Spitting and Poping welds ?

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I just bought a new Lincoln 140 Pro Mig (the one from Lowes)  I use gas, and set it up correctly for gas per the manual.  I run 30 wire and the roller is setup for 30.  I did my homework and checked and double checked the setup directions.The first weld I laid was sweet.  Perfect "bacon sizzle" great penetration nice looking bead (well for me.)  Then about an hour later I went to weld something else and it spit and spattered and poped like I didn't have the gas on.  I checked and it was on.  I can hear it comming out of the gun when I pull the trigger, wire feeds consistant as well.I then tried welding some scrap steel, and got the same spit and poping.  The welds that come out when it spits and pops look like they are sheilded with the gas, I mean they don't have the splatter or porus holes, but there probably isn't great penetration (I don't keep going when it spits and pops)I adjusted the regulator per the manual and even turned it up alittle.  The bottle is now under the 40psi mark (I used the bottle with my old Miller welder before)  I disconected the regulator and opened the valve on the bottle for a second and it does have pressure.  I'm really confused, my old Millermatic 130 always had the "bacon sizzle" and I literally used the Millermatic with the same bottle hours before I un-boxed the Lincoln.  The Miller is sold so I can't switch it back to see if I get the same spitting and poping.If I play around with the regulator, I can get a "bacon sizzle" and a nice bead, but then when I go to weld something else or run another bead, I get the spitting and poping again.Is the bottle low at under 40psi?  Or do I have a defective welder?  I've read alot of posts on the net about NEW Lincolns needing waranty work right out of the box.  Any input or advice would be great.  I lease the bottle and I've had it for awhile, so an exchange isn't a problem, but it's not empty, as I can hear the gas when the trigger is pulled.  Weber
Reply:A full bottle should have about 1500 to 2000 psi. 40 psi would not even show up on the guage. 40 psi is pretty much empty.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:I was looking at the guage wrong. It's just under 40 bar, not psi.  So is that low? Is that the reason for the spiting and poping?
Reply:Are you cleaning the rust or mill scale off with a grinder or flap wheel where you are welding and where the work clamp contact the work piece. Sounds like a ground to me.LukeMillerMatic 212Mkita chop sawand a head full of ideas
Reply:Make sure the drive roll tension and the brake on the wire roll on your new machine are correctly adjusted.  You might experience the "spitting and popping" if the rolls are slipping, You should be able to stop the wire by pinching it between two fingers (while wearing gloves) as it comes out of the gun . . . just barely.  Then set the wire feed to max and trigger the gun.  The roll of wire should overrun about 1/2 inch when you release the trigger.  Any less and the brake is too tight . . . much more and you'll end up with a bird's nest inside the machine.-jimDynasty 300DXSmith He/Ar gas mixerMM350PHobart Handler 120Smith LW7, MW5, AW1A
Reply:Driver rolls shouldn't be set so loose that the wire stops with hand pressure.  At an angle, the wire should keep feeding against a piece of wood while curling upwards.  It shouldn't stall.The loose deal on the whole setup should be the spool tensioner.  It has to be relatively loose.  It should be just tight enough to keep from birdnesting.  Almost finger tight.  Remember that as the spool is emptied, the angle changes, and the drive rollers have to work harder to pull the wire.  Starting with a tight wire spool adjustment means increasing tension on the drive rolls as the spool winds out of wire."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I got a new bottle, it''s reading 2000 PSI, so I am good to go there.  I'm running an 8 inch spool, the nut that holds the spool on is finger tight/loose so there is no drag on the spool.  It alows the wire to run smooth with no drag.The ground is clean, as well as the area I clamp on the pieces.  I always grind down to clean shiny metal wherever I clamp the ground.The part that is confusing me, is that I can lay a nice bead with the perfect sound, great penetration etc..  Then when I go to lay another bead, it pops and spits?My old Millermatic 130 would not pop or spit regardless of what I was welding. I'm totally confused.  It's getting old trying to weld then getting that spit and pop and a crappy weld that has to be ground off before I can try again.
Reply:How long of a weld are you making at one time? What thickness is the metal you are welding?LukeMillerMatic 212Mkita chop sawand a head full of ideas
Reply:I welded 2 - 3 inch beads on 1/8 inch steel, that was the first weld right out of the box that turned out great.  Then some 3/16 steel. again, short 2-3 inch welds.  I got the popping and spitting on that, so I grabbed some scrap 1/8 and 3/16 steel at all different wire speeds and volts trying to find out where the popping and spitting would ocour.  It's very inconsistant.  Sometimes its a nice steady bead, sometimes it spits and pops.I was welding a round bung in a tank, (thick sheet metal)  Half of it came out great, the other half had the spit and pop and has to be ground down and re-welded.I thought by getting a NEW Licoln I was upgrading from my OLD Miller, but now it's starting to feel like I went backwards.
