Getting the right setting is hard !

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With my 256 amp mig, it's all a learning curve. I experiment with bits of scrap metal of differing sizes, and finally get the wire speed and amps right so the welds are spot on.But, every time I start an actual project, I seem to get the settings wrong.I write it all down, and if the material I am using is exactly what I have been experimenting on, I set the welder to those settings, and it's all 'easy peasy' nice and easy.But, if my project material is slightly thicker/thinner than any test piece I have worked on previously, it comes down to experimenting on the settings again.Trouble is, some of my projects I only have enough material for the project and no spare to botch up whilst getting the setting right.How do other learners cope with this ? Do you do more testing on many differing sized materials ? Is it something that eventually comes naturally with experience ? Or is your little black book chokka full of the settings you need to know already ?
Reply:I think its experience and getting a feel for your machine.If i go to a friends and weld with his welder, i get close but i still have to tune in.Even on my own machine which i have owned for 12 years, once i lay a bead i may still tweek the wire speed a little or voltage up a notch.If i change to .8 wire ( i normaly use .9 ) it takes me a little to tune in.Even running a flat to a vertical changes things.You will eventualy get the feel for your new machine.But by no means do i call myself a pro welder.  Still learning all the time.
Reply:Put the pen and paper down and listen.Sound is your vary good friend, pay attention to the sound of a good running machine. Then when it's time to weld on the project grab some scrap of the same material to be welded and just tune the machine by sound.
Reply:Originally Posted by eyspyTrouble is, some of my projects I only have enough material for the project and no spare to botch up whilst getting the setting right.
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardPut the pen and paper down and listen.Sound is your vary good friend, pay attention to the sound of a good running machine. Then when it's time to weld on the project grab some scrap of the same material to be welded and just tune the machine by sound.
Reply:Fat Bastard is100% correct. all i do to set any welder I have ever used is, set your voltage and adjust your wire 'til it sounds right, run a test bead on a piece of material close to the same thickness of your material to be welded, to make sure your ears were right, adjust your wire to fix any spatter issues and you should be good to go.Go hot, or go home!
Reply:Originally Posted by Fat BastardPut the pen and paper down and listen.Sound is your vary good friend, pay attention to the sound of a good running machine. Then when it's time to weld on the project grab some scrap of the same material to be welded and just tune the machine by sound.
Reply:Find more scrap to practice on. Hit up some yard sales, that stuff needs modifying! I've found chunks of steel scrap just laying around on roadways. Once you get some practice metal, just keep adding beads to the same piece. I'ld call it, "Industrial Sculpture!  Honestly, a piece of steel pipe about a foot long is great. It can be any diameter, or any length for that matter!. Run a bead with any welding process, (that is compatable), lengthwise from one end to the other. Then run a second one right next to the first, right up against it. Keep them straight and true. Dial in the machine as you go. No need to worry, it's all about practice, you learn by mistakes. Don't stop until you cover the entire pipe with full-length beads. You can run stick or mig or flux or tig or Oxy-Acetylene or J.B., it's all good!! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:There are alot of factors to consider each time you set up to weld, unless your setup to standard a standard production using the same material, wire, stick, gas or flux,  o/a, clean vs dirty material, rust and oxide, paint, proper  clean grounding area, etc, etc etc.As for scrap metal look around your neighborhood on trash days. Bed frames  are a great source of metal for welding carts and other projects. File cabinets are a great source of sheet metal.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:First you will find a favorite setting and remember that one.  Once you have a starting place......Gas, wire size and metal thickness and sometimes position will all affect your settings.  You will get the hang of it.  Just keep at it.Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:i usually go off of the chart on the door of my welder and then dial it in from there until i get the sizzly bacon sound. but sometimes your machine will be dialed in but you wont, you may need to slow down, or speed up....trial and error is allAHP alphatig 200xclarke 130en MIG (first welder i ever bought)NT Plasma 375craftsman 240/180 ac/dc ARCcustom 60x30x30 powder coating ovenhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rossi...18853401526643
Reply:Originally Posted by David RFirst you will find a favorite setting and remember that one.  Once you have a starting place......Gas, wire size and metal thickness and sometimes position will all affect your settings.  You will get the hang of it.  Just keep at it.
Reply:You can get a voltage/wire speed chart for mig welding at your local weld supply shop or from the Miller website www.millerwelds.com .  The chart will get you close enough then tune it up by sound/feel.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:You should be able to spray transfer with that machine on higher amps..  No bacon sound...More like a hiss...no splatterThere are some good posts around here on this subject.I think there is a sticky with a good video in it about spray and short circuit
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33You can get a voltage/wire speed chart for mig welding at your local weld supply shop or from the Miller website www.millerwelds.com .  The chart will get you close enough then tune it up by sound/feel.
Reply:It is not an On-Line Chart but a Pocket Calculator to purchasehttp://www.millerwelds.com/resources/tools/#calculators$1.50 USDEd 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:Originally Posted by eyspyWith my 256 amp mig,
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1Did you get a new machine?I thought ya had a WIA210s
Reply:Originally Posted by LarryOHe got a 256 from insurance after his garage was broken into and his stuff was stolen.
Reply:Is this an ESAB mig?Yeah, good thing he had insurance!   After the Suitcase feeder got stolen, I got the inland marine policy.  My stuff is covered in the shop, on the truck or at the job site, with a $100 deductable and full replacement cost payout.  MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Here is a charthttp://products.esabna.com/EN/home/f...larc_86_er70s6Click on "deposition-Parameters"The first list is for spray, scroll down for short arc.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Thanks for that chart link.Yes I did have a WIA210s, and as pointed out I had a burglery whilst my wife was in hospital giving birth to our third child.The insurance company was fantastic and paid up promptly. My 210s is a superseded model and the WIA256 is it's replacement. I also had dozens of clamps stolen, my socket set, my spanner set and my Miller Elite helmet. All up about $5,600 worth. The cops reckon they would have been in and out in under 2 minutes !!  I had to drop everything I was doing and only had time to lock my shed when my wife's contractions took hold with a vengance. We took off to hospital and left the gates wide open, and this is when we think the thieves entered. We think it is someone who lives nearby and has seen my stuff in the shed when walking by whilst I am working in there. Measures have now been put in place to stop it happening again.