MM 200 welder help? Wire stabbing into weld...

admin

Got a used Millermatic 200, and was having some trouble with it burning too hot. Got a new regulator, and fixed the drive roll alignment. Now it's welding great, except when it's not. And it seems to be happening more. 1) DUring a weld, sometimes the start, sometimes during, the wire'll stab through to the metal a few times (I can feel the feedback in the gun), and ball up on the tip. Drive roll tension is not too loose, probably too tight if anything. I'll go loosen it. Settings are at High 1, 47%, welding 1/4 mild steel to 1/8 tube. I've went to 50% with the same results. .035 ER70-6 with 75/25 gas. 2) Also, does this welder have a function where it has a slow wire feed start? It seems the first touch on the trigger doesn't hardly feed the wire. It'll burn back sometimes right when I start. Thanks for any help!Paul
Reply:The stabbing is often due to wire speed being too high, but being intermittent, I would suspect a feed issue.  My MM210 did that right after I instaleld a 15' M25 gun, and it took awhile to get it adjusted.  Have you looked at the liner?
Reply:Liner and gun are new Tweco. New brass clamp, too. I know it's not wire speed, because if I back it off a touch it'll start backburning up to the tip. However, I think I fixed it. The drive roll was WAY too tight, and I think it fragged the past couple tips. I was basing it off the roller tension when the wire wasn't even in the groove. WHoops. New tip and a lighter adjustment seems to have fixed it right up. SOrry about the bandwidth!  THis is a real powerful welder, but has been a bit of a pain to get welding smooth and consistent. Thats what I get with a 30ish year old machine...
Reply:Originally Posted by pcoplinThats what I get with a 30ish year old machine...
Reply:No it does not have slow run-in adjustment.As far as wire poking your metal, I first would check your ground circuit. Then I would have your capacitors checked as well for any loose wires.Does your machine have the optional pulse spot panel?Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:Originally Posted by pcoplinThats what I get with a 30ish year old machine...
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55Glad you got it sorted and I'll take my 33yo MM200 any day.  It'll be around long after I'm gone I'm sure.
Reply:It's a 200/230 machine.  Forgot to say that it was set to 200, that's the main reason it was burning real hot when I first got it.  The contactor and relay is new also. Capacitors look visually fine. Welded a bunch last night, seems to be running perfect.  Great machine.  Still getting big spatter intermittently, but I think it's just my work distance.  It seems to need a real short distance to keep spatter free. Like 1/4 in. That normal? I have about a 1/16 stick out.Millermatic 200Lincoln SP-100
Reply:Originally Posted by pcoplin  Still getting big spatter intermittently, but I think it's just my work distance.  It seems to need a real short distance to keep spatter free. Like 1/4 in. That normal? I have about a 1/16 stick out.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonNot normal for me. I have my tip recessed 1/16th".
Reply:WHen I first got the machine, the tip was recessed like 3/16. I could easily spray even with the 75/25. I don't know a lot about spray, but I do know it by the sound and fluidity of puddle. I haven't gone above probably 26 volts since I cut the nozzle back. I'll play with it being recessed today. Thanks for the help everyone.
Reply:Please be easy on my technique, a bit of a learning curve for me using this bigger welder, but here's a pic of the spatter. Sometimes I only get the small "grit" and no balls. Material is 1/4", so the bead is maybe 1/2".
Reply:If you're running around 26V, you could stand to drop it down and reduce your WFS appropriately.  Should help on the spatter.Do you recall your settings for the above pictured sample?As for spray with C-25, if you're getting intermittent snapping sounds along with the "hiss" (hiss, hiss, snap, hiss, hiss, snap, snap, hiss . . .) that's globular and typical for C-25 at higher voltages.  Considered by some to be nothing more than a transition phase between short circuit and spray transfer and not really a true transfer mode.This was my suitcase feeder powered off my MM200 set on HIGH/6 and WFS set accordingly on C-25.And of course good old short circuit transfer that could have used a little more fine tuning.This is true spray transfer.  It's aluminum on 100% argon but note the absence of any snapping.Last edited by duaneb55; 06-30-2014 at 02:10 PM.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55If you're running around 26V, you could stand to drop it down and reduce your WFS appropriately.  Should help on the spatter.Do you recall your settings for the above pictured sample?