Little FCAW piece of junk or is it me?

admin

Let’s start off with myself. I’m a hobbyist who hasn’t done any welding for over 20 years (back then stick and acetylene). Recently, I got a little wire feed welder as trade-in. First lesson I learnt is that a “gasless” MIG welder has nothing to do with MIG welding. Pretty sure that “invention” provided some marketing goof a nice bonus. Anyway, the unit I ended up with is called HandyCore 100 (manufactured for Lincoln and long-time discontinued). It’s a small 110V FC welder with only a high and low power setting.The first practice run (0.030 E71T-11) was horrible, no matter what I did. So, I changed the ground clamp (now copper 500Amp), cleaned the material properly, replaced the tip, measured the stick out to ¾” and tried again on some 1/8 flat iron. I put the welder on high and the feed on maximum, but could not maintain the arc as the wire burned back quite fast. So I tried on ‘low’, there at least I can maintain a reasonable arc and sizzling with a wire speed of 8 (out of 9!). However, there is absolutely no penetration with the low setting. I use the wire speed to maintain the arc, not to control the amount of material I want to feed into the (non-existing) puddle.  I didn’t have thin sheet metal to see how if it’s any better.I tried on the high setting with different arc lengths and nothing seems to work; the wire burns away and the arc stops until the feeder catches up again. So, is it me or the welder? In the latter case, I might try to fix the unit (if I’d know how) or save some money for a decent MIG welder. However, if it’s me then I might just as well get a stick welder again (not that I was really good with it, but at least I felt it was worth practicing with it).
Reply:I think you are handicapping yourself right off the bat with that little POS. But it will prove handy as a door stop.
Reply:120 volt welders are good for welding galvanized garbage cans. obviously there is limited weld amps available on any 120 volt circuit even 20 amps and especially 15 amp circuits literally cannot supply enough power..i have often used machines that could connect to 120 or 240 volt and they always ran much dramatically better on 240 volts..too many people think the laws of the universe do not apply to them, but basically they do. you need more power to weld anything thicker than sheet metal. does not matter if you have no 240 volt outlets or it is inconvenient to have them installed. you want to easily weld more than sheet metal you have to have outlets that can supply more power.by the way i recommend a 10 ga extension cord for welders on 120 volts. does not matter if you do not have one or cannot afford one. you loose power using undersized extension cords
Reply:Kind of hard to say for sure, but your description of what is happening on high suggests to me there may be a problem with the feed system. Most small inexpensive machines often aren't worth trying to repair unless you have a good working knowledge of electronics.Even working properly small low powered  FC only machines are quite limited. Flux core wire is an inherently "hot" process and that makes it poorly suited for thin gauge material, say below 16g. On the other hand low output machines (say 90 amp) don't have the power to weld more than 14ga and even the better ones top out at about 1/8" under ideal real world conditions. Since you say you only have a high/low output switch. I'd guess your machine is fairly low output.As far as problems with your technique, picts would help greatly..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I partly disagree with the guys above.  Granted, your machine is a tack-hammer.  But tack-hammers do have uses, so why sneer at them just because they won't do everything. I strongly suspect that your little machine is not "junk," and that you are not using it right. Setting up the machine to work as it should, and setting voltage and wirespeed are not quite intuitive jobs that you can work out in half an hour;  they take some practice.  A practiced welder could do a lot of nice work with that little machine.Maybe get on Craigslist and see if there is an old retired welder in your area who will let you take your 110V welder and gear over to his home shop, and look over your shoulder while telling you what to look at as you weld, and what kinds of work your machine will do well, not so well, and not at all.Last edited by old jupiter; 04-11-2016 at 11:48 AM.
Reply:I have no problem with 110 volt units or flux core. Of course I am sure there are some not so good ones out there. Maybe they had it set up for gas. Try changing the polarity and see what happens. It could be a feed problem as suggested. Maybe adjust the rollers and check the liner. You might be able to adjust the feed electrically as well.
Reply:many a mig wire feeding problem was welder bending the mig hose too much when welding. wire feeds through better if hose is relatively straight
Reply:to answer some questions, the outlet is 15A and no extension cord. I didn't make any pictures and ground the welds down to check how deep the penetrated. some of these "surface welds" didn't look bad at all.Cannot argue the power limitation due to limited input. And yes, in part the fact that I don't have a 220/240 outlet or generator plays a role. On the other hand, I'm just doing this for fun and low speed or additional pass is nothing I'm concerned about, but I'm concerned about spending big money on serious equipment to make just a dozen welds per year on 1/8" mild steel. Unfortunately, installing another outlet won't take care of that.As this situation will not change in the very near future, two things I was wondering about: Is there anything else that would help me to maintain the arc beyond the feed/power setting that I have overlooked so far?If you had only say 30-40A, what would be the sheet gauge you were most comfortable welding with flux core? I want to get something to check if I'm able to weld anything useful on the low setting.
Reply:Originally Posted by mikecwikI have no problem with 110 volt units or flux core. Of course I am sure there are some not so good ones out there. Maybe they had it set up for gas. Try changing the polarity and see what happens. It could be a feed problem as suggested. Maybe adjust the rollers and check the liner. You might be able to adjust the feed electrically as well.
