AJ_Fritz
09-24-2008, 05:06 PM
just some tips and trick for the novice.
some simple rules:
use the right gas for the right material.
welding aluminum with a spoolgun your going to need 100% argon.
welding carbon steel your going to need either 100% CO2 or a bimix of 75/25% Argon/CO2.
welding Stainless Steel your going to need a trimix gas of 90/7/3% heluim/argon/CO2 you can weld with carbon gas but the weld will be very hot and turn black. helium cools the weld.
now a little discussion on actually welding.
its hard when your a beginner to wrap your head around what does what when adjusting the voltages and wire speeds. always remember that the wire carries the amperage and that equates to heat and penitration. this is very importent to remember. i know 20 year veterains that still think it only takes voltage to get a hotter weld. voltage and wire speed is a marrage if you increase one the other needs increased. if you increase the wire size you wont need as much speed.
if you change materials say from carbon to stainless and everything is the same your going to have to increase the wire speed. it has to do with resistance. stainless has a lower electrical resistance then carbon and has a slower heat transfer rate from the weld joint.
think you got it set up pretty close. does it sound like frying eggs? then its cooking just right. i can set up a welder pretty much all by ear. spitting and sputtering? that would either be a globular weld or a little more wire speed.
weld looks like yarn then turn down the wire speed if it's a thin material,or up the voltage if its thick.
tick tick ticking at the start of every weld. feed problem or voltage problem. if the liner is good and the right size for the wire then turn the voltage up a little. or if it welds fine afer a quick stop and start nip the bud off the wire before starting the first time. stainless will do this alot. it oxidizes and doesnt like to ground out to start the arc. will bend over until virgin material is touched and start the arc there. so nip the bud or have a starter pad close you can clear its throut with.
i know guys at work that hate stainless. alot to do with it sticking in the tip. tip sticks are a feed problem. if the feed rate is not constaint and consistent then your going to have problem. if at any time the arc changes during a weld and your rate of travel doesnt start looking for a rate of feed problem. the easiest way to find this is work from one end of feeder to the other. pull the tip off, disconect the drive rolls and put a little slack on the spool and pull on the wire. it should slide through the whip like butter. if it doesnt look for a kink in the cable liner. no kinks. then its in the drive rolls and wire holders. look for something rubbing or misdirecting. whatever it is fix it. nothing messes up a good weld like a feeder problem.
sometimes someone will try to run a .030 wire in a .045 liner. you can ussually get away with this if running carbon but stainless hates it. every other weld will start with a tick and every 10th start will be a stuck tip. depending on how well your feeder works a tip stick ussually results in a birds nest or a unclearable tip.
some simple rules:
use the right gas for the right material.
welding aluminum with a spoolgun your going to need 100% argon.
welding carbon steel your going to need either 100% CO2 or a bimix of 75/25% Argon/CO2.
welding Stainless Steel your going to need a trimix gas of 90/7/3% heluim/argon/CO2 you can weld with carbon gas but the weld will be very hot and turn black. helium cools the weld.
now a little discussion on actually welding.
its hard when your a beginner to wrap your head around what does what when adjusting the voltages and wire speeds. always remember that the wire carries the amperage and that equates to heat and penitration. this is very importent to remember. i know 20 year veterains that still think it only takes voltage to get a hotter weld. voltage and wire speed is a marrage if you increase one the other needs increased. if you increase the wire size you wont need as much speed.
if you change materials say from carbon to stainless and everything is the same your going to have to increase the wire speed. it has to do with resistance. stainless has a lower electrical resistance then carbon and has a slower heat transfer rate from the weld joint.
think you got it set up pretty close. does it sound like frying eggs? then its cooking just right. i can set up a welder pretty much all by ear. spitting and sputtering? that would either be a globular weld or a little more wire speed.
weld looks like yarn then turn down the wire speed if it's a thin material,or up the voltage if its thick.
tick tick ticking at the start of every weld. feed problem or voltage problem. if the liner is good and the right size for the wire then turn the voltage up a little. or if it welds fine afer a quick stop and start nip the bud off the wire before starting the first time. stainless will do this alot. it oxidizes and doesnt like to ground out to start the arc. will bend over until virgin material is touched and start the arc there. so nip the bud or have a starter pad close you can clear its throut with.
i know guys at work that hate stainless. alot to do with it sticking in the tip. tip sticks are a feed problem. if the feed rate is not constaint and consistent then your going to have problem. if at any time the arc changes during a weld and your rate of travel doesnt start looking for a rate of feed problem. the easiest way to find this is work from one end of feeder to the other. pull the tip off, disconect the drive rolls and put a little slack on the spool and pull on the wire. it should slide through the whip like butter. if it doesnt look for a kink in the cable liner. no kinks. then its in the drive rolls and wire holders. look for something rubbing or misdirecting. whatever it is fix it. nothing messes up a good weld like a feeder problem.
sometimes someone will try to run a .030 wire in a .045 liner. you can ussually get away with this if running carbon but stainless hates it. every other weld will start with a tick and every 10th start will be a stuck tip. depending on how well your feeder works a tip stick ussually results in a birds nest or a unclearable tip.