Welding outside,sun behind you, good luck. Indoors.i use around 11. Buddy prefers 9. I wear glasses to weld, perhaps thats the difference.
Welding woes...frustrating!!
- Thread starter dartfreak75
- Start date
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Here again it is good to be associated with a good welding supplier, the place that refills your oxygen and acetylene, and Argon/Co2 tanks.
They can recommend your proper welding lens/setting for your particular hood. Most of those places have welding tables for demonstrating welders. Bring your hood in then they can help you get it set right so you can see what you are doing.
Those places have knowledgeable people that can help you become a better welder. Getting things set up properly is half the battle.
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
9-11 is what I use so I'm safe anyway lol my helmet does pretty good with the sun as long as I dont look directly towards the sun.
pishta
I know I'm right....
The newer HF flux core welders are self feeding so you cant adjust the wire speed. I think it goes by power rating. I got an older Italian made HF Dual-Mig 130, before they went Chinese. I only use it as .030 flux but I got a small Argon tank and a regulator as well as the .025 solid wire...just never used the gas side. I had a crap spool of old HF scrap metal flux wire that wasn't worth a ****. I bought some new HF 'Vulcan' wire (I get alot of HF cards so I shop there often) and that stuff was so much better than even the small spool of Lincoln I had. The feed roller is the same as the Lincolns and I need a new one as mine is always slipping. The new design wheels are knurled inside the groove for better grip. also they Screwed up on the thread of the spool axle. Its just an arbor with a threaded rod and thumb nut to keep the spool on. Well the spool rotates CCW as its wire is pulled out and the stupid nut unscrews! Just a peeve I have with my $50 buck welder...yup, $50 used at Pomona swap meet. Had to carry that thing about 1/4 mile back to my car. Looks like this one but has reversible polarity DIN plug on the front. and a gas line out the back. I wish it had a better amp control instead of min/max and 1/2. Pretty bad duty cycle. will go into thermal shutdown after about 1 minute of continuous welding! That new Vulcan wire saved me from tossing this in the trash as those old beads were so bad.
skidmark
Well-Known Member
Polarity is correct?
Also be sure the gun/whip is not twisted or coiled, this can increase wire feed resistance/drag.
Krooser
Building Chinese Free Engines since 1959...
Buy a Lincoln or Miller welder. 110V is fine for most stuff. Sell the Horrible Freight deal and move on...
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
Thanks bud I will try that Vulcan wire I thought about testing it out before. Tbh the little spoil of Chinese wire that came with my Hf welder ran really good. When I ran out alot of ppl told me to get Lincoln wire. They didnt have any .030 so I got the. 035 but I got the blue devil. 030 just to try it was cheap on Amazon. I hate it dont like it at all. I liked the hf wire better. The Lincoln wire I like it welds good and makes a strong weld when I can get it too. I think its 50 percent me and 50 percent the machine not getting enough amps because of the drop cord. I was talking to a good friend of mine that is a welder I showed him my welds and he said it looks like to him I'm loosing amps after the bead starts. I cant exactly move the car right now tho haha
Too many strikes against you. power insufficient, .035 wire needs the amperage.
Welder is a little small.
Polarity has been mentioned a few times, if it is a flux core wire feed only welder, the polarity will be correct. Correct welding tip in gun?
how much wire sticks out of gun while you weld? Should keep it 1/2” or less.
Welder is a little small.
Polarity has been mentioned a few times, if it is a flux core wire feed only welder, the polarity will be correct. Correct welding tip in gun?
how much wire sticks out of gun while you weld? Should keep it 1/2” or less.
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
Yea I'm gonna get some more .030 and practice some more without the extension cord and see if that makes a difference. I think the cord is my biggest problem in this certain instance. Yes the tip is the correct size and the wire length is correct. Polarity isnt adjusted on my machine it has a high and low amperage and wire feed speed thats the only controls I have
Yes dartfreak75 you need a 12 gauge wire, 20 amp circuit and breaker to run that 110v welder.
Can make up a 10' to 25' extension cord out of 12 gauge wire too that will handle the 20 amps . . the shorter the better.
toplscuda
Well-Known Member
George Jets if you are having trouble pushing the thinner wire though the gun then it is most likely due to the liner in the gun being kinked. Even the slightest kink will give you fits feeding wire. When the liner is good and the drive roll tension is correct you should be able to have the gun with an 8" loop in it and still feed the wire with no issue. Many people make the mistake of over tightening the drive rolls. Set correctly you should be able to stop the wire with your fingers and get it to slip in the drive rolls
I've not much advice, but if you end up welding good with what you have, WHEN you switch to gas, your welds will be awesome. I know people are trying to help but 3 pages of "buy a new one!!!"