Reply:Originally Posted by WNY_TomBmany a mig wire feeding problem was welder bending the mig hose too much when welding. wire feeds through better if hose is relatively straight
Reply:Looks like ya have the wrong size wire.According to the manual that machine comes with the drive roller set up for .035  BOTH grooves. ( Some machine have one groove for .030 and one for .035.)http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...ln3/imt821.pdfEd 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:How old is the liner? Anyway, blast it out with compressed air any time you change wire. Don't use Chinese wire, which is notorious for not maintaining uniform O.D., or Chinese contact tips.If you didn't get an owner's manual you might be able to order one.  Learn how to set and test the drag on the wire spool holder by triggering the gun while holding it at an angle to a hard surface.  Again, check the manual (if there's no chart inside your machine) for basic volts/wirespeed settings for the particular wire size and material thickness. If that doesn't work, have a helper very slowly advance the wirespeed while you weld. When you feel the wire stubbing into the puddle and pushing the gun back at your hand, that too much wire. Then have her back the wirespeed down until you see, in the arc, the wire starting to melt back very close to the contact tip. That's too little wire. The happy spot is somewhere between those extremes. If the happy spot doesn't get good penetration into the joint, reset the wirespeed to near the top of the range you have worked out, then have your helper slowly dial the voltage up until you see what you think is a good combination. That's assuming you have got your liner clean, spool-drag and roller pressure set right, a good contact tip and a good ground and good input voltage, and no actual problems with the welder.  All this info is very basic and can be found in any old welding text you can buy at a junkstore or Half-Price Books.  Or on a dozen internet sites and a dozen YouTube videos. And I still think you need a retired welder to help you  .  .  .  or a welding instructor in a night class!!  If that welder is working right and you are using it right, it can make good welds on 1/8" steel to your heart's content. I hope you get a good handle on how to use your welder, because this stuff is fun when it's going right!!Last edited by old jupiter; 04-11-2016 at 01:32 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Looks like ya have the wrong size wire.According to the manual that machine comes with the drive roller set up for .035  BOTH grooves. ( Some machine have one groove for .030 and one for .035.)http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...ln3/imt821.pdf
Reply:Maybe bothI use the wire speed to maintain the arc, not to control the amount of  material I want to feed into the (non-existing) puddle.
Reply:When you are checking the wire make sure the drive rollers and contact tip match the wire size and try a fresh contact tip as well. whenever I have an issue with my MIG it is almost always time for a new contact tip. FWIW, that manual you shared indicates that you can do gas shielding with this welder as well, its not limited to fluxcore. So you could always get a bottle of C25 gas and a cheap regulator and see how she flies on gas.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:Originally Posted by Louie1961When you are checking the wire make sure the drive rollers and contact tip match the wire size and try a fresh contact tip as well. whenever I have an issue with my MIG it is almost always time for a new contact tip. FWIW, that manual you shared indicates that you can do gas shielding with this welder as well, its not limited to fluxcore. So you could always get a bottle of C25 gas and a cheap regulator and see how she flies on gas.
Reply:Originally Posted by chris000If you had only say 30-40A, what would be the sheet gauge you were most comfortable welding with flux core? I want to get something to check if I'm able to weld anything useful on the low setting.
Reply:I’m just a hobby welder too. With this inexpensive set up I can get these results with self shielded wire.  Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by DSW16 gauge is about the thinnest most average hobbyists can weld well with fluxcore. I've seen guys manage to do a bit thinner, but usually they have the material doubled up to increase thickness, or they blow holes in the material just about as often as they manage to do welds. With thin stuff you'll end up doing a series of overlapping "tacks", jumping around to minimize heat. You really won't be doing beads of any significant length like you do with thicker stock. But welds below 16 ga are almost impossible with FC unless your fit up is perfect. Even then it's usually an exercise in futility as you'll blow holes in the edge before it manages to fill on average.Solid wire and gas is really the way to do stuff below 16 ga. even then it's not easy and you can't do any thinner than 20-22 ga on average.
Reply:Originally Posted by Louie1961When you are checking the wire make sure the drive rollers and contact tip match the wire size and try a fresh contact tip as well. whenever I have an issue with my MIG it is almost always time for a new contact tip. FWIW, that manual you shared indicates that you can do gas shielding with this welder as well, its not limited to fluxcore. So you could always get a bottle of C25 gas and a cheap regulator and see how she flies on gas.
Reply:Originally Posted by chris000 I wonder how they became popular.
Reply:The 16ga was good advise – thanks! Finally, the little thing has sufficient power on the low setting to actually weld something. As it’s still thick enough to play around a bit, I noticed that the feed is not overly smooth. I started checking the (non-adjustable) drag and the rollers. Lots of grease everywhere. Cleaned it up as it started to pick up dirt.Is there any benefit in having it; especially at the inlet of the liner? It does prevent dust from getting in, but of course it’s pulled in and compressed air might not get it out. However, I don’t think it has anything to do with the insufficient feed on the high setting as I can easily move the wire within the liner by hand. The knurled rollers are labelled as 0,8-0,9 (.030 and .035). Therefore, I was wondering if a .035 FC wire would burn significantly slower than a .030 wire at the same power setting. The feed setting for the sheet metal is still 6 of 9 with Lincoln .030 (E71T-11). The data sheet would suggest that a thicker wire diameter burns slower and therefore require less feeder speed? http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...P/c3200010.pdfWhat do you think? Is there something with respect to using another (not overly exotic) wire composition that is worth looking into?
Reply:It's not so much is burns slower, but that you are putting down more metal at the same time compared with smaller wire in surface area of the wire. To adjust for this, you turn down the wire speed. At a given voltage, the machine is going to want a fixed amount of wire over a given time to work best. with a small wire, you have to feed it faster than a large wire to get to this point.Not the greatest description, but the best I can do this morning.As far as grease, no you shouldn't have a lot of grease there. Grease on the wire would contaminate the weld and give you a bad weld..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I certainly don't look for a higher deposition rate, only lowering the wire speed while maintaining a stable arc (again I cannot really adjust the power). I do need to buy some new wire anyway and I wonder if I shall try the .035 instead or a different type. Would need to buy a pack of tips too, so it starts adding up, and I'm not sure if I can expect any improvement or just different issues.