machines while stick welders are constant current (CC).Don't discount brands besides Miller and Lincoln, spend some serious time at you local suppliers to see what they carry.    My local supplier is a Lincoln dealler but he also has stuff from Miller.    I'm sure others will chime in eventually here but there are other manufactures of good quality machines such as ESAB, ThermaDyne and others.    All of this is find and dandy but what you really want is a local supplier that has parts and service and hopefully a bit of welding knowledge no matter what the machine is.    That sort of discounts buying online.   Use the web a bit.ThanksDave
Reply:wizard is giving some good advice and food for thought.Here's another idea. There is an outfit that sells reconditioned units. I've not used them but those that have give fairly high reviews.http://www.toolking.com/category.aspx?categoryID=323One other thought is that if your are going to shell out for a better quality machine and wish to do auto body, it will be in your best interest to plan on going with solid wire and gas. You're gonna be out another $150 or so for a bottle and such. Others can probably give you more recent guestimates on that. If you enjoy doing this, you really should up the budget a tad to include the regs and bottle.
Reply:Sandy is right I did fail to point out the need to go with gas and the associated costs there.    The rebuilt approach is nice to consider also.In the case of My lincoln it came with a set of basic regulators so that should be covered with a new purchase.   The gas can be initially covered with one bottle, but the possibility exist that you will end up wanting two or more gas mixes available depending on the materials being welded.    Steel requires one type of gas, aluminum another, and stainless another agian.    For auto bodies one gas should do it unless you have a De Lorian (sp?0 to work on.You can use the MIG for flux core if you want also eliminating the need for gas.    But that won't be optimal for most sheet metal work.Dave
Reply:Thanks i been doing some looking on the lincoln 120v i think thats the ticket.I'll worry about my stick welder later the lincoln should do the job and to play around.