Lmao
Lmao
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
It seems like that is always the solution to any problem these days. Throw more money at it. Haha. Unfortunately I can't afford a new mig welder or anything better than what I have so I will have to make due and learn to use what I got. I know im gonna have limitations with the equipment that I have but that's all I can afford right now and it's better than nothing at all lol
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
So I need a 20 amp circuit all by itself?
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
I just looked up my extension cord that I bought it's a 12 gauge 15 amp. I think my problem may be where I'm plugging it in at. I'm gonna have to get a outlet on a breaker by itself.
What else is running on the same circuit?
turning stuff off or plugging them in elsewhere (even temporarily) is always a way cheaper option.
A 20 amp appliance uses a different design male plug than a 15 amp.
One of the tangs is horizontal (instead of both being vertical).
If your welder required a 20A circuit, it would have the 20A plug.
turning stuff off or plugging them in elsewhere (even temporarily) is always a way cheaper option.
A 20 amp appliance uses a different design male plug than a 15 amp.
One of the tangs is horizontal (instead of both being vertical).
If your welder required a 20A circuit, it would have the 20A plug.
black954
Well-Known Member
The problem is you have the cheapest lowest current flux core welder that is intended for light home and art welding projects. You NEED a MIG welder with shielding gas to do any sort or real autobody welding. Flux core welding is NOT a clean weld for the most part. On auto panels, they most likely will rust through soon after they are painted because of this. The entire purpose of flux core wire is to weld together steel that you cannot get clean enough to weld with MIG or TIG. I find it odd that you ask for welding advice yet you do not want to take it when people who know how to weld are giving you advice. This has nothing to do with being cheap or trying to save money. You are trying to do something with the wrong equipment. Go buy the cheapest Ebay 110v MIG welder and it will work fine when used with 75/25 shielding gas and solid wire. Also, for the welding lens, a shade 9 or 10 is fine for such low current. You need to see the welding puddle to know if you are welding correctly when you are learning.
pishta
I know I'm right....
My 100A Craftsman stick welder had a strange plug end, the 2 blades were not parallel, but at a 90. Seems that is a NEMA 5-20 that is designed to only plug into a 20A circuit. I had to change out the receptical for a 5-20 that is backwards compatible to 15A (20A breaker on that circuit anyway) . My air compressor will barely chug along on an extension cord so I took a roll of 12-2 Romex and made a 25 foot extension cord with a single gang box at the end and a receptical. Works great but Romex is expensive now and is very stiff for a portable cord. try it straight off the wall and see if your breaker is a 20A on that circuit. Portable generators are $99 at good ol HF. IIRC they are under 1000W though. 20A @120V is 2400W. not sure what a welder pulls but its alot.
<<YYI said it>>>
<<YYI said it>>>
trapster
Well-Known Member
I saw a review for a Vulcan, and it said it is a good welder, but stay away from the HF flux core wire, unless you like the spatter.
toplscuda
Well-Known Member
We never send out a 110v rental without a 10 gauge extension cord. The 12 gauge cord is not big enough to keep the voltage from dropping which is most likely why you are experiencing issues the longer you weld with it.
As for the 20 amp circuit, as long as you are not tripping the circuit breaker the plug you are using is sufficient.
Scamp Rhonda
Well-Known Member
I don't know how you have time to weld with all this messaging going on lol. Just practice, practice, practice. Like others have said, use short, heavy (12 gauge would be ok) ext cord. Your machine will work. Just not as good as some of the other solutions. But It will work.
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
Ok thanks I will look for a 10 gauge extension cord.
Yes, especially with no other electrical equipment running on that circuit.
Dedicated 20 Amp Circuit. 12 gauge wire running to your welder to carry the load.
You can quick test your current wiring by feeling your welder plug where it plugs into the cord after welding for 5 minutes. The plug should not be warm to the touch.
Now go back to your breaker box and feel the breaker that is for the circuit that your welder is on, that should not be warm.
Any breakers, wiring, plugs and outlets that are getting warm, tells you that the breaker and wiring to your welder are not heavy enough to carry the proper load. Overloading the circuit.
Betting dollars to doughnuts you have a 15 amp breaker and 14 gauge wire rated for 15 amps. You probably have a few lights and a furnace fan running on that circuit as well.
Need good clean power for that welder so the connections run cool, then you know you got it right.
Your Power source at the breaker box???
60 amp service ?? Doable
100 amp service ?? BETTER
200 amp service ?? BEST !!
60 amp service: you may have to shut down some other items while you are running the welder.
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
I understand what your saying but I am not welding body panels with this welder. I do not intend on using flux core welder to do any type of body work. I just use it for projects around the house and sticking metal together. This particular project is a rust hole in the frame I'm fixing not on the body. But thank you for your input. I appreciate it.
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