Bad mig welds

[dirt clod]

I have a Lincoln Electric Pro MIG 180. The 1st few times I used it I was amazed at the nice welders. I was making much nicer welds than I could on the miller at work. All of a sudenly I can't weld for nothing. I'm still on my 1st spool of wire and tank of gas. The welds have a lot of pores and don't seem to want to penetrate. There is a lot of spatter. Some of it reminds me of cutting torch slag! It looks burned. I tryed it on several pieces of metal. All come out like I was welding dirty metal but it was not. I really can't think of anything that would have changed. Any ideas????????

 

[aspenelm]

out of shielding gas?

 

[Inspector507]

How old is the wire? Exposed to dampness? Is there any film on it?

 

[dirt clod]

Not out of gas. I got a 320 cf tank. Still have part of my "starter" 2# roll. All of it is less than a month old. We have had some rain. I built a large offroad cart for it so it has not been at ground level or setting on a concrete slab. Wouldn't think damp air would ruin the mig wire this soon as my 120v fluxcore welder sets much more than this. I can hear the gas coming out. It acts like I'm not getting any though. Maybe gun needs cleaned? Maybe sucking air into the gas stream somehow?

 

[dirt clod]

" film on wire" not sure what your asking.
I looked at the wire. Didnt notice anything strange. But then again I always say I have a welder and that I weld but am not a weldor. Sometimes I could be more refered to as grindor Wife asked me one day why I was putting that stuff on if I was just going to grind it back off, It made no sense to her

 

[schmism]

pics might help track down the problem.

 

[oldhippy]

I have had welders for a couple of years and on the migs the tips can be worn inside and need to be replaced from time to time. I keep tips on hand all the time ( they are cheap for mine about a dollar) replace the tip and see if this cures your problem. I am talking about the bronze fitting that the welding wire comes out of. The life of the tips depends on keeping splater from sticking on them. I keep a jar of tip jelly next to where I am welding and dip end of gun in it quite often. This is the first place that I would check if not repost and we will see if we can get you back to making things. This is the fun of welding. big dan

 

[digger2]

See if your nozzle is clogged with spatter back where the gas enters inside the nozzle.You'll have to unscrew your nozzle to check this.Also check all your gas line connections.Even though your gas line is pressurized,it can still suck air,contaminating the gas mixture.
Might want to check the hoses for cracks or cuts also.....digger2

 

[bucmeister]

I release the pressure on the pinch roller, turn off the tank valve, the pull the trigger to release all of the pressure in the gas system at the end of each session. Have found that I have to reverse the process when first starting up to get the gas back in proper concentration in the entire hose. Thought I had once, but figured out it apparently takes longer than I thought to get the gas in full concentration because one time I welded a short bit after a short purge and the weld looked really poor and porous like you describe.

 

[Scooby074]

It sounds like a shielding gas issue.

Like the others have said check the mig nozzle for any blockages. Also check the small diffuser holes in the gun and make sure they are cleaned out.

You say you can hear the gas, but what CFH are you running on the regulator? Try increasing the pressure to 15-20 CFH if its not there already.

Is the metal that your welding GROUND clean? Check your gun polarity. You'll want DCEP (Reverse) polarity for gas.

Make sure there are no drafts and that you are keeping your gun nozzle within 1/2" of the surface being welded.

Check your gun lead and hose from the regulator to make sure it hasn't been crushed and is restricting your flow to the gun. Also check where the hose goes into your gas solenoid on your machine. There is usually a fine filter in there. I was having poriosity problems with my new machine, turned out that filter was partially plugged with pipe dope.

 

[dirt clod]

Going to try cleaning gun. It does seem to be a sheilding problem after searching the net. The tips got changed several times while I was having this problem as there was a lot of splatter. Tried differant pieces of metal to make sure it was not problem, all was cleaned with grinder before welding. I really could not believe the welds I was getting at 1st. They reminded me of brazing or soldering due to how smooth it was and the edges looked like they flowed into the metal. The welds I started getting though made it look like I was useing the 120v fluxcore on something to big. Thanks for all the replies. Got a lot answers in a short time. Will post what I find

 

[dirt clod]

Inspector........ You posted about "film" on the wire.
I have not heard of this before.
Are you talking about some sort of corrosion that can be seen or something else?
Or something like dust from the cooling fan sucking in dirty air?

 

[chvet73]

Some how you are not getting gas. You should not ahve to do anything extra to get the gas started. Is your gun liner leaking? I'm not sure what to look at but I am sure you have a lack of gas issue.

 

[wushaw]

You have a gas issue, your not getting the proper gas coverage on your weld.
Clogged tip, gun not pushed into welder completely, "O" ring leaking...etc


You can get a film of corrosion on your wire and it will not feed correctly and will just quit feeding during a weld and just drive ya crazy, it will feed all day long when not welding and the only way to fix it is to pitch that roll in the trash and start with a new roll.

 

[Inspector507]

Inspector........ You posted about "film" on the wire.
I have not heard of this before.
Are you talking about some sort of corrosion that can be seen or something else?
Or something like dust from the cooling fan sucking in dirty air?

If a spool of wire has been exposed for a signifcant amount of time there could be some "film" on the wire. I don't know if it's a sort of oxidation or not, but in your case a lot more experienced people than me seem to think it's a gas issue. It very well coild be.

 

[dirt clod]

It was a gas issue. Took the nozzle off and it had splatter inside. I wondered why and how, Then I remebered the most recent welding I had to do was welding under a plate with gun pointing up. Thanks.

 

[Eagleview]

A couple of things with migs . 1 , If you pull the trigger with slag shorting across from the tip to the nozzle the mig wire in the liner will heat up red hot . If you have a nylon liner the wire will melt into it and cause tracks to form . These tracks will cause the wire to jam and shudder and give you trouble . Sometimes it can melt right through the liner and cause gas leakage . 2 , It is important to keep the wire from rusting . I cover my reel with a heavy cloth and i also put a piece of soft cloth on the welding wire just before it goes into feeder tube in front of the pinch rollers and hold it on with a cloths peg . This wipes off any rust particles as the wire is fed into the liner which in turn keeps the liner clean .

 

[bobodu]

Gas issues,birdnesting,melted liners,jelly,clogged nozzles,extra tips,filmy wire.....
Tell me again how great them squirt guns are...ROFLOL.

 

[Legdoc]

Every welding process has it's application. Without question stick is the most universal. But, on new work or a cleanable repair I always use MIG. It's fast, I get a better weldment, minimal smoke and I do not have to jack with slag. JMHO.
Legdoc

 

[Sully2]

Gas issues,birdnesting,melted liners,jelly,clogged nozzles,extra tips,filmy wire.....
Tell me again how great them squirt guns are...ROFLOL.

It helps if the operator is smarter than the machine...and the more complex the machine the smarter one has to be. Lets see..?..a single stick melted by an electric current...Hmmmm