Reply:I have a Lincoln Pro-MIG 180 and it got spooky like that once, real inconsistent. Out of desperation more than anything I changed the contact tip and poof! the problem was gone and has been gone for months now. the old one didn't look all that bad but the problem stopped when I put a new one in.Tom Hintz, publisherwww.newmetalworker.comLincoln Pro Mig 180Lincoln AC 255Determination
Reply:I just changed tips and played with the wire tension, no dice, still popping and spitting, then laying an ocasional good bead.I've only had it for a few weeks, so I'm still within my 30 days for a return to Lowes.  I'm real close to boxing it back up and returning it, and buying a Hobart.Is there anything else I am overlooking?  I've gone thru the manual and checked all the set-up instructions several times, everything is conected per the manual
Reply:take back get an other one if 'n it works right  your good to go HEY IT UNDER WARRANTYI WOOD BE GONE IN A FLASHidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:I plan on calling lincon tomorow before I box it up and take it to Lowes.  I was just hoping it was something I was overlooking, but I've looked at about everything I can think of, and the advice from those who posted on this thread as well as my search thru this site and others.  I don't know how the waranty works for Lincoln, there is only one weld shop in my small town and I don't think they do in house repair work, so that would mean sending it off for repair.  It seems when I am without a tool, thats when I need it the most, so I would much rather return for a full refund and drive across town and buy a new in the box Hobart.  Anyone ever deal with Lincon waranty work or return a welder to Lowes?I'm just alittle upset over spending 560 with tax for something that isn't working right.  Thru my search on Lincoln welders, I've read alot of posts about welders right out of the box needing repairs
Reply:take back lowes, it less than 30 days....should be take back tell them you want an other one let them send back to lincolnafter 30 days then  back to lincolnidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:I have a lincoln weld-pak 155 that I bought about 15 years ago now and I had the same problem with it. Turns out that the wire was being pinched in the liner right up where the gun meets the protective cover on the cable. I made sure that the liner was correct ( it needed to be trimmed down a shade) and I made a strain relief from a piece of 14" split wire re-enforced hose and attached it to the bottom of the gun. This setup kept the liner in a gradual bend at the gun and fixed the problem. Just for the hell of it, try welding with the cable supported so that it's in a gradual bend and see if this helps.
Reply:I tried everything that was suggested and it's still inconsisntant, good bead, then popping and spitting.  I've got a ton of wire on the floor to prove it !  So, it's boxed up and ready for a return to Lowes.  I was considering a return for another Lincoln 140, but after reading even more posts about problems with Lincolns right out of the box AND the ammount of different model #'s within the Lincoln 140 line, I think my best bet is to take my refund and buy a Hobart Handler 140.I spoke to a Lincoln rep on the phone about the differences in the pro mig, weldpack, and the 140c, and was told the only difference was the cast vs plastic gearbox and the voltage knob being tapped vs infinite.  But then the web speaks of some being made overseas, and quality control being different between the different model #'s.I appreciate all the advice offered in this thread, I liked the Lincoln when it laid down the nice beads, but I need a more consistant result out of a brand new machine
Reply:Check the polarity.
Reply:No one else mentioned it, but it sounds like you might have a gas leak. I know you already boxed this unit up, but a gas leak at the point where the gun cable goes into the unit, might be leaking when the gun is in one position, and not leaking at other times. I've heard of folks not getting the gun cable shoved all the way into the welder body and having a similar issue.Just a thought.
Reply:The polarity was checked, I had it setup for MIG, screws were tight on the positive and negative.  And I took the gun out and put it back it, checked the O-rings for damage.  Tightened everything on the regulator and gas line
Reply:Just an update:I returned the Lincoln to Lowes today.  The return went simple, I told them the troubles I had with it, no more questions were asked.  I got my cash back and went to the tool asile to see if they had any more 140's.  They were out, even the display model was gone.  I talked to a guy working there and he said two 140's had come back this month, he said they usually get atleast 4 or 5 returned a year. In Lincolns defense, some guys may just change there mind, or use it for a project and return them I guess?So I took my cash down the road and bought a Hobart Handler 140.  Got it out of the box and setup and spent the last hour or so welding a ton of scraps of various thickness.  No problems at all.Thanks again for all the advice and ideas